OGDEN, Utah (October 24, 2016) – The weekly performances of Big Sky Conference Players of the Week are always impressive, but every now and then they are truly remarkable.
The performances usually lead to key wins, but in the case of Eastern Washington quarterback Gage Gubrud, they lead to record-breaking outings that coincide with great wins. Gubrud had over 500 yards of total offense, again, as the Eagles went on to a 41-17 road win over Montana State.
For his performance, Gubrud was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week. Also, Northern Arizona linebacker Jake Thomas was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week, and Eastern Washington kicker Roldan Alcobendas was named Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week.
Gubrud put on a clinic against the Bobcats, throwing for a school-record 520 yards, finishing with 538 yards of total offense. Additionally, the sophomore quarterback had four touchdown passes, all to different receivers. In just seven career starts, Gubrud owns six of the top-11 total offensive performances in Eagles history, and five of the top 18 passing performances.
In the last three games, Gubrud has thrown for 1,441 yards, with 15 touchdown passes. In that same span, he was responsible for 1,577 yards of total offense.
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks have won three consecutive games, and have used a rejuvenated offense, combined with a stout defense, to find the recipe for winning football in the Big Sky Conference. The Lumberjacks were aided this weekend by senior linebacker Jake Thomas, who led NAU to a 45-34 win over the No. 10 Montana Grizzlies.
Thomas registered 14 tackles, while forcing a fumble when he stripped Montana’s James Homan of the ball. His overall performance helped the Lumberjacks to a strong performance, as they held Montana to a 0-of-4 performance on fourth-down, and just 5-of-16 on third-down conversions. On top of that, Thomas also had a four-yard receiving touchdown in the second quarter, giving Northern Arizona a 38-20 lead.
With the points Eastern Washington has scored in 2016, kicking PATs has been more than a full-time job for Eagles kicker Roldan Alcobendas. In the Eagles’ 41-17 win over Montana State, Alcobendas made kicks of 48 and 31 yards, with the 48-yard attempt being the best of his career.
Nominees for Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week were: Jadrian Clark, Weber State; Jordan Robinson, Sacramento State; Joe Logan, Northern Arizona; Trae Riek, Northern Colorado; Dano Graves, Cal Poly; Manusamoa Luuga, UC Davis; James Homan, Montana; KW Williams, Idaho State; and Keaton Studsrud, North Dakota.
Nominees for Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week included: Samson Ebukam, Eastern Washington; Manny Scott-Anderson, Sacramento State; Hayden Stout, Idaho State; Landon Stice, Weber State; Zach Jones, UC Davis; Caleb Kidder, Montana; Kyle Hanneman, Southern Utah; Torrey Hunt, North Dakota; and Mekai Sheffie, Cal Poly.
The nominees for Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week included: Jaime Medina, Sacramento State; Joe Logan, Northern Arizona; Tim Semenza, Montana; Reid Taubenheim, North Dakota; and Jacob DeMaio, Weber State.
