Catalon makes the fourth pass

* Mountain West Conference press release

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Boise State junior running back Ashton Jeanty was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, while UNLV senior safety Jalen Catalon was named the MW Defensive Player of the Week. New Mexico senior punter Aaron Rodriguez is the MW Special Teams Player of the Week and UNLV placekicker Caden Chittenden is the MW Freshman of the Week.

The weekly award is the fifth for Jeanty, the third for Chittenden and the first for Catalon and Rodriguez.

Offensive Player of the Week

ASHTON JEANTY, BOISE STATE

Junior, running back, Jacksonville, Fla./Lone Star (Texas) HS

* Had 26 carries for 259 yards and four touchdowns as Boise State defeated Washington State 45-24.
* Produced touchdown runs of 64, 14, 59 and 2 yards.
* Averaged 10.0 yards per carry.
* Made 17 tackles and rushed for 234 yards after contact.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

JALEN CATALON, UNLV

Senior, Safety, Mansfield, Texas/Mansfield Legacy HS/Arkansas/Texas

* Had a game-high 10 tackles, including six solo stops, in UNLV's 59-14 win over Fresno State in the Rebels' MW opener.
* Also recorded his FBS-leading fourth interception of the season in the second quarter, intercepting a pass at the UNLV 1-yard line to thwart a potential scoring drive by the Bulldogs.
* On a fourth-and-14 play in the third quarter, he broke up a pass to give UNLV the ball back on downs.
* Contributed to Fresno State having just 30 rushing yards and more than 20 points and 60 total yards below its season average.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

AARON RODRIGUEZ, NEW MEXICO

Senior, Punter, Newhall, California/Missouri

* In New Mexico's 50-40 victory over New Mexico State in the Rio Grande rivalry, he was punted four times for 183 yards, an average of 45.8 yards per punt.
* Helped the Lobos win the field position battle in the first half when the game was tied at 7 and pin the Aggies inside their 5-yard line on consecutive possessions.
* His first punt of the day was a 49-yarder that gave NMSU the ball at the 2-yard line.
His second punt of the day was a season-long 56-yarder that went out of bounds at the 4-yard line.
* He arrived at the game just 2 1/2 hours before kickoff because he was staying behind for his White Coat/Pledge ceremony at UNM Nursing School in Albuquerque on Friday night.

Freshers of the week

CADEN CHITTENDEN, UNLV

Freshman, Placekicker, Las Vegas, Nevada/Faith Lutheran HS

* Scored 11 points in UNLV's 59-14 win over Fresno State.
* Converted his only field goal attempt, a 45-yarder in the third quarter.
* Was 8 out of 8 on points attempts.
* Kickoffs 10 times for 650 yards and eight touchbacks.

– The 50 Greatest University of Wyoming Football Players