UTSA place-kicker Hunter Duplessis has been named Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week and outside linebacker Clarence Hicks earned C-USA co-Defensive Player of the Week honors for their performance in the win over Memphis, the league office announced on Monday.
Duplessis drilled a 42-yard field goal as time expired to complete the 31-28 victory over Memphis on Saturday at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The kick sealed the largest come-from-behind win in UTSA history and marked the second walk-off field goal in the last two seasons for the San Antonio native. Duplessis also made all four extra-point attempts in the win and he currently stands second in the FBS in field goals made per game (2.25). This marks his second weekly honor this season (Sept. 6) and the third of his career.
Hicks led an opportunistic UTSA defense that forced a pair of key fourth-quarter turnovers in the road triumph over Memphis. The super senior registered six tackles, including three tackles for loss and a pair of sacks, to help the Roadrunners record the largest comeback win in program history by erasing a 21-0 deficit. Hicks had a strip sack in the final stanza that resulted in a fumble recovery and 12-yard return by Lorenzo Dantzler to the Tigers 7-yard line, eventually leading to the game-tying score. Hicks currently leads C-USA and ranks 14th in the nation in tackles for loss per game (1.7) and he also paces the league and stands 19th in the FBS in sacks per contest (1.0).
This marks the fourth straight week a UTSA player has earned a conference weekly award, as Duplessis and Sheldon Jones each were named C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week following the first two wins this season, while Trumane Bell II collected the defensive award last week.
Charlotte’s Chris Reynolds was voted C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, while Hicks shared the league’s defensive honor with WKU’s A.J. Brathwaite Jr. The 2021 C-USA Players of the Week awards are presented by Surf & Turf Golf and are voted on by a panel of the league’s media.
The Roadrunners are off to the second 4-0 start in school history and the first since the 2012 team reeled off five wins to open the season. They will host UNLV (0-4) this Saturday, Oct. 2. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at the Alamodome.