Mike Brown: Hustle Belt Player of the Week, Week 5

Week 5 saw only about half of the MAC’s teams in action, but there were still plenty of great performances to be had.

We scoped out four players from across the MAC and put them in a poll for the people to vote on, as usual, and found this week was a really stiff race, with our winner edging out the runner-up by only four percntage points!

You, the voters, chose Miami defensive back Mike Brown as our Hustle Belt Player of the Week for Week 5 with 39 percent of the vote.

Brown had about as good a day as you could possibly ask for from a defensive back, picking up six total tackles and getting in front of two passes for interceptions, including one which turned into a 25-yard pick-six to put Miami up 20-14 for a lead they would ultimately never relinquish at the 11:46 mark of the third quarter.

Brown’s other interception helped to preserve a 10-7 Miami lead as Buffalo drove down the field early in the second quarter.

Brown was part of a Miami defense which picked apart an ailing Buffalo offense, piling up six tackels-for-loss, two sacks, two inteceptions and three forced fumbles.

Brown is the first player from a MAC East team to win Hustle Belt Player of the Week Honors, the first defensive player to make the list this season, and the second non-quarterback, joining Bryant Koback (Week 4) in that catagory.

The 2019 Hustle Belt Player of the Week Award List

• Week 1: Jon Wassink, QB, WMU (20-of-25, 368 yards, five touchdowns vs. Monmouth)
• Week 2: Drew Plitt, QB, Ball State (32-of-40, 439 yards, six touchdowns vs. Fordham)
• Week 3: Mike Glass III, QB, EMU (23-of-36, 316 yards, three touchdowns vs. Illinois)
• Week 4: Bryant Koback, RB, Toledo (20 touches, 236 yards, four total touchdowns vs. Colorado State)
• Week 5: Mike Brown, DB, Miami (six total tackles [1 solo, 5 assisted], two interceptions, 25-yard pick-six vs. Buffalo)