COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- San Diego State's Brandon Heicklen has been named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week, the league announced Monday. It is the second MW accolade for the senior punter and fifth by an Aztec this season (Heicklen twice, Kyahva Tezino, Matt Araiza and Luq Barcoo).
Despite losing at Hawai'i, 14-11, on Saturday night, Heicklen gave SDSU an outstanding chance to win. Heicklen punted five times for 208 yards (41.6 avg.) and a net average of 41.6 as none of the punts were returned. All five of his punts landed inside the 20-yard line, including four inside the 10 and two inside the 5. The five punts inside the 20-yard line was a career-high and the most by an Aztec since Oct. 31, 2009 (six I20 in eight punts).
Off his five punts, Hawai'i started at the 8, 2, 7, 4 and 12 for an average start of 6.6-yard line. Was the lead cog in making Hawai'i finish with an average starting field position of just its own 14-yard line. In the nearly 300 San Diego State games in which data is available for average starting position, the 14-yard line marks the worst average starting position for any SDSU opponent. Only two of Heicklen's five punts came on SDSU's side of the ball and he averaged 50.0 yards per punt on those two attempts.
On the season, Heicklen has punted 60 times for 2,721 yards (45.4 avg.). Heicklen, who ranks third in SDSU single-season history in punt average (45.35), leads the Mountain West in punt yards (2,721, 12th in FBS), punt yards per game (247.36, 12th in FBS) and punts per game (5.45, 16th in FBS), and ranks second in punts inside the 20-yard line (27, T-6th in FBS) and punts (60, T-19th in FBS), third in punt average (45.35, 14th in FBS), fourth in net punt average (40.52, 29th in FBS) and ninth with a long punt of 61 yards.
For his career, Heicklen ranks fourth all-time at San Diego State in total punts (187) and punt yards (7,823), fifth in punt yards (7,615) and eighth in punt average (41.8).
Heicklen and 14 other seniors will be honored Saturday night prior to the Aztecs' (8-3) game against Brigham Young (7-4).
Tickets are still available for Saturday's encounter with the Cougars. The Aztec Ticket Office, located at SDCCU Stadium Window E, is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Student tickets for Aztec football games are now mobile and can be accessed at SDSUStudentTix.com, starting the Monday before each home game at 9 a.m. Current enrolled students receive free admission to each regular-season home game. To access the mobile tickets, students should simply visit SDSUStudentTix.com on their iPhone or Android device, and log in with their preferred email address on file with the Registrar's Office for their tickets to be automatically delivered to their phone prior to each home game. Students are also able to purchase up to two (2) student guest tickets directly from SDSUStudentTix.com.
Heicklen Named MW Special Teams Player of the Week
