Wyatt Bryan earns Mountain West recognition

Colorado State kicker Wyatt Bryan earned Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the Rams’ 23-20 overtime loss to Minnesota.

Bryan’s shaky outing in the season opener – he missed an extra point attempt and a 42-yard field goal attempt – raised questions about the team’s kicking situation, but he more than redeemed himself against the Golden Gophers.

After being iced twice by Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill, the freshman kicker calmly nailed a 37-yard field goal attempt to send the game into overtime. He also made a 26-yard field goal, as well as two extra points.

Hayden Hunt earns weekly honor

CSU punter Hayden Hunt was named the Ray Guy Award Player of the Week, a weekly honor recognizing the best performance by a punter during a given week of the season.

Because CSU never had to punt against Savannah State, Hunt never saw any action in the opener. He showed no signs of rust though when he was called upon nine times Saturday against Minnesota.

Hunt’s punts went an average of 49.6 yards. Three of his punts went for 50-plus yards, including a 73-yard punt in the second quarter to pin Minnesota on its own two-yard line. It was the eighth longest punt in school history. Four of Hunt’s punts landed inside the 20-yard line.

Matthews named to 2015 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team

The American Football Coaches Association has named CSU safety Trent Matthews to the 2015 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in recognition of his work in the community. It is the highest esteemed off-field honor in college football.

Matthews is one of 22 student-athletes from across the nation to be recognized for the positive impact he has been able to have on the community in his limited spare time. Matthews is one of the 11 athletes selected from the FBS level, while the other 11 come from the FCS or other lower divisions. He is the third Ram to earn the honor, joining Ray Jackson (1995) and Myron Terry (1996).

Over the past three summers, Matthews has coached youth football for the City of Fort Collins summer camps. He also schedules frequent appearances at local elementary and business schools, and now mentors many youths in the area.

Matthews also played a large role in the 2013 adoption of honorary team member Jack Miller through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.

Fans can vote for the 2015 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Captain through Nov. 25. The captain and his fellow award recipients will be invited to New Orleans to participate in a community project ahead of the 2016 Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Collegian Sports Editor Emmett McCarthy can be reached by email at sports@collegian.com and on Twitter @emccarthy22.