[2023] Week 8 POTW

SageBow · July 28, 2023

Week 8 OPOTW

RB Moises Walker, HOU, 20 carries for 170 yards, 2 TD, 6 receptions for 96 yards in a 47-20 W vs Kansas

Good afternoon, sports fans! I'm thrilled to be here today with the star of the show, #17 Houston's senior running back, Moises Walker. Congratulations on winning the Week 8 National Offensive Player of the Week award! What a performance you had against Kansas. How does it feel to receive such recognition?

It’s nice to be the guy after Devonta was stealing all the touches last season.

Your stats were absolutely phenomenal - 20 carries for 170 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 6 receptions for 96 yards in a 47-20 win against Kansas. How were you able to stay so dominant throughout the game?

So when I get the ball, I either run to where a guy isn’t, or I run though him.

You and the team seemed to have everything clicking on all cylinders. Was there a specific moment during the game when you felt the momentum shift in your favor?

Whenever I touched the ball, really. The moment where they called in a play and it was for me. “Moises time boys”.

As a senior leader, how do you maintain focus and composure during high-pressure situations like that?

I watched Devonta lead us last season. So I just do that now, but better. We sucked to start last season. Thankfully I’ve prevented that for us this year.

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for the rest of the season?

Winning is cool, but hopefully I can just erase Devonta’s records

With performances like the one you had in Week 8, we have no doubt that scouts will be keeping a close eye on you. Before we wrap up, do you have any message for the fans and supporters of Houston football?

Go Coogs

Week 8 DPOTW

DE Maurice Dawkins, BYU, 10 Tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2.5 Sacks in a 20-27 L vs #19 Texas

Congratulations, Maurice, on being named the Week 8 National Defensive Player of the Week! How does it feel to receive such a prestigious accolade?

It's an absolute honor to be named National Player of the Week. It took a lot of work for me to be able to make it here. I'd like to that my parents and coaching staff for supporting me along the way.

Your stats for Week 8 were absolutely impressive. Ten tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks are numbers most players can only dream of achieving. What was your mindset going into the game against Texas, and how did you manage to deliver such an outstanding performance?

I really didn't do anything different. Our team is struggling right now and I was just trying to go out there and get a win. I obviously would take the win over the accolades any day. Really the guys and I on the D line just found a matchup that I could take advantage of and thats what I went out and did. That Right Tackle really couldn't handle me all game long and they kept running the ball my way.

BYU played valiantly against a ranked opponent, but the final score didn't go your way. How do you personally handle such a loss, especially after having such a standout performance?

This year has been really tough for this team. We have been really struggling being in a new conference (Big12). Injuries have plagued us, we lost our best ILB Kila Ahmed who hasn't played since Week 1. This game we obviously lost our starting QB Malachi Allen at the end which really hurt our chances of winning.

Your tenacious play on defense has been evident throughout the season, but in Week 8, it seemed like everything just clicked. Was there something different about this game that contributed to your standout performance?

Again it was just the matchup that I was able to take advantage of. A lot of the accolades should go to my teammates as well. Some of them are so good like Chandler Lamb (OLB), they really take up the blocks and plug the gaps to force the QB or RB my way.

How do you plan to build on this recognition and continue performing at such a high level for the rest of the season?

I just got to keep grinding so to speak, uh make sure I rehab my body early in the week and hit the gym. I have taken note of what some of the best players do in the NFL and I try to follow the same regimen that they do. Kiger for the Houston Texans is a defensive lineman I really try to follow and emulate on the field. He's also from Louisiana so we have a lot of similarities I think in our game.

As a junior at BYU, you still have some time before making any decisions about the NFL or other opportunities. However, have you allowed yourself to think about your future in football beyond college?

The NFL is my dream of course!! At the end of the year I will have to think about whether or not I would like to try and enter the draft. Obviously if I get invited to the combine that'd be huge. However, I am also a guy from the middle of nowhere Louisiana and BYU was the only big school that really took a chance on me coming out of high school. This is just my first year as a starter. Also I don't know if you've heard but there is a pretty good QB that's going to start at BYU next year and he is a dog!! It would be very exciting to play with him. Dick brought so much energy into the Spring camp and I know it's going to be a wild year next year so I kind of want to be apart of that. If the NFL wants me they know where to find me, but if not I look forward to having a even better year next year and shoot up the Draft rankings.

This article written with the help of @mahrowkeen and @Curby4

Week 0 POTWs - RB Elijah Wendelken, ARK / SS Jalyn Jones, NW

Week 1 POTWs - QB Julian Longacre, USC / DT Jatavis Gabriel, CINC

Week 2 POTWs - QB Brandon Savage, TENN / DT Mike LeVert, MSST

Week 3 POTWs - RB Mitchell Reynolds, KSST / DE Marco Spruill, GRAM

Week 4 POTWs - QB Hiram Maronde, UCLA / DT Colton Rankin, FSU

Week 5 POTWs - QB Andrew Moncrief, AUB / OLB Jomal Diggs, ND

Week 6 POTWs - QB Travis Knebel, BAYL / DT Dante Williams, WISC

Week 7 POTWs - RB Richard Bianchi, HAWI / CB Ryan Cervelli, WAKE