University of Houston Athletics
Phillip Hunt Named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week
11/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 5, 2007
HOUSTON - Following a tremendous performance last weekend, University of Houston junior defensive end Phillip Hunt was honored Monday as the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week.
Hunt racked up 2.5 sacks and three tackles for a loss of 21 yards to help lead the Cougars to a 38-28 win over C-USA rival SMU on Saturday at John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium. He finished the night with six tackles, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
His sack and forced fumble of SMU quarterback Justin Willis midway through the second quarter set up the Cougar offense at the Mustangs 36. One player later, senior running back Anthony Alridge scored to hand the Cougars a 17-14 lead, an advantage UH would never relinquish.
This season, Hunt leads the Cougars and ranks among the C-USA individual leaders with seven sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss of 81 yards. He ranks third among all Cougar defenders with 42 tackles, including 21 solo stops, and has broken up a team-high eight passes.
It was the second weekly C-USA honor for Hunt during his career. He also was named to the league's Third Team in 2006 and was a member of the 2005 C-USA All-Freshmen squad.
Rice quarterback Chase Clement and East Carolina running back Chris Johnson shared the league's Offensive Player of the Week award, while Southern Miss kicker Justin Estes was honored as the Special Teams Player of the Week.
Hunt and his Cougar teammates return to action at 2 p.m., Saturday when they meet C-USA rival Tulsa in a pivotal game that will go a long way in determining the C-USA West Division champion. A win by the Cougars will hand UH its second straight C-USA West Division title, while a loss will put Tulsa in the driver's seat for the C-USA Championship game.
Fans can hear the game live on 790 AM The Sports Animal with Tom Franklin calling the play-by-play action, Ted Pardee providing color analysis and Chuck Brown reporting from the sideline. The pregame show is slated to begin at 1 p.m., Saturday.
Fans also can follow live stats by clicking on the GameTracker link on UHCougars.com.
