Colorado State University Athletics
Hansley named Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week
11/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Colorado State senior Joe Hansley is the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week. The conference office made the announcement Monday morning.
Hansley, a wide receiver from Highlands Ranch, Colo., scored three touchdowns during Saturday's win at Fresno State, including two on punt returns. He gave the Rams an early 7-0 lead just 2 minutes, 46 seconds into the contest, returning a punt 75 yards for a score. It was CSU's first punt-return touchdown since Sept. 1, 2013, when Hansley ran one back against Colorado. Late in the second quarter, the Rams' defense got a big stop and forced the Bulldogs to punt with 42 seconds remaining in the half. Hansley housed that punt 61 yards, cutting CSU's halftime deficit to 24-14. During the return, his helmet came unbuckled and he tried to re-buckle it while running, including backwards at one point, before finding an opening down the left sideline.
Hansley became just the second Ram to ever return two punts for touchdowns in a game, joining Dallas Davis vs. Utah on Oct. 28, 1999.
Adding to his versatility, Hansley added a third touchdown, this time as a wide receiver. The 24-yard score ended up being the game winner, helping CSU overcome a 17-point deficit - the largest since coming back from 22 down in the 2013 New Mexico Bowl vs. Washington State.
Hansley had a team-most three receptions for 46 yards, and had 182 all-purpose yards in the contest. He is tied for the team lead with eight total touchdowns on the season, and for his career is just outside of CSU's top-10 lists for receptions (134), receiving yards (1,811) and receiving touchdowns (12).
In addition to Hansley's two punt returns for scores, sophomore Kevin Nutt, Jr. took a kickoff 96 yards into the end zone, cutting the Rams' deficit to 24-20 just seconds into the second half. According to ESPN Stats & Info, CSU is the first college football team in 10 seasons to score three special-teams touchdowns in a game.
Hansley is the third Ram to receive MW recognition this season, joining quarterback Nick Stevens (offensive, Sept. 7) and kicker Wyatt Bryan (special teams, Sept. 14). CSU enters the postseason on a four-game winning streak, finishing the regular season with a 7-5 mark - the best ever by a Rams' first-year head coach. CSU will learn its bowl game destination and opponent on Sunday.
