Fresno State Athletics
Jefferson Wins WAC Award
11/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 5, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. - After thrilling the Red Wave Nation with an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Saturday's 38-27 win over Utah State, Fresno State sophomore A.J. Jefferson was selected the WAC Special Teams Player of the Week. It is the second time this season Jefferson has won the award. He was also honored after Fresno State's win at Nevada, in which he returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown.
Jefferson, a native of Bakersfield, Calif., returned three kicks for 158 yards and one touchdown in Fresno State's 38-27 win over Utah State. He had an 88-yard return for a score after the Aggies cut the lead to 31-17 in the middle of the third quarter. Jefferson also added a 65-yard return on the opening kickoff that set up the Bulldogs' first touchdown.
Jefferson is the ranked among the top return specialists in the nation for the fifth straight week. After the Utah State game he upped his season average to 36.1 yards per return, to maintain second-place in the NCAA statistics. He is in second place by a slim margin. UConn's Tyvon Branch is averaging 36.15 yards per return to lead the NCAA, while Jefferson's average is 36.05. The next closest player is Wake Forest's Kevin Marion at 33.47.
"This is a great honor for A.J.," said head coach Pat Hill. "He had a great game and has been a big part of our specials teams all season long. We are blessed to have two of the nation's best return specialists in A.J. and Clifton Smith. We take great pride in our special teams and John Baxter is as good a coach as there is in the country."
In addition to Jefferson's performance, which was the 33rd special teams touchdown in the Hill era, the Dogs also blocked their fourth field goal attempt of the season and 74th since Hill became head coach. Freshman linebacker Ben Jacobs blocked the field goal, the first of his career. Senior kicker Clint Stitser nailed a career-long 52-yard field goal against Utah State, the second-longest by a WAC player this season.
Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Louisiana Tech safety Antonio Baker were named the Western Athletic Conference offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively. Fresno State nominated senior running back Clifton Smith and senior linebacker Marcus Riley for those awards.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - Bulldog Football heads to the island to face Hawai'i on Saturday, November 10th at 8 p.m. PST. The game can be seen locally on the Bulldog Sports Network (KFRE CW 59) in Fresno and nationally on ESPN2. Tune in at 7:30 pm for the Bulldog Blitz pre game show on BSN. The game can also be heard on the radio on KMJ 580, the flagship station of Bulldog Football, and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes 1600. The Bulldogs return to Bulldog Stadium for their final home game of the season on Saturday, November 24 against Kansas State. For tickets, go to the ticket page at www.gobulldogs.com, call 559-278-DOGS or stop by the Bulldog Ticket Office.
