Week 6 Belt Awarded To Hybrid Quarterback BOO BATES

The "Hustle Belt" Belt is without a doubt the most distinguished clip art-based award given to Mid-American Conference athletes. Every week such an award will be given to the top offensive, defensive, and special teams player. These athletes can then print off the graphic, if they so choose, and hang it up in their trophy case. Or they can take a regular belt and just paint it gold. They can pretty much do whatever they want.

OFFENSE

Hands down the top quarterback, perhaps in all of the NCAA, yesterday was OHIO hybrid quarterback BOO BATES, an amalgamation of Phil Bates and Boo Jackson, who throttled the porous Bowling Green defense for five total touchdowns. Combined, they were 10-for-16, 123 yards with three passing touchdowns, and had 195 rushing yards on 21 carries along with two scores on the ground. I'm sure they have individual numbers of their own, but it's irrelevant, because a homicidal apparition just cold-cocked the Falcons defense, everybody.

Singular humans with admirable numbers:
Alex Carder, WMU: 17-for-29, 265 yards, TD; 13 rush, 76 yards, 3 TD
Paris Cotton, CMU: 21 rush, 105 yards; 4 catches, 39 yards
Chandler Harnish, NIU: 20-for-25, 211 yards, 2 TD; 14 rush, 71 yards
Jerry Harris, CMU: 5 catches, 101 yards, 2 TD
Kamar Jorden, BGSU: 8 catches, 129 yards, 2 TD
Eric Page, Toledo: 11 catches, 120 yards
Chad Spann, NIU: 24 rush, 100 yards, TD

DEFENSE

Kent State defensive tackle Roosevelt Nix finally made a splash on our honorable mentions last week, but he's really been a defensive demon all year. He leads his team with 10 tackles for loss, and he had another three-and-a-half sacks against Akron, totaling a loss of 30 (!) yards. The big one, however, was his bringdown-fumble of Pat Nicely in the end zone on their final drive, which resulted in Luke Batton pouncing on it for a touchdown. In all he had five tackles and two quarterback hits.

Nick Bellore, CMU: 9 tackles, 2 TFL
Steve Brown, EMU: 10 tackles, sack, FR
Donovan Fletcher, OHIO: 5 tackles, 55-yard interception TD
Travis Freeman, Ball State: 14 tackles, ½ TFL
Jaiquawn Jarrett, Temple: 13 tackles, FF
Roosevelt Nix, Kent State: 5 tackles, 3½ sacks (30 total yards), FF, 2 QB hits
Lewis Toler, WMU: 24-yard interception TD

SPECIAL TEAMS

Traditionally the kicker or punter who wins this Belt had a good day with a singular leg. But John Potter did it all. He was 6-for-6 on extra points and made a field goal (missed one too), but he also ran in an eight-yard touchdown on a fake field goal play, had two special teams tackles on kickoff, and also recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff. Wizard.

And now for some admirable punting performances:
Paul Hershey, OHIO: 5 punts, 51.0 average, long of 72
Zack Campbell, Akron: 7 punts, 45.9 average, long of 57
Matt Rinehart, Kent State: 9 punts, 41.2 average, long of 64, 6 inside 20, two inside the 5-yard line
Scott Kovanda, Ball State: 3 punts, 46.3 average, long of 54, two inside 20