COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Fresno State senior linebacker Tuasivi Nomura and junior kicker Dylan Lynch have been named the Mountain West Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office on Monday morning.
The pair of Bulldogs helped lead Fresno State to a 38-21 road win at New Mexico last Saturday. It was the first time since 2018 that the Bulldogs won their MW opener on the road.
Nomura led the Bulldogs' defense with a career-high 16 tackles. Of his 16 stops, 12 of them were solo hits. The 12 solo tackles are the second most in a game among all FBS players this season and his 16 total tackles are the fifth-most among FBS players. His 16 total stops are the most for a Bulldog since linebacker Jeff Allison had 17 in 2018.
The senior Bulldog earns the Defensive Player of the Week honor for his first time as a Fresno State student-athlete. It is also the first conference recognition of his career, transferring in from USC ahead of the 2023 season.
Lynch helped the Bulldogs to the MW opening road win hitting on all three of his field goal attempts in gusty winds in Albuquerque. Lynch hit his trio of field goals from 36, 42 and 31 yards out. He was also 3-of-3 in his PAT attempts in the win. In kickoffs, Lynch averaged 64.0 yards per kickoff. He had eight on the night with five touchbacks.
Like Nomura, Lynch earns his first career MW weekly honor.
The Bulldogs look toward their fifth game in-a-row this weekend, traveling to No. 23 UNLV for a Saturday afternoon matchup. Following Saturday's game, the 'Dogs have their first bye week of the season, and return the following week (Oct. 12) to host Washington State. Kickoff time and broadcast designation is still to be determined. Tickets for the Oct. 12 home game are available here.