OGDEN, Utah — The Big Sky Conference has selected the ROOT SPORTS football Players of the Week for games played on Saturday, Nov. 3. Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams is the Offensive Player of the Week. Montana State linebacker Na’a Moeakiola and Montana defensive end Zack Wagenmann are the Co-Defensive Players of the Week. Northern Colorado returner Dominic Gunn and North Dakota return man Greg Hardin are the Co-Special Teams Players of the Week.
Adams, a 6-foot, 180-pound freshman from Pasadena, Calif., completed 19-of-29 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns in No. 7 Eastern Washington’s 34-17 win over No. 16 Cal Poly. Adams, a candidate for the Jerry Rice Award, also rushed for 68 yards to give him 356 yards of total offense. Adams engineered scoring drives of 81, 66, 79, 41 and 83 yards as the Eagles finished with a season-high 542 yards of total offense and moved to 5-1 in conference and 7-2 overall.
Moeakiola, a 5-11, 217-pound junior from Euless, Texas, tallied a team-high nine tackles – including five for loss – with a sack in No. 3 Montana State’s 20-17 road win over Sacramento State. The five tackles for loss are the most by a Big Sky player this season. His sack helped forced the Hornets to attempt a 53-yard field goal, which was no good. MSU’s defense forced four turnovers and held Sac State to 82 rushing yards.
Wagenmann, a 6-3, 240-pound sophomore from Missoula, Mont., forced two fumbles and had two sacks and six tackles in Montana’s 24-21 win over Weber State. Wagenmann forced a fumble late in the third quarter that was recovered by the Grizzlies. In the fourth quarter, Wagenmann forced another fumble on a sack, which led to a UM field goal. Wagenmann leads the league with 11 sacks.
Gunn, a 5-11, 170-pound senior from Aurora, Colo., sparked Northern Colorado’s 32-28 come-from-behind victory with an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown. Gunn had five returns for 107 yards. He finished the contest with 182 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Gunn also made a career-high three tackles on special teams. Gunn has returned two punts and one kick for touchdowns this season.
Hardin, a 5-11, 167 junior from Bellevue, Neb, returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter of North Dakota’s 33-29 win over Southern Utah after the Thunderbirds jumped out to a 15-0 lead. The return was the second-longest in school history. Hardin finished the game with 128 return yards and 176 all-purpose yards
ROOT SPORTS, the official television partner of the Big Sky, will showcase No. 2 Montana State’s home game against Portland State on Saturday from Bozeman, Mont. Coverage starts at 1:30 p.m. Mountain. On Saturday, Nov. 17, ROOT SPORTS will televise the annual clash between Montana and Montana State starting at 1:30 p.m. Mountain from Missoula
— Big Sky Conference Sports Information
