Oct. 20, 2008

A pair of standout performers that starred in Tulsa's record-setting 77-35 win last Saturday against UTEP have been honored as Conference USA Football Players of the Week. Senior wide receiver Brennan Marion and freshman kick returner Damaris Johnson are joined by senior linebacker Joe Henderson of UAB as this week's honorees.

Marion set a new Conference USA record for yards per catch (38.8), grabbing six passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns to earn offensive honors. He started things off for Tulsa with a 97-yard touchdown reception to tie the score at 7-7. That catch was the second-longest offensive play in C-USA history. On the next possession, Marion's 51-yard TD reception put the Golden Hurricane ahead, 14-7. He also added a 40-yard TD reception in the third quarter as Tulsa set a new C-USA record for points scored in a league game.

Henderson earned UAB's first defensive player of the week award since Sept. 10, 2007 after he recorded a season-high 13 tackles, including eight solo hits, in the Blazers' 23-21 win over Marshall on Saturday. He also registered four tackles for loss, a single-game high among C-USA players this season. Henderson is UAB's leading tackler this season with 61 stops.

Johnson set a school record for kickoff return yards in a single game with 211 yards on six returns against UTEP, a 35.2 average that earned him special teams recognition. After Tulsa fell behind 28-21 in the first quarter, Johnson took the subsequent kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown to knot the score at 28-28 and give TU the momentum. The Golden Hurricane never trailed after that. He ended the game with 296 all-purpose yards.