Turner and Phillips receive MWC honors
11/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 26, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- TCU tailback Joseph Turner has been named the Co-Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week while linebacker Jason Phillips is the league's Defensive Player of the Week for their efforts in Saturday's 45-33 win at San Diego State, enabling the Horned Frogs to make their ninth bowl appearance in the last 10 seasons.
Turner and Phillips give TCU five MWC Player of the Week selections this season. Safety Stephen Hodge and defensive end Chase Ortiz received defensive honors earlier this month after victories over New Mexico and UNLV, respectively. Tailback Aaron Brown was an offensive recipient following a September win over Colorado State.
Making just his third collegiate start, Turner rushed for 226 yards and four touchdowns on 33 carries. His rushing total, the 14th-best single-game effort in TCU history, was the highest by a Frog since Lonta Hobbs ran for 287 yards on 33 attempts in a 27-20 win over Memphis on Nov. 30, 2002.
A sophomore from Austin, Texas, Turner became the first Frog to run for four touchdowns in a contest since Jeff Ballard in a 49-28 win over New Mexico on Oct. 1, 2005. The four rushing touchdowns tie for the third-best single-game total at TCU.
Turner posted the second 100-yard rushing game of his career. He ran for 115 yards on 28 carries in his first collegiate start earlier this month in a 37-0 victory over New Mexico. He also added a pass reception for five yards against the Aztecs.
Turner shares the MWC Offensive Player of the Week honor with BYU running back Harvey Unga, who rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in a 17-10 win over Utah. Unga also had one reception for 27 yards.
Turner keyed a TCU offense which tied an NCAA major-college record with 111 plays from scrimmage. The Frogs had a school-record 39 first downs while their 694 yards of offense represented the third-best single-game total in TCU history.
Phillips topped TCU while tying for game-high honors with a career-best 13 tackles, including 10 solo stops. No other Frog had more than five tackles. The junior from Waller, Texas, added two pass break-ups.
Phillips helped TCU limit San Diego State to a 4-of-17 mark on third-down conversions.
