MW Players of the Week: Catalon Picks off Fourth Pass

* Mountain West Conference press release

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Boise State junior running back Ashton Jeanty has been named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, while UNLV senior safety Jalen Catalon is 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.

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The weekly award is the fifth for Jeanty, the third for Chittenden and the first for both 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 trounced Washington State, 45-24.
* Produced touchdown runs of 64, 14, 59 and 2 yards.
* Averaged 10.0 yards per carry.
* Broke 17 tackles and recorded 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, picking off a pass at the UNLV 1-yard line to thwart a potential Bulldog scoring drive.
* On a fourth-and-14 play in the third quarter, broke up a pass to give UNLV the ball back on downs.
* Helped hold Fresno State to just 30 rushing yards and more than 20 points and 60 total yards below its season averages.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

AARON RODRIGUEZ, NEW MEXICO

Senior, Punter, Newhall, Calif./Missouri

* Punted four times for 183 yards, averaging 45.8 yards per punt, in New Mexico’s 50-40 win over New Mexico State in the Rio Grande Rivalry.
* Helped the Lobos win the field-position battle in the first half when the game was tied at 7, pinning 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 their 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.
* Arrived at the game just 2 1/2 hours before kickoff, as he stayed back in Albuquerque for his White Coat/Pledge Ceremony from UNM Nursing School on Friday night.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

CADEN CHITTENDEN, UNLV

Freshman, Placekicker, Las Vegas, Nev./Faith Lutheran HS

* Scored 11 points in UNLV’s 59-14 win over Fresno State.
* Converted his lone field-goal attempt, a 45-yarder in the third quarter.
* Was 8-for-8 on point-after tries.
* Kicked off 10 times for 650 yards and eight touchbacks.

University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

During the summer of 2021, 7220Sports.com counted down the Top 50 football players in University of Wyoming history, presented by Premier Bone & Joint Centers, Worthy of Wyoming.

The rules are simple: What was the player's impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.

This isn't a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220's Cody Tucker are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.

We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS -- only we hope this catalog is fairer.

Don't agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports - #Top50UWFB

Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players