Utah State football: QB Chuckie Keeton named WAC player of the week

DENVER — Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton's super performance in Saturday's homecoming game has earned him Western Athletic Conference offensive player of the week.

Keeton, a sophomore from Houston, Texas (Cypress Creek HS), completed 21-of-34 passes for a career-high 402 yards and four touchdowns in Utah State's 35-13 win over UNLV. The 402 passing yards are the 10th-most in school history and the most by an Aggie quarterback since 2002.

San Jose State defensive end Travis Johnson and Louisiana Tech placekicker Matt Nelson were named the WAC defensive and special teams players of the week, respectively.

Johnson, a senior from Sunnyvale, Calif. (The King's Academy), made eight tackles including three for a loss of 15 yards (1.5 sacks) and forced a fumble in San Jose State's 12-0 shutout victory at Navy. The forced fumble resulted in a Spartan recovery and stopped Navy's deepest drive at the nine-yard line. Johnson has now recorded at least one tackle for loss in his last 11 games, the longest streak among active players in the FBS.

Nelson, a senior from Cibolo, Texas (Steele HS), made all eight of his place kicking attempts with three field goals (31, 40, 45) and five extra points in Louisiana Tech's 44-38 win at Virginia. His 14 points are the second most by a kicker in the WAC this season and most against an FBS team.

Others nominated on offense: senior quarterback Colby Cameron, Louisiana Tech; senior tight end Ryan Otten, San Jose State; and junior quarterback Eric Soza, UTSA.

Also nominated on defense: senior linebacker Chip Hester, Louisiana Tech; sophomore safety Nic Johnston, UTSA; and junior linebacker Jake Doughty, Utah State.

Other special teams nominations included: freshman placekicker Austin Lopez, San Jose State; sophomore placekicker Kristian Stern, UTSA; and senior punter Tyler Bennett, Utah State.