Anthony Colandrea And Aamaris Brown Win Both Offensive and Defensive Old Trapper Player Of The Week Awards

For the first time since 2016, the UNLV Rebels won both the Offensive and Defensive Old Trapper Player of the Week Awards. On Monday, the Mountain West Conference announced that quarterback Anthony Colandrea was named the Old Trapper Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, and defensive back Aamaris Brown was named the Old Trapper Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week. Both Rebels' stars had standout performances in the team's Week 1 victory over the Sam Houston Bearkats.

QB Anthony Colandrea

Colandrea has clearly cemented himself as the starting quarterback that head coach Dan Mullen is going to lean on for the vast majority of the snaps, at least for the time being. Alex Orji will still have his role, specifically as a runner, but Colandrea is the superior passer and has shown why.

He went 19 of 23 in this one for 249 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Once again, he contributed on the ground as well, rushing six times for 23 yards and a TD. Jaden Bradley continues to be his go-to guy, catching six passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. The duo has quickly developed outstanding chemistry. However, it would be nice to see another wide receiver step up and break out soon.

We expect Colandrea to continue to serve as the primary starting quarterback next week against the UCLA Bruins, and we expect him to continue to shine despite the uptick in competition.

DB Aamaris Brown

It's still very early in the season, but Brown has not only been the best defender for UNLV, but he's been the best defender in the Mountain West. In this game, he made four solo tackles, had three tackles for a loss, two sacks, and had a game-changing pick-six. This performance was nothing short of incredible. If he can continue playing like this, the former ACC star will find himself playing on Sundays in the future.

Next week, he will have a tougher task against UCLA. If he can put forth a third-straight spectacular performance, then it will be time to start taking him seriously as a superstar in the Mountain West. To this point, he has looked like an elite defensive back and a steal for coach Mullen through the transfer portal. Without what Brown has been able to do on the field, it's unlikely that the Rebels would be sitting at 2 - 0.