Riddle, Blanchard, Smith, Consiglio and Cesari Receive Weekly Honors
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Southern Conference named its football players of the week today for the games played on Saturday, Sept. 26. Elon’s Scott Riddle and The Citadel’s Bart Blanchard shared Offensive Player of the Week honors while Appalachian State’s D.J. Smith was named Defensive Player of the Week. Chattanooga’s Ryan Consiglio earned Freshman of the Week honors while Furman’s Matthew Cesari was the Special Teams Player of the Week. The players of the week are selected by the league office.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Scott Riddle, Elon, Jr., QB and Bart Blanchard, The Citadel, Jr., QB
In a 28-14 win over Georgia Southern, Riddle passed for 338 yards and a touchdown while also adding a score on a 19-yard TD run. The junior, in just his 26th collegiate game, became the Southern Conference’s all-time leader in both passing yards (7,893) and pass completions (705). The Ramseur, N.C., native also set a SoCon record by extending his streak of passes without an interception to 218 before throwing a late interception.
Blanchard, The Citadel’s signal-caller, also had a record-setting day as he became just the fifth quarterback in league history to throw for six touchdowns passes in a game. The junior from Rock Hill, S.C., was 20-for-30 through the air for 263 yards and the six scores while also tossing two interceptions. Four of Blanchard’s TD passes went to All-American wide receiver Andre Roberts in the Bulldogs’ 46-21 win over Presbyterian.
Other Nominees: B.J. Coleman (Chattanooga), Armanti Edwards (Appalachian State) and Jordan Sorrells (Furman).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: D.J. Smith, Appalachian State, Jr., LB
Smith recorded 16 tackles, including a half tackle for loss, in Appalachian State’s 20-7 win over Samford Saturday afternoon in Boone. He led an ASU defense that limited Samford to 192 yards of total offense, including just 71 in the first half. Originally from Charlotte, N.C., Smith leads the SoCon with 12.7 tackles per game in 2009.
Other Nominees: Kadarron Anderson (Furman), Joshua Jones (Elon), Cortez Allen (The Citadel), Bryce Smith (Samford), Joseph Thornton (Chattanooga) and Adrian McLeod (Western Carolina).
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Ryan Consiglio, Chattanooga, Fr., LB
Consiglio led the team in tackles for the second straight game with nine against Wofford, including four solo stops and one for loss. A native of Franklin, Tenn., he guided a UTC defensive effort that held Wofford to just nine points, its fewest in a SoCon game since 2006. The Mocs defense also held Wofford to just 151 yards rushing, which was more than 100 yards less than the Terriers’ average coming into the game.
Other Nominees: Brent Russell (Georgia Southern), Jerry Williams (Furman), Dion Wilson (Western Carolina), Miguel Starks (The Citadel) and Dale Riley (Elon).
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Matthew Cesari, Furman, Sr., PK
Cesari was a perfect 7-for-7 on kicks, accounting for 15 points in Saturday's 33-14 Southern Conference road win over Western Carolina in very wet conditions. The senior from Atlanta, Ga., was a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals and 3-for-3 on PATs. Cesari’s field goals covered 24, 34, 31, and 36 yards, and he has now made 6-of-7 field goals this year and 10 of his last 11 attempts.
Other Nominees: Craig Camay (Chattanooga), Adam Shreiner (Elon), Jason Vitaris (Appalachian State), Charlie Edwards (Georgia Southern), Bob Hooper (Samford) and Biron Nabritt (The Citadel).