Alex Austin, Damien Martinez Recognized By Pac-12

SAN FRANCISCO – Oregon State defensive back Alex Austin and running back Damien Martinez have received weekly Pac-12 Conference honors on Monday. Austin the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week and Martinez has been named the Freshman of the Week.

The honor is the first for both.

Austin becomes the third Beaver to be named the Defensive Player of the Week; it’s the first time in OSU’s history that Oregon State has had three different players receive the honor in the same season.

Austin, from Long Beach, Calif., receives the honor after returning an interception for a 42-yard touchdown in the Beavers’ win over Colorado Saturday. The interception, his second of the season and fourth of his career, marked the Beavers’ first pick six since Jaydon Grant in 2019.

Martinez, a Lewisville, Texas native, ran for 178 yard and three touchdowns in the 42-9 win over the Buffaloes. The 178 yards marked a season-best for the true freshman, and is the third-best single-game tally by a Pac-12 running back this season.

Martinez has rushed for 372 yards over his last three games, over 41 carries. He has four touchdowns over that stretch and is averaging just over 9 yards per carry.