SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Southern Conference today named its Football Players of the Week for games played on October 28. Appalachian State’s Kevin Richardson was selected the Offensive Player of the Week while Appalachian State’s Corey Lynch and Wofford's James Gonsoulin shared the Defensive Player of the Week honor. Elon’s Nolan Ward earned the Freshman of the Week award.

 

Richardson, a junior from Elizabethtown, N.C., led the Mountaineers to a 40-7 win over Furman on Saturday. The running back compiled 173 yards on the ground and scored four touchdowns. His four scores were the most by a Mountaineer since Jimmy Watkins ran for four in ASU’s opening round playoff game against William & Mary in 2001. His 173 yards marks the second-highest rushing output for his career and was his 10th career 100-plus rushing game. His 27 carries was also the most of his career.  Richardson moved to fifth on the ASU all-time rushing list with 2,601 career yards and is the only Mountaineer to have two of the top five scoring seasons in ASU history.

 

Other top performers include Chattanooga’s Eldra Buckley, The Citadel’s Rontreal Taylor, Elon’s Terrell Hudgins, Georgia Southern’s Jayson Foster, Western Carolina’s Darius Fudge and Wofford’s Kevious Johnson.

 

Lynch, a junior from Cape Coral, Fla., anchored the Mountaineer defense on Saturday, including a key

ASU's Corey Lynch

blocked field goal in the first half. The safety blocked his third field goal in four weeks in the win over Furman. With the game tied 7-7 with less than two minutes left in the first half, Lynch blocked Scott Beckler’s 31-yard field goal attempt, recovered the ball and ran it back 79 yards for a touchdown, giving ASU the lead at halftime. Lynch also had four tackles on the day.

 

Gonsoulin, a junior from Jenks, Okla., recorded a career-high eight tackles against Western Carolina on Saturday. The defensive end also had two and a half sacks and three and a half tackles for loss in the win. He had a solo sack for a loss of 14 yards in the second quarter and an eight-yard sack in the fourth quarter. He also assisted on a sack for a loss of six yards. Gonsoulin anchored the Terrier defense that allowed only 277 yards of total offense.

 

Wofford's James Gonsoulin

Other top performers include Chattanooga’s Jason Vincent, The Citadel’s James Wilson, Elon’s Chad Nkang, Georgia Southern’s John Mohring and Western Carolina’s Mitchell Dukes.

 

Ward, a true freshman from Brandon, Fla., racked up a career-high seven tackles in the Phoenix win over Chattanooga. The strong safety had five solo stops to go along with an interception and a pass deflection. His interception of a Matt Lopez sideline pas ended the final Chattanooga drive on a first and 10 during the final seconds of the game. It was Ward’s second career interception.

 

Other top performers include Appalachian State’s Gary Tharrington, Chattanooga’s Erroll Wynn and Georgia Southern’s Ronnie Wiggins.

Elon's Nolan Ward