After a decisive 30-20 victory against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday, San Diego State football team swept the weekly Mountain West Conference awards Monday.
Running back Rashaad Penny won both the offensive and special teams award — the first player in the Mountain West to win two of three awards in a single week. Defensive lineman Noble Hall won the Defensive Player of the Week award.
This is a record third time the Aztecs have swept the awards. In the 19-year history of the conference, there have been only eight instances where a school has swept the awards.
Penny rushed for 216 yards, had 99 yards kick return and 38 yards receiving for a total of 353 all-purpose yards in the win against ASU, the most in a Football Bowl Subdivision so far this season. He was also named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for the first time last week.
“I just go out there and play football. I just go out there and help my team win games, he said. “Whatever happens, happens. That’s my slogan. I get the plays because of the guys that were blocking for me.”
Penny, who was also named the Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week on Sunday, became the 11th player in SDSU’s history with multiple 200-yard rushing games.
“If you want to know what makes a coach relax a little bit, it is when they drive the ball and take six minutes off the clock and we get points,” said Aztec football coach Rocky Long on what goes through his mind when Penny makes a play. “That makes a coach feel really good.”
Long said because Penny does not play in a bigger conference, he does not get the recognition he deserves. That was the same thing that happened to former Aztec Donnel Pumphrey, whom Penny served as back up for last season.
“Pumphrey should have won the Doak Walker Award without a doubt. If you would have taken a vote with just coaches, he would have won it,” Long said. “But that is not the way it works. So Rashaad Penny is going to be one of the best four or five running backs in the country and has no chance on winning the award.”
Hall, meanwhile, became the first Aztec to win a defensive award since Malik Smith in 2015 and the first defensive lineman since Jerome Long in 2011. This is Hall’s first career defensive honor.
He had five tackles (four solo) 1.5 sacks for 13 yards, 2.5 tackles for a loss of 20 yards and two forced fumbles against the Sun Devils on Saturday. His two forced fumbles are tied for the highest in a single game in the FBS so far this season.
The Aztecs will host No. 19 Stanford at San Diego Stadium this weekend, their first ranked opponent of the season.
