Mayes Named SBC Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
Sep 20, 2004 | Football
September 20, 2004
Kansas State RB Darren Sproles, Texas A&M CB Erik Mayes, and Oklahoma State PR-DB Darren Williams have been named SBC Big 12 Conference Players of the Week for games of Sept. 18 in voting by a select panel of media covering the Big 12.
Sproles of Olathe, Kan., Mayes of Humble, Texas, and Williams of Ft. Worth, Texas, are SBC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams' winners, respectively.
Mayes had 10 total tackles, four unassisted, a pass interception with a one-yard return, one TFL for -3 yards, a half-sack for -3 yards, one pass deflection, and two punt returns for 58 yards (long runback of 49) as the Aggies downed then-No. 25 Clemson 27-6 on national television (TBS Superstation) last Saturday. The freshman corner has had a key role in A&M holding its last two opponents to six points.
The Kansas State standout had 38 carries for a school-record 292 yards, one TD run of 35 yards, two receptions for six yards, and 53 yards on two returns (one punt for 25, a kickoff runback for 28) as he posted his second 200-yard rushing game of year in a 40-20 win over UL Lafayette. He also moved up to No. 1 nationally in kickoff return average at 38.5 while recording seventh-best rushing total in a single game in Big 12 history. His 351 all-purpose yards broke his previous KSU mark of 345 yards against Oklahoma in the 2003 Big 12 Dr Pepper Championship game in Kansas City-a 35-7 Wildcats' win.
Williams had a career night on punt returns in OSU's 59-7 win over SMU. He had five punt sorties for 162 yards with a long of 47 yards. That was an average of 32.4 yards per return. It also was a game-best for punt return yards for the defender, who had 153 yards a year ago against UL Lafayette. It came within 19 yards of the single-game OSU record (181 punt runback yards) held by Bob Fenimore since 1943. The senior also had three tackles, a pass breakup and a fumble return for 53 yards defensively.
