Pac – 12 Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO — Quarterback Luke Falk of Washington State, linebacker Gionni Paul of Utah and wide receiver Bralon Addison of Oregon have been named offensive, defensive and special teams Pac -12 Players of the Week in football.
Falk, a redshirt sophomore from Logan, Utah, threw for a season-high 478 yards, completing 47-of-66 passes with four touchdowns and no interceptions in Washington State’s come-from-behind, 37-34 win at Rutgers. Falk saved his best performance for last, leading the Cougars on a 10-play, 90-yard drive in 1:31, capped with an 8-yard TD pass to River Cracraft with 13 seconds remaining. He completed his first 13 passes and ended the first half 24-of-29 for 201 yards and guided two WSU touchdown drives after Rutgers had taken leads in the fourth quarter. Falk’s 478 yards are the second-most of his career and the third time in five career starts he has eclipsed the 400-yard mark. The win marked WSU’s first victory against a Big Ten school since defeating Purdue in the 2001 Sun Bowl, and first win in the Eastern Time Zone since 1996.
Paul, a senior linebacker from Winter Haven, Fla., made two key impact fourth-quarter plays for Utah in the 24-14 win over Utah State. Paul recovered a fumble on the Utah 25-yard line, and then made a game-clinching interception at the Utah 7-yard line with three minutes remaining. He finished the game with seven tackles (1.0 TFL), a fumble recovery and an interception. Paul’s tackle-for-loss helped the Utah defense force three-straight three-and-outs to start the second half.
Addison, a junior wide receiver from Missouri City, Texas, returned four punts for the Ducks, including an 81-yard return for a touchdown in the 31-28 loss to Michigan State. His touchdown return tied the score at 14-14 with 13:11 to play in the third quarter, marking Oregon’s 33rd non-offensive touchdown since 2010 to lead the country. He now has three punt returns for touchdowns in his career, despite missing all of the 2014 season recovering from a knee injury. Addison ranks 14th in the country in punt return average at 20.8.
Also nominated for Offensive Player of the Week: Nick Wilson, RB, ARIZ; Demario Richard, RB, ASU; Trevor Davis, WR, CAL; Offensive Line, OL, COLO; Bryce Love, RB, STAN; Paul Perkins, RB, UCLA; JuJu Smith-Schuester, WR, USC; Devontae Booker, RB, UTAH, Myles Gaskin, TB, WASH; Also nominated for Defensive Player of the Week: Christian Sam, LB, ASU; Darius Allensworth, CAL; Chidobe Awuzie, CB; COLO; Rommel Mageo, LB, OSU; Blake Martinez, ILB, STAN; Kenny Young, LB, UCLA; Also Nominated for Special Teams Player of the Week: Conrad Ukropina, K, STAN; Ka’imi Fairbairn, PK, UCLA; Erik Powell, K, WSU
