Two Boise State Broncos took home weekly Pac-12 honors, the conference announced Monday, with running back Dylan Riley named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and wide receiver Cam Bates named Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week.
The junior pair were big contributors in Boise State’s 38-20 win over Memphis on Saturday, a matchup that was widely regarded as having College Football Playoff implications for the lone Group of Six spot leading up to kickoff.
Riley rushed for a career-high 206 yards in the contest, averaging 10.8 yards on 19 carries.
His longest run of the night, an explosive 71-yard burst that put the offense deep into Memphis territory, set up a crucial touchdown the very next play.
The Moreno Valley, California product also picked up a whopping 125 yards after contact along with nine missed tackles forced.
The game marked Riley’s second career 200-yard rushing performance and Boise State’s 16th as a program since 2016, the most in the FBS.
“The O-line did a phenomenal job,” Riley said when asked about his performance against Memphis. “They were moving those big guys up front and at that point it’s just me trusting my read and making my cuts.”
Bates’ 72-yard punt return touchdown headlined the Broncos’ biggest plays and electrified Albertsons Stadium.
Replacing Jeremyah Lane as the returner after Lane muffed a punt earlier in the game, the score came on Bates’ first career punt return.
The last Bronco to accomplish that feat was Stefan Cobbs in 2021, who housed the first punt he ever returned in college.
Bates, hailing from Mansfield, Texas, also racked up three catches for 24 yards in the contest.
The award marks the first career weekly honor for Bates, who is the first Bronco to receive a conference special teams honor since punter James Ferguson-Reynolds in 2024.
“Cam has done a really good job, so we made the switch,” head coach Spencer Danielson said when asked about the decision to play Bates as the returner. “We had some big-time blocks on that unit, too, and Cam Bates did a really good job.”
Riley and Bates are the first Bronco duo to collect weekly honors together since Jeremiah Earby (Defense) and Sire Gaines (Freshman) were recognized by the Mountain West last year.
The pair will take the field once again on Saturday, Sept. 19 when Boise State faces South Dakota at Albertsons Stadium.
