Nov. 28, 2016
Colorado Springs, Colo.----- For only the second time since joining the Mountain West in 2013, two San Jose State football players received the conference's Player of the Week honors for the same game.
Linebacker Frank Ginda and placekicker Bryce Crawford were named the Mountain West Defensive Player and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively.
Ginda, a sophomore from Los Banos, tied his personal single-game high of 14 tackles for the third time this season in the 16-14 win over Fresno State. He was credited with a single-game career best 4.0 tackles for loss and was in on 1.5 quarterback sacks against the Bulldogs.
He played a big part in the San Jose State defense that blanked Fresno State in the second half, allowed just 47 yards and two first downs in the final two quarters and accumulated tackles for losses on 14 plays in the win.
Perhaps his biggest play of the game turned out to be one of his first tackles in the game when he and cornerback Jermaine Kelly stopped Fresno State wide receiver KeeSean Johnson in the open field after a 53-yard pass play in the first quarter. On that drive, the Bulldogs stalled at the 7-yard line and did not score any points.
Crawford, a sophomore from Frisco, Texas, accounted for the all the scoring in the second half. With San Jose State trailing, 14-7, he kicked field goals of 28 and 22 yards in the third quarter and a 23-yard game-winner with 6:25 in the fourth quarter under wet and rainy conditions.
The Spartan placekicker converted three field goals in a game for the third time this season and finished 2016 with 11 consecutive made field goal attempts. The last three-pointer turned out to be his first game-winning field goal at the major college level.
The first time two Spartans won Mountain West Player of the Week honors in football for the same game was after the 2013 win over #16-ranked Fresno State, 62-52, to conclude the regular season. Quarterback David Fales and kicker Austin Lopez were recognized for their contributions in that San Jose State win.