SJSU's Buhagiar WAC defensive player of the week

SJSU middle linebacker Vince Buhagiar was awarded the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week today for his 11-tackle performance in Saturdays 40-20 win over Colorado State.Buhagiars team-high 11 tackles included a sack for a loss of five yards. Nine of the 11 tackles he collected were solo, giving him 17 on the season the most of any WAC defensive player. He also forced a fumble and recovered another.His recovered fumble, forced by junior linebacker Keith Smith, came with a 33-20 lead at the 9:39 mark in the fourth quarter and lead to the Spartans final scorea 51-yard dagger from quarterback David Fales to wide receiver Chandler Jones.We always expect Vince to play well and hes played well the first three games, head coach Mike MacIntyre said today in a press conference.Buhagiar is tied for fourth in the WAC with 24 total tackles, along with Smith.Buhagiar is the second Spartan to win WAC honors in as many weeks. Senior defensive end Travis Johnson won last week after tying school records with four sacks and six tackles for a loss in a 45-13 win over UC Davis. Johnson leads the WAC and is third in the nation with five sacks.MacIntyre said Buhagiar played through a shoulder injury last season and then had surgery immediately following the season.Hes a new man out there, MacIntyre said. Nothing hurts.Fales was named as one of eight quarterbacks placed on the Manning Award Star Player of the Week list. Fales threw for 370 yards on 27-of-34 passing and three touchdowns in just his third career game at the major college football level. He was also a nominee for the WAC Offensive Player of the Week but was beat out by Louisiana Tech quarterback Colby Cameron, who completed 19-of-24 passes for 276 yards and four touchdowns.