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LOGAN, Utah - Utah State junior linebacker Paul Igboeli was named the Western Athletic Conference defensive player of the week for the week ending Sunday, Nov. 2, it was announced Monday by the conference office.
Igboelii (pronounced Ig-bo-lee), a native of Grand Prairie, Texas (South Grand Prairie HS) had six tackles (five solos and one assist), a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal as USU snapped a four-game losing streak with a 30-14 win over defending WAC champion Hawai'i on Saturday, as well as helping USU to its first WAC win over Hawai'i in four tries, as the Aggies' last win over the Warriors was in 1966. Igboeli blocked UH's field goal attempt on the Warriors' opening possession of the game after USU had taken a 3-0 lead. On Hawai'i's first possession of the third quarter, Igboeli recovered a fumble at the USU 4 to thwart the drive.
"We are excited for Paul because he has played more snaps than anybody on our football team. He doesn't come out very much on defense. He has played a lot of football and played very well," USU head coach Brent Guy said. "He blocked that kick to get us started at the start of the game and came up with the fumble. So he stepped up and made big plays for us to beat Hawai'i."
Igboeli becomes USU's first WAC POW this season and the first since Kevin Robinson earned the special teams award last year on week four, following the San Jose State. It's the first defensive POW since DL Ben Calderwood on Oct. 9, 2006, following USU's win over Fresno State. Overall, Igboeli becomes the sixth Aggie to win a WAC player of the week honor since USU joined the league ahead of the 2005 season.
Louisiana Tech running back Daniel Porter was named the offensive player of the week while teammate return specialist Phillip Livas was the special teams player of the week.
Porter, a junior from Baton Rouge, La. (Istrouma HS), rushed for a career-high 189 yards and two touchdowns in Louisiana Tech's 38-35 win over Fresno State. Porter scored on runs of 1 and 43 yards with the latter coming with less than two minutes remaining in the game and proving to be the eventual game-winning score. He averaged 9.4 yards per carry in the contest.
Livas, a sophomore from Houma, La. (South Terrebonne HS), returned four punts for 94 yards and four kickoffs for 88 yards in Tech's victory over Fresno State. In the second quarter, he returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 14. It was the fourth longest punt return in school history. Livas racked up 255 all-purpose yards on the day as he also caught four passes for 50 yards and rushed four times for 23 yards.
Others nominated on offense: freshman quarterback Kellen Moore, Boise State; junior receiver Seyi Ajirotutu, Fresno State; junior quarterback Myles Eden, San Jose State; and sophomore quarterback Diondre Borel, Utah State.
Also nominated on defense: senior linebacker Kyle Gingg, Boise State; and junior safety Antonio Baker, Louisiana Tech.
Other special teams nominations: junior punt returner Kyle Wilson, Boise State; freshman punt returner Rashad Evans, Fresno State; senior placekicker Jared Strubeck, San Jose State; and sophomore punter/placekicker Peter Caldwell, Utah State.
Utah State heads to Boise, Idaho to tangle with ninth-ranked Boise State on Saturday, Nov. 8. Kickoff from BSU's Bronco Stadium is slated for Noon.
USU football games are will be aired on KVNU (610 AM) and KLZX (95.9 FM) in Logan, on 1230 AM in Salt Lake City, or KLZX (1320 AM) in Montpelier, Idaho.
Fans can also listen on the Internet at www.UtahStateAggies by clicking on "Listen Live" links either on the right hand column or in the Upcoming Events list at the bottom of the page or on the schedule/results link on the football page.
Saturday's battle between the Broncos and the Aggies will be televised by KTVB Boise and will be broadcast on ESPN GamePlan as well as KJZZ (Comcast Ch. 14 in Cache Valley).
Fans can watch Saturday's game at Boise State on the internet by clicking on the "Watch Live" link to watch the streamed broadcast through Boise State's web site.
Live stats for Saturday's game at Boise State are available by clicking on the "Live Stats" link through the USU web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com.
The Aggies then head to Ruston, La. to face Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Nov. 15, before USU's second bye week of the season. Utah State then hosts New Mexico State in the Aggies' home and season-finale on Saturday, Nov. 29.
Aggie football tickets are available in person through the USU Ticket Office at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, online 24 hours a day at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clicking on "tickets" in left column, or by phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or (435) 797-0305.
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