THOMAS, HORTON AND SMITH NAMED PAC-12 FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Running back De’Anthony Thomas of OREGON, cornerback Damante Horton of WASHINGTON STATE and kicker Jake Smith of ARIZONA have been named Pac-12 Players of the Week in football.

Thomas, a junior from Los Angeles, Calif., had 11 carries for a game-high 124 yards rushing and three touchdowns in the Duck’s 59-10 road win over Virginia on Saturday. He had touchdown runs of one, 40 and eight yards and reeled in one catch for another 28 yards. Thomas is averaging 8.7 yards per carry and is tied for 20th in the nation in rushing yards per game (126.0 ypg). 

Horton, a senior from Oakland, Calif., led a spirited defensive effort by Washington State in the Cougars 10-7 win over No.22/25 USC Trojans in the first Conference game of season. The cornerback stepped in front of a USC pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown to even the score at 7-7 just before halftime. Horton collected his second interception with less than a minute remaining to seal the victory for Washington State, ending the game with two interceptions for 75 return yards and a career-best two tackles for a loss for 12 yards. He was also tasked with covering USC All-American receiver Marquise Lee, who was limited to 27 yards on seven catches. 

Smith, a senior place-kicker Philadelphia, Pa., set a school record with 16 points by kicking to help lead Arizona past UNLV 58-13 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. The first-year kicker collected his first made field goal from 41 yards to put Arizona up 3-0 and went on to convert three of four on the night in addition to making all seven extra points he attempted. Smith also kicked off 11 times in the game with five touchbacks and a 63.3-yard average.

Also nominated for offensive player of the week honors were quarterbacks Travis Wilson of UTAH, Taylor Kelly of ARIZONA STATE, Sean Mannion of OREGON STATE, and Jared Goff of CALIFORNIA; running backs Ka’Deem Carey of Arizona, Tre Madden of USC and Tyler Gaffney of STANFORD; and wide receiver Paul Richardson of COLORADO. Also nominated for defensive player of the week honors were linebackers Jake Fischer of Arizona, Grandville Taylor of Arizona State, and Hardy Nickerson of California, safeties Jared Bell of Colorado, Ed Reynolds of Stanford and Dion Bailey of USC; defensive end Tony Washington of Oregon and defensive tackle Tenny Palepoi of Utah. Also nominated for special teams player of the week honors were kickers Vincenzo D’Amato of California and Andrew Furney of Washington State and Oregon State punter Keith Kostol.