Pac-12 Football Performance Awards presented by Nextiva – Week One

The USC Trojans and the Oregon Ducks meet in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to play in the 2020 PAC-12 Confrence Championship on Dec. 18, 2020. (John McGillen)

SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 today announced its 2021 football season’s first weekly performance awards, presented by Nextiva. See below for Week One’s recognitions across the Conference:  

OFFENSE:  Zach Charbonnet, Jr., RB, UCLA (Camarillo, CA)

  • 117 rushing yards on 11 attempts and a TD in win over LSU, his 2nd straight 100-yard game. 
  • Ranks 4th in FBS in rushing yards (223) and tied for 1st in rushing TD (4).  Averages 13.1 yards per carry on 17 attempts this season.
  • 9th Pac-12 player since 1996 to have 200+ rushing yards in their first 2 games with the school.  
  • 1st UCLA player to win the award since Dorian Thompson-Robinson in September 2019 and first UCLA RB to win since Joshua Kelley in November 2018.

Also nominated:  Drake London, WR, USC; Charlie Brewer, QB, Utah; Anthony Brown, QB, Oregon; Rachaad White, RB, Arizona State; Gunner Cruz, QB, Arizona  

DEFENSE:  Devin Lloyd, Jr., LB, Utah (Chula Vista, CA)

  • Career-high 12 tackles in win over Weber State with 8 of them coming in the first half.  5th career game with double-digit tackles and most by a Ute since 2019.
  • 2.0 TFL for 10 yards including an 8-yard sack.  Also had a forced fumble and his 2nd career interception.
  • 1st Utah player to win the award since Julian Blackmon in November 2019.  Utah players won the award 4 times that season.

Also nominated:  Mitchell Agude, OLB, UCLA; Darien Butler, LB, Arizona State; Justin Flowe, ILB, Oregon; Greg Johnson, Nickel, USC; Anthony Pandy, LB, Arizona; Nate Landman, ILB, Colorado  

SPECIAL TEAMS:  D.J. Taylor, R-Fr., DB, Arizona State (Tampa, FL)

  • Finished with a total of 142 all-purpose yards, recording 87 punt return yards and 55 kickoff return yards. The 142 return yards are 22 more than the second-best in the conference. 
  • Made the most of his three punt returns, leading the conference after Week One with 87 punt return yards. Electrified the crowd with a 47 yard punt return that directly led to a Sun Devil touchdown, the longest punt return of any player in the conference.
  • Fourth in the Pac-12 in all-purpose yards despite not getting an offensive touch.
  • 2nd straight time an Arizona State player has won the award as Will Shaffer won the final Special Teams Player of the Week for the 2020 season.

Also nominated:  Parker Lewis, PK, USC; Tom Snee, P, Oregon; Jadon Redding, K, Utah; Dimitri Stanley, WR, Colorado; Kazmeir Allen, WR, UCLA; Kyle Ostendorp, P, Arizona  

OFFENSIVE LINE:  Alec Anderson, R-Jr., OT, UCLA (Fontana, CA)

  • Helped pave the way for UCLA to run for over 200 yards for the second straight game this season with a 210-yard effort in the win against LSU. The Bruins averaged 4.5 yards per carry on the night and produced one 100-yard rusher (Zach Charbonnet- 117) and another back who came up just short with 96 yards (Brittain Brown).
  • Credited with 2 knockdowns and graded out at 82% for the game. The offensive line’s dominance in the 4th quarter was reflected in a 11:34 to 3:26 time of possession edge to the Bruins which included 19 rushing attempts for 112 yards (5.9 avg).
  • First UCLA player to win this award since it began in 2019.

Also nominated:  LaDarius Henderson, LG, Arizona State; Donovan Laie, OL, Arizona; Braeden Daniels, LG, Utah; T.J. Bass, OL, Oregon  

DEFENSIVE LINE:  D.J. Davidson, Gr., NT, Arizona State (Mesa, AZ)

  • Stuffed the stat sheet during a dominant season debut, helping the Sun Devils defeat Southern Utah 41-14. Extremely productive effort from his nose tackle spot, collecting six tackles, two tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery.
  • A key reason why Arizona State held Southern Utah under 80 yards rushing and only 3.0 yards/rush. Drew the attention of the opposing blocking scheme, but still manage to put up numbers and draw a holding penalty.
  • Tied for the second-most tackles for loss in the conference (2.0) and also tied for the second-most tackles among defensive lineman (6.0) in week one. One of only seven players in the conference to recover a fumble.
  • 4th Arizona State player to win this award since it began in 2019 and the first since Tyler Johnson won in December 2020.

Also nominated:  Otito Ogbonnia, DL, UCLA; Drake Jackson, OLB, USC; Brandon Dorlus, DT, Oregon; Trevon Mason, DT, Arizona; Jalen Sami, NT, Colorado  

FRESHMAN:  Justin Flowe, Fr., ILB, Oregon (Chino, CA)

  • Led Oregon to a season-opening win over Fresno State with a career-high 14 tackles while adding a TFL and a forced fumble.  Forced a fumble with Oregon trailing 24-21 in the fourth quarter, setting up a game-tying field goal and setting the stage for the Ducks’ comeback win.
  • Leads the Pac-12 in tackles after Week One. His 14 tackles are the most by a UO freshman since Troy Dye had 14 on Sept. 21, 2016.  First Oregon player since 2007 and just the fourth overall since 2000 to have at least 14 tackles and a forced fumble in the same game.  Just the 8th player in program history to have at least 14 tackles in a season opener.
  • Earned a solid 75.8 grade in run defense by Pro Football Focus.
  • 1st Oregon player to win the award since it started in 2019.

Also nominated:  Calen Bullock, S, USC; Gunner Cruz, QB, Arizona; Montana Lemonius-Craig, WR, Colorado; Eddie Czaplicki, P, Arizona State