By Ryan Hope
True freshman running back Curtis Brown was named the Mountain West Conference offensive player of the week Monday, Oct. 7.
Brown rushed for 217 yards on 33 carries and three touchdowns in the Cougars 35-34 victory over Utah State Friday, Oct. 4.
'It''s amazing to win this award,' Brown said. 'I owe a whole lot of credit to the offensive line. Everything clicked in the second half. The line opened up some great holes and I was able to run through them.'
Friday''s game was the first one Brown started as a collegiate athlete.
The last time Brown started a game was in December of 2001 when he led his Lancaster (Calif.) Paraclete High School to a 44-0 victory over Montclair Prep in a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championship game.
While at Paraclete, Brown was an all-league performer all four years, as well as All-CIF his sophomore through senior years. As a sophomore Brown led all sophomores in the state of California in rushing. In one game Brown rushed for a career-best 373 yards.
Brown replaced sophomore Marcus Whalen, who was held out of the game to nurse an injured groin muscle.
'I knew coming into the season that I was going to play a major part as a backup,' Brown said. 'I''m just happy I got my one chance at fame and glory. But I''m ready for Marcus to come back and do his thing.'
Whalen is expected to return this Saturday when the Cougars travel to Colorado Springs to face the Air Force Academy.
'I know my time will come sometime,' Brown said. 'So I''m just going to wait it out and contribute where needed.'