Nov. 3, 2008

Players from three different schools have earned this week's Conference USA Football Player of the Week honors. Rice sophomore TE/WR James Casey won the offensive player of the week for the second time this season, Marshall senior LB Maurice Kitchens took the defensive honor and special teams recognition went to UTEP senior K Jose Martinez, also for the second time this year.

Casey caught 12 passes for 142 yards and a career-best three touchdowns, and rushed for a fourth to lead Rice to a 49-44 win at UTEP and become bowl eligible for the second time in three years. He compiled 172 all-purpose yards, rushing for 28 and returning one punt for two yards. In the second half, Casey caught nine of his 12 passes for 83 yards and two scores and rushed five times for 20 yards and a touchdown to account for all the Owls points in the final 30 minutes. Twice on the Owls sixth scoring drive of the night, he converted fourth downs by rushing for first downs. Casey's 30-yard catch on third and three highlighted the Owls final scoring drive, which he capped with a 12-yard score as he dove out of bounds but kept his feet in play. Casey's final contribution of the night was a leap in the air to field UTEP's onside kick attempt with 1:23 to go in the game.

Kitchens led a stout Thundering Herd defensive effort against the Houston Cougars last Tuesday night. The senior recorded eight tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and more importantly came away with two critical takeaways - an interception he returned for 16 yards and a fumble recovery that he returned for 80 yards. Kitchen led a Marshall defense that limited the nation's third-ranked offense to only nine points in three quarters en route to building a 30-9 lead and eventually a 37-23 win. Kitchens' interception set up a Mark Cann to Cody Slate touchdown pass. His 80-yard fumble return could not have been more timely, with Houston driving down to the Marshall two-yard line, trailing the Herd only 16-3 early in the third quarter, an alert Kitchens scooped up the ball and returned it 80-yards before finally being brought down at the UH 17-yardline. Seven plays later Marshall would go up by the score of 23-3 on a Mark Cann to Emmanuel Spann touchdown pass.

Martinez scored 14 points, hitting all five of his extra-points and three field goal attempts in the Miners 49-44 loss to Rice. He connected from 46, 39 and 44 yards out, improving to 14-of-18 on field goal attempts this season. One of 20 semifinalists for this year's Lou Groza Award, Martinez was also named one of three Groza Award national "Stars of the Week" on Monday for the second time this season.