Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Pac-12 football: Midseason awards and superlatives

By Patrick Mayhorn

GENE, OR - OCTOBER 13: Linebacker Justin Hollins #11 of the Oregon Ducks, place kicker Peyton Henry #47 of the Washington Huskies, punter/holder Race Porter #46 of the Washington Huskies and cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. #4 of the Oregon Ducks watch as Henry's field goal attempt to win the game misses in the final seconds of the regulation at Autzen Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Eugene, Oregon. The Ducks won the game in overtime 30-27. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
GENE, OR - OCTOBER 13: Linebacker Justin Hollins #11 of the Oregon Ducks, place kicker Peyton Henry #47 of the Washington Huskies, punter/holder Race Porter #46 of the Washington Huskies and cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. #4 of the Oregon Ducks watch as Henry's field goal attempt to win the game misses in the final seconds of the regulation at Autzen Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Eugene, Oregon. The Ducks won the game in overtime 30-27. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 8
Next
(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

MVP: Laviska Shenault Jr. WR, Colorado

Laviska could fit into quite a few of the categories here, from MVP and best offensive player to biggest surprise, because his meteoric rise came out of nowhere. The Texas native came to Colorado as an add-on with fellow receiver KD Nixon (who has also been awesome this year), and after playing a minor role last season as a freshman, he has absolutely blown up in 2018.

Through just six games, Shenault has 60 receptions, 780 yards, and six touchdowns, while he’s added another five scores and 87 yards on 15 carries. This guy can do it all, and that may be putting it lightly. It’s also hard to overstate how crucial he’s been for Colorado’s 5-1 start, and no matter what you think about how good Colorado actually is, there’s no debating that Shenault has been a huge part of making their offense much more difficult to handle.

A lot of that is due to his connection with quarterback Steven Montez. The two have an excellent bond, and seem to play off of each other very well. Shenault’s athleticism, and ability to shake defenders to get open make him extremely dangerous, and frankly, one of the best players in the entire country. He’s third nationally in receiving yards, and second in receptions, and it seems like he’s only getting started.

Even with defenses keying on him more and more recently, he’s still putting up big numbers, and in a conference with little to no elite defenses, it seems fair to expect that he’ll continue his domination through the second half of the season.

Home/Pac-12