COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- San Diego State football's Matt Araiza (San Diego/Rancho Bernardo HS) has been named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week, the league announced Monday. It is the Araiza's second weekly league honor of the season and third of his career.
Araiza was instrumental in the Aztecs' 19-13 double-overtime win at defending MW champion San José State on Friday night, scoring seven of SDSU's 19 points with two field goals and a PAT, including a career-long 53-yard field goal in the second quarter, which is tied for the sixth-longest field goal in program history and tied for the ninth longest in the country this season (T-1st in MW). Araiza also punted seven times for a 52.9 average with a career-long punt of 86 yards, which is the second longest in school history, the longest in a FBS game this season and the fourth longest in MW history. Since at least 2012, Araiza is the only player with a punt of at least 86 yards and a field goal of at least 53 yards in the same game. He set a career high with four fair catches off his punts and tied a career high with four punts inside the 20-yard line as the Spartans averaged starting at the 19.7-yard line off his seven punts. Araiza also kicked off three times for a perfect 65.0-yard average with three touchbacks.
Araiza, who last week was chosen as an ESPN Midseason All-America selection as a punter, leads all FBS players in punt average (53.85), total punt yards (2,154) and punt yards per game (359.00), and ranks in a tie for first in PAT percentage (1.000), third in kickoff average (64.94), tied for third in punts per game (6.67, 2nd in MW), fourth in punts inside the 20-yard line (18, 2nd in MW), tied for seventh in total punts (49, 3rd in MW), 17th in kickoff touchback percentage (79.41, 1st in MW) and tied for 17th in total touchbacks (27, 1st in MW). Araiza also is tied for the league lead in made PATs (24, T-32nd in FBS) and attempted PATs (24, T-33rd in FBS), and ranks fourth in kickoff yards (2,208, 50th in FBS)), fifth in field goal attempts per game (1.17, T-31st in FBS) and kicking points (45, T-39th in FBS), tied for fifth in total kickoffs (34, T-56th in FBS), sixth in points per game (7.50, T-71st in FBS), tied for seventh in total field goals (7, T-53rd in FBS), tied for eighth in field goals per game (1.17, T-46th in FBS), and ninth in both field goal percentage (63.36) and total points (45).
Araiza has the longest punt this season (86 yards), the ninth longest (77), the 13th (75) and the 18th (72).
No. 22/21 San Diego State, which is off to a 6-0 start for just the second time in the last 46 seasons (also 2017), plays at Air Force on Saturday at 5 p.m. MT (4 p.m. PT).