The Utah State secondary may still have work to do this week, but senior corner Nevin Lawson has earned another weekly honor from the Mountain West.
After getting four tackles (one for a loss), two breakups and one interception, Lawson earned his second defensive player of the week award from the conference. After starting out without a weekly honoree for the first six weeks of the season, Utah State has now had four in each of its last four games.
Lawson was a bright spot on Utah State's defense this week, matching up with both Devante Davis and Marcus Sullivan and preventing a few critical catches from each.
"I know they got two good receivers and the ball is coming to one of them," he said. "Only thing in my head is focus on my technique, do my job and help my team win the ball game."
Lawson also prevented a touchdown pass early in the third quarter by picking off a throw intended for Davis. The turnaround ended a drive when Utah State had been on its heels for the entire possession.
He broke it down Saturday, saying he figured Caleb Herring would look for Davis in the end zone, and determined that his receiver would run a fade or a slant -. When Davis broke inside, Lawson immediately knew what to do.
"In my head, I clicked slant route, and I made a play for my team," he said.
For the year, Lawson leads Utah State with four interceptions. He also ranks fouth nationwide with 1.7 passes defended per game. Far and away, he's been Utah State's best coverage option, increasing speculation that he's improving his pro stock after this season.
Matt Wells said Saturday that he was proud of Lawson's leadership and consistency in a highly scrutinized position.
Kyle Goonkgoon@sltrib.comTwitter: @kylegoon