October 12 Football Players of the Week - CONFERENCEUSA.COM - The Official Athletic site of The Conference USA

October 12 Football Players of the Week
Memphis' Steele, UH's Brinkley and SMU's Hunt Honored Following Victories

	Curtis Steele

Oct. 12, 2009

After posting the second-best rushing total in the FBS this season, Memphis senior RB Curtis Steele has been named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week. The defensive player of the week honor went to Houston senior CB Brandon Brinkley, whose two interceptions keyed the Cougars win at Mississippi State. The special teams accolade was given to SMU freshman DE Margus Hunt, who thwarted two ECU scoring drives with a pair of blocked field goal attempts.

Steele rushed for a career-high 240 yards on 39 carries in a 35-20 victory over UTEP. The 240 rushing yards rank fourth all-time in Memphis history and his 39 carries rank in a tie for second with DeAngelo Williams. Steele averaged 6.2 yards per carry and scored a career-high three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). The redshirt senior's 240 yard rushing effort is the seventh 100-yard performance of his career, which ties him for third in Memphis history. He has now eclipsed the 200 yard mark twice in his career, marking only the second time a Tiger player has had two or more 200 yard rushing games in their career. Steele caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Will Hudgens with 2:31 remaining in the second quarter for his first career touchdown reception. He later rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 20-yard run and added a second rushing touchdown later in the quarter on a nine-yard rush.

Brinkley came up with several huge defensive plays in Houston's 31-24 win at Mississippi State, leading the Cougars to its third win over a school from a BCS AQ conference this season. He finished the game with two interceptions, three pass breakups and seven solo tackles. More impressively, each of his interceptions thwarted a crucial MSU drive in the red zone. In the second quarter with the score tied at seven and MSU at the Cougar 18-yard line, Brinkley picked off an MSU pass at the 13. In the fourth quarter with the scored tied again, this time at 17-17, Brinkley picked off another pass at the UH one-yard-line to stop another Bulldog scoring attempt.

Hunt blocked two field goal attempts in SMU's 28-21 win over East Carolina, one of which led to a 65-yard touchdown return. It was the first field goal block for TD by SMU since Jonas Rutledge had a 50-yard return for a TD against San Jose State Oct. 13, 2001. Hunt also blocked a 23-yd field goal attempt by Ben Hartman in the first quarter, his second straight game with a blocked kick (PAT at TCU). The 6-8 native of Estonia is in his first season playing football, but won gold medals in both the shot and the discus at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing, becoming the first junior athlete ever to win a shot/discus gold medal double.