SPARTANBURG, SC -- The Southern Conference today announced its football Players of the Week for the week of November 5. Chattanooga’s Eldra Buckley was named the Offensive Player of the Week honor while Furman’s William Freeman earned Defensive Player of the Week honors. Furman’s Brandon Williams was named the Freshman of the Week.
Buckley, a 5-10, 190-lb. tailback from Charleston, MS, surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season in the win over The Citadel. He gained 187 yards on 30 carries, including three touchdown runs, all in the first half. It was his second straight game with 100 yards or better on the ground and fifth 100-yard game of the season. Buckley was 13 yards shy of becoming the first UTC player to rush for 200-yards in back-to-back games after amassing 210 yards against Appalachian State on October 29. He is currently third on Chattanooga’s single-season rushing list and needs only 23 yards to move into second. HIs 397 yards is the ninth most in a two-game performance in SoCon history.
Other top offensive performances from November 5 include Appalachian State’s Richie Williams (150 yards total offense), Georgia Southern’s Jermain Austin (142 yards, 24 carries, 3 TDs) and Western Carolina’s Lamont Reid (52 yards, 11 carries, 3 TDs).
Freeman, a 6-3, 244-lb. linebacker from Swansea, SC, led the Paladin defense against Georgia Southern on Saturday. He racked up a career-high 17 tackles on the day, including seven solo stops and one tackle for loss. His 17 tackles ties for the second-most by a Southern Conference player this season. Freeman is second in the league, averaging 9.7 tackles per game.
Other top defensive performances include Appalachian State’s Monte Smith (5 tackles, 3 TFL), Chattanooga’s Jeff Phillips (9 tackles, 7 solo, 1 TFL) and Western Carolina’s Rico Reese (7 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack).
Williams, a 6-1, 228-lb. linebacker from Tucker, GA, registered a career-high 13 tackles against Georgia Southern on Saturday. The freshman tallied five solo stops on the day and was second behind Freeman in tackles.
Other top freshmen from last week include Appalachian State’s Matt Dodge (38.6 yards per punt), Chattanooga’s Jeff Phillips (9 tackles, 1 TFL), Georgia Southern’s John Mohring (13 tackles, 5 solo), Western Carolina’s Jonathan Parsons (34-yard FG, 3-for-3 PAT) and Wofford’s Chris Tommie (46.5 yards per punt).