Brandon Aiyuk wins 3rd Pac-12 special teams award for ASU this year
Nov 18, 2019, 6:27 PM | Updated: Nov 19, 2019, 7:30 am
(AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
For the third time this season, an Arizona State football player won the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week.
Brandon Aiyuk became the latest Sun Devil to win the award behind a 76 punt return yards, 44 kickoff return yards and a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown against Oregon State in Week 12.
63 yards to the 🏠.@THE2ERA is your #Pac12FB Special Teams Player of the Week ➡️ https://t.co/MVl8g7nlxh pic.twitter.com/Lw6bdE9uGm
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) November 18, 2019
The punt return was the first special teams touchdown of Aiyuk’s career. He came up three yards short on a 97-yard kickoff return the previous week against USC.
With the honor, he became the first non-kicking Sun Devil to take the conference’s special teams player of the week award. The previous two winners for ASU were punter Michael Turk in Week 1 and kicker Cristian Zendejas in Week 2.
The Sun Devils are the only team in the Pac-12 with three players to win the award. Oregon and Oregon State each had two special teamers win the honor.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels was nominated but came up just short of winning the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week. It would have been the fourth time this season. He still leads USC’s Kedon Slovis and UCLA’s Kyle Philips, who have two apiece.
Aiyuk was also nominated for the offensive player of the week award.
He logged 173 yards receiving giving him a total of 293 all-purpose yards on the evening. It ranked as the fifth-most all-purpose yards in a single game in ASU history.