SDSU RASHAAD PENNY NAMED WALTER CAMP OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

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Penny accounted for school-record 429 all-purpose yards en route to second Walter Camp Offensive Player-of-the-Week award

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

November 19, 2017 (San Diego) - San Diego State senior Rashaad Penny has been named the Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week for the second time of the season, the Walter Camp Foundation presented by Generation UCAN announced Sunday. Penny, who also won the award on Sept. 10 for his play at Arizona State, is the only Aztec to win the offensive player-of-the-week award and just the second on either side of the ball (also linebacker Calvin Munson on Sept. 6, 2015).

Penny led SDSU to a 42-23 win over Nevada on Saturday night by totaling 429 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns, rushing 24 times for 222 yards (9.2 avg.) and two touchdowns, catching a 6-yard pass, returning two kicks for 131 yards, including a 100-yard touchdown, and returning a 70-yard punt for another score.

The 429 all-purpose yards are tied for the ninth most in a game in NCAA FBS history and broke Marshall Faulk’s school record of 422 vs. Pacific on Sept. 14, 1991. The Norwalk, Calif., native became just the second FBS player since at least 1996 with a rushing touchdown, kick return touchdown and punt return touchdown in the same game (also Missouri’s Marcus Murphy vs. Florida on Oct. 18, 2014) and the only player since 1996 with two rushing touchdowns, one kick return touchdown and one punt return touchdown.

Penny’s kick return touchdown was the seventh of his career, tying Clemson’s C.J. Spiller (2006-09) and Houston’s Tyron Carrier (2008-11) for the most in NCAA FBS history. His 100-yard KR score was also the fourth of his career, one shy of tying an NCAA FBS record.

A semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award (nation’s most outstanding player), Maxwell Award (college player of the year) and the Doak Walker Award (nation’s premier running back), Penny became the first Aztec in program history with at least 200 yards rushing in three consecutive games and the first by an NCAA FBS player since LSU’s Leonard Fournette in 205. His three straight games with at least 200 rushing yards is tied for the fifth-longest streak since at least 1996.

Penny’s 70-yard punt return was the first time he had been back in punt return formation. He is just the second player in FBS this season with a rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown, kick return touchdown and punt return touchdown (also TCU’s KaVontae Turpin), while his four touchdowns were a career high and are tied for the seventh most in a FBS game this year.

Penny broke 100 rushing yards for the ninth time this year (T-3rd in SDSU single-season history) and 14th time of his career (T-4th in SDSU history), and eclipsed 200 yard rushing for the fourth time this year (T-1st in SDSU single-season history with Donnel Pumphrey (2016) and Marshall Faulk (2012)) and fifth time of his career (3rd in SDSU history).

On the season, Penny leads all NCAA FBS players in rushing yards (1,824), all-purpose yards (2,462) and all-purpose yards per game (223.82), second in total touchdowns (22), tied for second in points per game (12.0), tied for third in rushing touchdowns (17), tied for fourth in kick return touchdowns (2), seventh in kick return average (30.4), eighth in rushing yards per carry (7.21) and tied for 10th in punt return touchdowns (1).

This is the 14th year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation honors one offensive and one defensive player as its national Football Bowl Subdivision player of the week during the regular season. Recipients are selected by a panel of national media members and administered by the Foundation. Wisconsin’s T.J. Edwards won the award on the defensive side of the ball.

The Aztecs (9-2, 5-2 MW) play host to their final regular-season game at 12:30 p.m. PT Friday against New Mexico (3-8, 1-6 MW).


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