Utah Trio Collects Pac-12 Weekly Awards

SAN FRANCISCO - Utah junior offensive lineman Nick Ford, junior linebacker Devin Lloyd and sophomore quarterback Cameron Rising have all collected weekly accolades from the Pac-12, the conference office announced on Monday. Ford was named Offensive Line Player of the Week, Lloyd the Defensive Player of the Week and Rising the league's Offensive Player of the Week.
 
All three played key roles in Utah's 35-21 comeback win over No. 18 Arizona State on Saturday, played before a sellout crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Trailing 21-7 at halftime, momentum turned the Utes' way with touchdowns on all four second half possessions, all while a lockdown defensive effort held ASU to 97 yards of offense with two punts, a blocked field goal and three straight sacks to end the ballgame.
 
Ford, seeing time at center, anchored an offensive line that did not allow a sack of Rising on 69 offensive plays. Hailing from San Pedro, California, Ford and his fellow linemen protected for an offense that produced 455 total yards, the most by an ASU opponent this season. It was the second straight week that the Utes crossed the 450-yard mark as an offense, aided in part by seven passes of 15-plus yards and eight rushes of 10 yards or more.
 
Lloyd produced a game-high eight tackles, including four TFL (24 yards) and a career-high three sacks (19 yards), plus a pass breakup on the night. His four TFL tied a career-best, was the most by a Ute this season and tied for the most by a Pac-12 player this year. Two of his sacks cemented the victory on the final two plays of the night, while the other came on a third down earlier in the game. The native of Chula Vista, California, ranks second in the Pac-12 and is No. 6 in FBS with 10.2 tackles per game. The Preseason All-American has had no fewer than eight stops each game this season and has 10.5 TFL in Utah's last four games.
 
Earning the accolade for the second straight week, Rising finished the night 21-of-33 passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Rising additionally rushed six times for a career-high 59 yards (9.8 ypc) and another touchdown. He has produced rushing scores in consecutive games, the first Utes quarterback to do so since Tyler Huntley in 2019. In the second half comeback, he was 13-of-15 through the air for 140 yards and two touchdowns, helping march the Utes at least 67 yards downfield on each series with a long drive of 82 yards on 12 plays. ESPN currently ranks Rising atop the Pac-12 and No. 2 in the country this season in QBR (88.8). During Week 7, the Ventura, California, product was slotted 10th in QBR (91.4).

Earlier on Monday, Rising was named a "Star of the Week" by the Manning Award. He is the first Utah player to win consecutive Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors and seventh in the Pac-12 era.
 
Utah (4-2, 3-0 Pac-12) now turns its attention to a Saturday, Oct. 23 Pac-12 game at Oregon State. It'll be a 5:30 p.m. MT kick in Corvallis, Oregon and will air on Pac-12 Networks.
 
Nick Ford • 2021 Awards and Accolades

• Pac-12 Offensive Line Player of the Week (Oct. 18)
• Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List
• Preseason All-Pac-12 (Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, Pac-12)

 
Devin Lloyd • 2021 Awards and Accolades

• Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week (Oct. 12)
• Reese's Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 27)
• Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 7, Oct. 18)
• 2021 Preseason All-America (The Athletic, Athlon Sports, Walter Camp, Phil Steele)
• 2021 Watch Lists: Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski, Butkus Award, Lott IMPACT Trophy, Reese's Senior Bowl

Cameron Rising • 2021 Awards and Accolades

• Manning Award "Star of the Week" (Oct. 18) | Vote for Rising here
• Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 11, Oct. 18)
• Davey O'Brien Award "Great 8" (Oct. 11)
• Davey O'Brien Award Watch List