Mountain West Football: Players of the Month For October
The weather is finally cooling down, but these Mountain West football standouts were red-hot throughout spooky season.
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The small-sample elite.
Note: Players below are presented in alphabetical order.
Offensive Players of the Month
1. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
Though Jeanty was limited by injury in Boise State’s victory over Wyoming in Week 9, the super sophomore still posted one of the nation’s best overall performances through October. In three games, Jeanty posted a Mountain West-best 163.3 all-purpose yards per game, averaging a whopping 7.08 yards per carry on the ground, and scored three touchdowns.
2. Kairee Robinson, RB, San Jose State
The Spartans surged in October thanks in large part to their star senior in the backfield. It was Robinson, not Jeanty, that led the Mountain West with 435 rushing yards and nine total touchdowns last month, though he also chipped in with ten receptions for 165 yards for the SJSU passing game, as well.
3. Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State
After posting a monster game to close out September against UConn, Royals kept the good times rolling into last month with a pair of 100-yard performances, racking up 17 catches for 325 yards in three contests, and a conference-high five receiving touchdowns.
4. Ricky White, WR, UNLV
Though the Rebels ended October with a bit of heartache, you can’t say White didn’t do everything possible to keep UNLV in the title game chase. After all, he tallied 24 catches for a Mountain West-high 400 receiving yards with touchdowns, topping 150 yards against both Nevada and Fresno State.
Who would be your pick for Mountain West football's offensive player of the month for October? #mwfb
— Mountain West Wire (@MWCwire) November 2, 2023
Defensive Players of the Month
1. Jay’Vion Cole, CB, San Jose State
If Cole’s October performance is any indication, the Spartans’ newest star defender is quietly putting together a pretty solid candidacy for defensive player of the year. He was the only defender in the Mountain West to intercept three passes last month, doing so across four games, though he added two additional pass breakups and, according to Pro Football Focus, allowed a reception on 10 of 21 targets.
2. Mohamed Kamara, DE, Colorado State
Where Cole’s case might be subtle, Kamara’s defensive player of the year push disrupted offenses just about as frequently as it did in September. He once again paced the Mountain West with four sacks and finished third among conference defenders with five tackles for loss while also racking up 20 total tackles.
3. Bo Richter, DE, Air Force
Then again, the same could be said of Richter, who posted an overall PFF grade of 81.7 throughout October, the seventh-best mark among Mountain West defenders who played at least 50 snaps, and racked up three sacks, seven tackles for loss, and a forced fumble to go along with 11 total tackles in three Falcons contests.
4. Jackson Woodard, LB, UNLV
When it came to tackling, few players in the country were as prolific as Woodard was in the middle of the Rebels defense last month. He was one of only 15 FBS players to average at least 11 tackles per game, though he also intercepted a pass against Hawaii and, according to PFF, also tied for third among Mountain West defenders with eight total stops.
Who would be your pick for Mountain West football's defensive player of the month for October? #mwfb
— Mountain West Wire (@MWCwire) November 2, 2023
