LAS CRUCES, N.M. – A pair of Aggies were recognized on Monday morning as the Conference USA office announced that Naeten Mitchell and Ryan Hawk earned player of the week honors following the Aggies' 37-10 win over Sam Houston last Thursday. Mitchell received CUSA Defensive Player of the Week honors, while Hawk was named the league's Special Teams Player of the Week.

Including these two awards, the Aggies have now tallied 11 total weekly awards since joining the league ahead of the 2023 campaign. Mitchell becomes the fourth Aggie to be named the CUSA Defensive Player of the Week and Hawk joins former kickers Ethan Albertson and Abraham Montaño to become the third Aggie to claim CUSA Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
 
Mitchell, a native of Temple, Texas, turned in a game-high 10 total tackles in the weekday win to mark his third straight outing with double-digit tackles. This included seven solo tackles and one tackle for loss. Mitchell also notched a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown, marking the longest pick-six in CUSA this season and eighth-longest in the nation this year.
 
With this performance, Mitchell currently ranks third in total tackles (44) among all safeties at the FBS level. He also contributed to a defense that now ranks second among CUSA teams in interceptions with five across five games.
 
Hawk, a graduate transfer from Columbus, Ohio, accounted for 13 points in the Aggies' win over Sam Houston as he went a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts and 4-for-4 on extra points. He also recorded seven touchbacks on eight kickoffs, with the only non-touchback coming on an intentional pooch kick that set up one of the most pivotal plays of the game as the Bearkat return man was unable to field the kick cleanly, allowing the Aggie coverage team to jump on the loose ball at the 2-yard line. NM State would then score three plays later to take a commanding 27-10 lead in the fourth quarter.
 
Hawk's 45-yarder in the fourth quarter is his fourth made field goal of 40-plus yards this season and is now 4-for-5 from 40-49 yards this year. Additionally, with 1.8 field goals per game, Hawk now ranks first in CUSA and 15th in the nation.
 
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