Oregon State's Clayton York, returning his blocked punt for a TD, was the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week. Photo by Thomas Patterson, Salem Statesman Journal
UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin might be feeling pretty good right now. Or UCLA receiver Nelson Rosario. Or linebacker Patrick Larimore. Or quarterback Kevin Prince.
Opponents are simply eager to play Arizona these days.
Two more Arizona opponents earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors on Monday, which marks the third consecutive week that has happened.
This time, it was Oregon State safety Lance Mitchell who took home defensive player of the week honors. He had seven tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in a 37-27 win over the Wildcats. He also caught a 13-yard pass on a fake punt that was good for a first down and led to an OSU field goal.
Oregon State’s Clayton York won the weekly award for special teams. He blocked a punt and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown.
A week earlier, USC quarterback Matt Barkley won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for a school-record 468 yards vs. Arizona. The week before that, Oregon’s LaMichael James rushed for a school-record 288 yards vs. UA.
Let’s go back further …
In Arizona’s past eight conference games — all losses — the opponent has produced seven weekly award winners. The Wildcats have produced none.
There are the four winners this season — Mitchell, York, Barkley and James. There were two from Arizona State at the end of the 2010 regular season — defensive end James Brooks and kicker Thomas Weber. And Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck won weekly offensive honors after leading the Cardinal to a 42-17 win over what was then a 13th-ranked Arizona team on Nov. 6.
So, yeah, UCLA might be feeling pretty good as it gets ready for the Thursday, Oct. 20, game in Tucson.