Pac-12 football players of the week announced

SAN FRANCISCO - Wide receiver Nelson Agholor of USC, defensive end Nate Orchard of UTAH and kicker Casey Skowron of ARIZONA, have been named offensive, defensive and special teams Pac-12 Players of the Week in football.

Agholor, a junior from Tampa Fla., had a career-best 16 receptions for 216 yards with two touchdowns in USC’s 38-30 win over California. He had eight catches for 120 yards in the first quarter and 13 for 177 yards at halftime. The 16 receptions tied for the fourth most ever in a single game in the Pac-12. It was Agholor’s second straight game with 200 yards receiving, after going for 220 yards last week at Washington State. It was the was the first time in a season that a Trojan has had a pair of 200-yard receiving games and the first time in USC history that a receiver has had consecutive 200-yard outings. It also tied Agholor with Keyshawn Johnson, Dwayne Jarrett, Robert Woods and Marqise Lee for the most 200-yard receiving games in a career with two.

Orchard, a senior from Salt Lake City, Utah, led the Utes with 10 tackles, including 3.5 sacks for 28 lost yards, and forced a fumble that led to Utah’s only touchdown in regulation, in Utah’s double-overtime win over Stanford. Orchard became Utah’s all-time single-season sack leader with 16.5 and is tied for first in the nation in total sacks. Orchard’s 8-yard sack in the second overtime led to Stanford ultimately taking a 51-yard field goal and putting Utah in the driver seat on its offensive turn. He also ended Stanford drives with sacks at the end of the second and third quarters. After allowing Stanford to score a touchdown on the opening series, Orchard and the Utes held the Cardinal scoreless for the remainder of regulation.

Skowron, a junior from Phoenix Ariz., drilled a 47-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Wildcats a come-from-behind victory, 27-26, over Washington. He accounted for 15 of Arizona’s 27 points, converting three extra points, hitting two field goals and scoring his first-ever touchdown on a momentum-changing play in the second quarter. The Wildcats were trailing 17-7 when Skowron took a direct snap from long-snapper Jose Romero to race 18 yards into the corner of the end zone, turning a fake field goal into a touchdown. After Washington claimed a 26-21 lead heading to the fourth quarter, Skowron connected on a 35-yard field goal early in the fourth to bring the Wildcats within two points and set up the dramatic finish for the game-winning 47-yarder as time expired. It was the first game-winning field goal for a Wildcat kicker since 2009 (Alex Zendejas’ 32-yarder broke a 17-17 tie as time expired). Skowron kicked off five times in the game with two touchbacks, helping hold the Huskies to 16.7 yards per return effort.

Also nominated for Offensive Player of the Week: Terron Ward, RB, OSU; Travis Wilson, QB, UTAH; Also nominated for Defensive Player of the Week: Jared Tevis, S, ARIZ; Michael Doctor, LB, OSU; Henry Anderson, DE, STAN; Su’a Cravens, S, USC; Also nominated for Special Teams Player of the Week: Tom Hackett, Utah

2014 Player of the Week History