Akeem Ayers named Lott Impact Player of the Week

From UCLA:

NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. – UCLA’s Akeem Ayers has been named the Lott
IMPACT Player of the Week.
Ayers, a 6-4, 252-pound redshirt junior from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei High), had an interception (returned for 13 yards), a forced fumble, a sack and another tackle for a loss in the Bruins’ big upset win over Texas, 34-12.
Ayers has two interceptions this season and six for his career. He is third on the Bruins in tackles with 29 and leads the team with tackles for loss with 5 .
A history major at UCLA, Ayers has been on the Directors Honor Roll.
He plays both linebacker and defensive end in the Bruins’ defensive scheme: “Playing both end and linebacker puts me more in a position where I can make plays all over the field,” he says.
UCLA will receive $1,000 for its general scholarship fund in recognition of Ayers’ achievement.

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UCLA named Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National TotW for win over Texas

DALLAS (FWAA) – With their 34-12 win at No. 7 Texas, the UCLA Bruins (2-2) are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week for games of the weekend of Sept. 25.

The Bruins forced four first-half turnovers and Johnathan Franklin ran for 118 yards and a touchdown for UCLA. On the day, the Bruins ran for 264 yards against the nation’s No. 2 rush defense.

In winning their second straight game after an 0-2 start, the Bruins registered their first road win against a ranked opponent since 2001. It was Texas’ first home loss since 2007 and its worst home loss under coach Mack Brown.

“It is a huge thrill for our program to come in and play in this environment and play the way we did, and to go in there and feel like now we are maybe getting closer to being a program where we can be counted on and get back to our roots as a top program in the country,” UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said after the game.

Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Sept. 25 included:

Toledo (3-1): The Rockets won their third straight road game, upsetting Purdue, 31-20, in West Lafayette, Ind. Austin Dantin threw two touchdown passes and ran for two other scores for the Rockets.

The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the seventh season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor. Each remaining Monday during the 2010 college football regular season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week.

Founded in 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted six games that have decided the college football national championship, including three Bowl Championship Series title games. This season, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will host the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 10, 2011 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 1, 2011 in Glendale and the Insight Bowl will be played on Dec. 28, 2010 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

Post-Texas honors

Sean Westgate was named Pac-10 defensive player of the week, and Ryan Taylor was named the conference’s Pac-10 offensive player of the week. It’s the first time an offensive lineman has won the award since an Oregon lineman won the award in 2003.