Carta-Samuels, Watts earn POW honors again

University of Wyoming freshmen football players Austyn Carta-Samuels and Ian Watts were named Mountain West Conference Players of the Week on Monday.

Carta-Samuels shared this week’s MWC Offensive Player of the Week award with Air Force running back Asher Clark. For Carta-Samuels it marked the third time this season that he was honored as the Offensive Player of the Week. Watts earned his second Special Teams Player of the Week award.

Carta-Samuels led the Wyoming offense to three fourth-quarter touchdowns and a total of 24 fourth-quarter points as the Cowboys came back from a 21-point deficit to win on the road at San Diego State. Carta-Samuels completed 16 of 22 (.727) passes for 246 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed 13 times for 51 yards and one rushing touchdown, and accumulated 297 yards of total offense.

Both the 246 yards passing and 297 yards of total offense were personal bests. His TD run was for 10 yards on the second play of the fourth quarter to pull the Cowboys to within two touchdowns at 27-13. His touchdown pass came with 2:07 remaining in the game on a nine-yard hookup with fellow true freshman David Tooley to tie the game. Following Wyoming's recovery of the ensuing kickoff, Carta-Samuels led the Pokes on an 18-yard drive to setup Wyoming's winning field goal with 23 seconds remaining in the game. With his third MWC Offensive Player of the Week honor this season, Carta-Samuels is second only to BYU quarterback Max Hall this season. Hall has earned the award fourth times this year.

Watts was a perfect 3-of-3 in field goals versus San Diego State. He converted two from 27 yards each, and with only 23 seconds remaining in the game he made a career-long, 43-yard field goal that proved to be the game-winner.

Watts was not only a perfect in field goals on the day, but he was a perfect 3-of-3 in extra points, scoring 12 of Wyoming’s 30 points. Watts is one of only three MWC players to earn the MWC Special Teams Player of the Week honor multiple times this season. The other two are TCU place-kicker Ross Evans and his teammate, return specialist Jeremy Kerly, who each have earned the award twice this year.