Mountain West Connection Football: Week 4 Players of the Week
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Week 4 provided one of the most entertaining weekends of the young 2026 Mountain West season.
Air Force and Nevada battled through two overtimes in Reno. UNLV dominated Akron on the road. New Mexico cruised past New Mexico State in the Rio Grande Rivalry, while Wyoming picked up its first Mountain West victory of the season against Hawai‘i.
With North Dakota State on a bye, the spotlight shifted to the rest of the conference, and several players took advantage.
Here are the Mountain West Players of the Week for Week 4.
Offensive Player of the Week: Liam Szarka, QB, Air Force
Air Force quarterback Liam Szarka was at the center of one of the weekend’s most entertaining games.
Szarka put together a career performance in the Falcons’ 36-33 double-overtime victory over Nevada, rushing for a career-high 171 yards on 33 carries and two touchdowns.
The junior quarterback wasn’t simply picking up yards in the Falcons’ option attack. He repeatedly kept drives alive, recording 11 carries that resulted in either a first down or a touchdown, including four successful fourth-down conversions.
Szarka also completed 5-of-12 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.
His biggest passing play came in the fourth quarter when he connected on a fourth-and-goal touchdown pass that gave Air Force a two-score advantage at the time.
The rushing performance was particularly impressive. Szarka’s 171 yards were the most by an Air Force player this season and the most by a Falcons quarterback since Isaiah Sanders rushed for 196 yards against Utah State in 2017.
And when the game reached overtime, Air Force continued to lean on its quarterback. Szarka’s performance ultimately helped the Falcons escape Mackay Stadium with a dramatic road victory and improve to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in Mountain West play.
Honorable Mentions:
- Jackson Arnold, QB, UNLV: 290 passing yards and three total touchdowns in UNLV’s 38-10 road win over Akron.
- Toa Fa’avae, QB, New Mexico: 177 passing yards, 57 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Lobos’ 42-18 win over New Mexico State.
- Scottre Humphrey, RB, New Mexico: 104 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
Defensive Player of the Week: Cam Santee, LB, UNLV
Cam Santee made his return to Ohio a memorable one. The UNLV linebacker led all players with 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, as the Rebels defeated Akron 38-10.
Santee’s biggest play came in the third quarter. With UNLV holding a 24-10 advantage, Akron was threatening to get back into the game. Santee stepped in front of a pass and intercepted it at the UNLV 43-yard line, ending the Zips’ scoring opportunity.
From there, the Rebels’ defense completely shut the door. UNLV held Akron scoreless throughout the second half and allowed only 10 points overall. The Rebels also forced multiple turnovers and turned one of those takeaways into a 35-yard interception return touchdown by Mumu Bin-Wahad.
For Santee, the performance capped an impressive homecoming while helping UNLV open the Mountain West portion of its schedule with a convincing victory.
The 28-point win also tied UNLV’s largest nonconference road victory since 2017.
Honorable Mentions:
- Wynden Ho’ohuli, LB, Hawai‘i: Career-high 10 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble against Wyoming.
- UNLV Defense: Held Akron scoreless in the second half and allowed just one touchdown in the 38-10 victory.
- New Mexico Defense: Forced turnovers on back-to-back defensive snaps in the third quarter against New Mexico State, turning both takeaways into touchdowns.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Joe McFadden, K, Nevada
Joe McFadden was nearly the difference in Nevada’s double-overtime thriller against Air Force.
The senior kicker had a career-high four field goals, converting all four attempts while also making all three of his extra-point attempts.
That gave McFadden 15 points, an enormous contribution in a game Nevada ultimately lost 36-33. McFadden connected from 36, 31, 35 and 38 yards. Three of those four field goals came during the fourth quarter and overtime.
His 31-yarder with 3:45 remaining in regulation pulled Nevada within 27-20. Then, in the first overtime, McFadden nailed a 35-yard field goal to tie the game again.
He followed that with a 38-yard field goal in the second overtime, keeping the Wolf Pack alive before Air Force eventually scored the winning touchdown.
It was one of the best individual kicking performances in the Mountain West this season, even in defeat.
Honorable Mention: Grant Glasgow, New Mexico. He continued his strong season while helping the Lobos defeat New Mexico State 42-18.
Other Performances Worth Mentioning
Jackson Arnold, QB, UNLV
UNLV’s offense was rolling against Akron, and Jackson Arnold was at the center of it.
Arnold threw for 290 yards, helping the Rebels pile up 38 points in their road victory.
He connected with Jai’Den Thomas for touchdowns of 40 and two yards, while Taz Reddicks added a 59-yard touchdown reception. Thomas also scored on a 16-yard rushing touchdown.
The Rebels scored 24 unanswered points during the second half and turned a 14-10 halftime lead into a 28-point victory.
Scottre Humphrey, RB, New Mexico
Humphrey provided the foundation for New Mexico’s dominant rushing attack.
The junior running back carried the ball 19 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns as the Lobos rushed for 253 yards against New Mexico State.
His two first-half touchdown runs helped New Mexico jump out to a 14-0 lead before the Lobos exploded for 21 points in the third quarter.
Wynden Ho’ohuli, LB, Hawai‘i
Even though Hawai‘i fell 27-10 to Wyoming, Ho’ohuli produced one of the strongest individual defensive performances of the weekend.
The linebacker recorded a career-high 10 tackles, including a sack and a forced fumble.
The Warriors struggled to slow Wyoming’s rushing attack, but Ho’ohuli consistently found himself around the football.
Herschel Turner, RB, Nevada
Nevada’s offense received a huge contribution from Herschel Turner.
The running back rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, including a 57-yard touchdown run.
Turner’s explosiveness was a major reason Nevada remained in the game despite Air Force controlling the ball for long stretches.
The Takeaway
Week 4 was a reminder of just how much talent exists across the Mountain West.
Szarka turned in one of the conference’s best individual performances of the season, rushing for 171 yards while helping the Falcons survive Nevada in double overtime.
UNLV’s defense completely shut down Akron in the second half, with Santee leading the way. The Rebels improved to 2-2 and opened Mountain West play with a convincing road victory.
Nevada didn’t get the result it wanted, but McFadden’s four field goals and Turner’s explosive rushing performance kept the Wolf Pack within striking distance throughout a wild game.
And New Mexico continues to look like one of the conference’s most intriguing teams.
The Lobos are now 3-1 after beating New Mexico State, and the emergence of Fa’avae gives the offense another dimension heading into Mountain West play. New Mexico has now won two straight following its six-point loss at Oklahoma.
Meanwhile, Wyoming improved to 2-2 and 1-0 in conference play with its 27-10 victory over Hawai‘i, while UTEP and Northern Illinois both suffered road losses to Oregon State and Georgia State, respectively.
With conference play now becoming the central focus, the Mountain West has plenty of new storylines developing, and Week 4 produced several players who made sure the spotlight wasn’t reserved for just one team.
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