FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION INDEPENDENT PLAYERS OF THE WEEK NAMED
Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees, Notre Dame safety Jamoris Slaughter and BYU placekicker Justin Sorensen have been named FBS Independent Players of the Week, for games through Oct. 8. Rees is honored on Offense, while Slaughter is the award recipient on Defense and Sorensen is recognized on Special Teams. Sorensen is a two-time weekly honoree, while Rees and Slaughter are each cited for the first time this season.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees
A sophomore from Lake Forest, Ill., Rees used a sensational first half to spark Notre Dame’s 59-33 home victory over Air Force. Pacing the Fighting Irish to touchdowns on all six of their drives before halftime, Rees ended the day completing 23 of 32 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns—all of which came in the first two quarters. Seeing only spot duty after the midway mark of the third quarter, Rees is believed to be just the second Irish signal-caller to throw for four scores in a single half, and is the first to turn the trick since Brady Quinn on Sept. 25, 2004. Rees is also the fourth Notre Dame QB with multiple games of at least four touchdown tosses, joining Quinn, Jimmy Clausen and Ron Powlus on that list. Rees’ streak of 11 consecutive games with a touchdown pass is the third-longest run in ND football history.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Notre Dame S Jamoris Slaughter
A senior from Stone Mountain, Ga., Slaughter was responsible for the only takeaways of the game as Notre Dame rolled to a 59-33 home win over Air Force, extending the Fighting Irish win streak to four games. Slaughter forced a Falcon fumble on the Cadets’ first drive of the contest, and later recorded an interception—his first of the season and second of his career. Slaughter’s defensive stat line also included a pass break-up and six tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
BYU PK Justin Sorensen
A sophomore from South Jordan, Utah, Sorensen had a perfect day from the placement spot as BYU extended its victory streak to three games with a 29-16 home win over San Jose State. Sorensen was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts (hitting from 42 and 45 yards) and made all three of his PATs. On the season, Sorensen is now 9-for-11 on FGs and 13-for-13 on PATs.
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The FBS Independent Players of the Week are selected by members of a nationwide media panel, which includes equal representation from each of the independent institutions’ coverage markets.