BYU Athletics

Football

Big 12 Football Award Winners Announced for Week Six

Offensive Player of the Week:
Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona and Josh Hoover, QB, TCU

Defensive Player of the Week:
Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati and Namdi Obiazor, LB, TCU

Special Teams Player of the Week:
Stone Harrington, K, Texas Tech and Connor Hawkins, K, Baylor

Freshman of the Week:
Bear Bachmeier, QB, BYU

Offensive Line of the Week:
Cincinnati

Defensive Line of the Week:
Texas Tech

IRVING, Texas – Cincinnati, TCU and Texas Tech had multiple weekly honorees in the Big 12 Conference awards for Week Six. The quarterback duo of Arizona’s Noah Fifita and TCU’s Josh Hoover (offensive) received awards alongside Cincinnati’s Jake Golday and TCU’s Namdi Obiazor (defensive). Place kickers Stone Harrington from Texas Tech and Connor Hawkins from Baylor (special teams) took home honors, and BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier was named Freshman of the Week for the third time this season. Cincinnati also had the Offensive Line of the Week, while Texas Tech was recognized with the Defensive Line of the Week.

Fifita found the endzone five times and guided the Wildcats to 41 points in their win over Oklahoma State. The Arizona quarterback threw for 376 yards, completed 28 of his 38 passes, and matched his career high with five touchdown passes. Fifita eclipsed 300 passing yards for the ninth time in his career as he moved into fourth and third in school history in career passing yards and passing touchdowns, respectively.

Accounting for all five of TCU’s touchdowns in a win versus Colorado, Hoover was the catalyst of the Horned Frog offense with 23-of-33 passing for 275 yards and four touchdowns. He added 20 yards on the ground and a score and helped his team erase an early 14-point deficit. The victory also makes the seventh game of four or more touchdown passes in his career, which leads all active FBS quarterbacks.

Golday earned his second Big 12 weekly honor of the year in Cincinnati’s 38-30 win over then-No. 14 Iowa State. He finished the day with 13 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. The Arlington, Tennessee native also had a game-saving fourth-and-1 stop in the red zone to secure UC’s highest-ranked win in Nippert Stadium since 2006. Golday leads the Big 12 with 49 tackles this season, which is tied for 13th nationally.

As the only Big 12 player with double-digit tackles, a forced fumble and an interception in Week Six, Obiazor finished TCU’s win against Colorado with 10 tackles and a sack to go along with his interception and forced fumble. He was part of a defensive unit that held Colorado to 217 yards passing with three interceptions. The win also marked Obiazor’s fifth game of double-digit tackles and second interception of his career.

Harrington made a trio of kicks in Texas Tech’s win in Houston as part of a kicking operation that set a program record with five field goals. His three field goals were from 23, 26 and 26 yards out while booting five kickoffs for touchbacks to limit the Cougars’ return game. Harrington’s kickoffs that were returned had an average starting position inside the 20-yard line.

Winning Conference honors for the second time this season after kicking another game-winning field goal, Hawkins made both of his field goal attempts and all three extra points in Baylor’s 35-34 victory over K-State. He opened the game with a make from 30 yards out before sending in the game winner from 53 yards in the final minute. Hawkins’ 53-yarder ties the longest made field goal by a Baylor player in McLane Stadium history, matching Isaiah Hankins in 2023.

Bachmeier was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week for the second straight week, and the third time this season, after guiding BYU to a 38-24 win versus West Virginia. He completed 72% of his 25 pass attempts for 351 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 43 yards and a score. His 351 passing yards were the second-most by a freshman QB in school history and included an 85-yard pass to Chase Roberts, which was BYU’s longest completed pass since 1996.

Earning Big 12 Offensive Line of the Week for the third time this season and for the second consecutive week, Cincinnati’s front line was instrumental in its 38-30 win over then-No. 14 Iowa State. The Bearcats did not allow a sack for the fourth time this season while amassing 474 yards of total offense, including 260 rushing yards to become the third Big 12 team to surpass 250 yards on the ground in a game this season.

The Texas Tech defensive line posted a banner performance in the Red Raiders’ 35-11 win at Houston, holding the Cougars to just 267 yards of total offense. Tallying 22 total quarterback pressures in the game, Texas Tech recorded two sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble versus Houston. The Red Raiders finished the week ranked ninth in FBS in total defense.