SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference named its football players of the week today for the games played on Saturday, October 23. Chattanooga's Joel Bradford was named the Offensive Player of the Week while Appalachian State's Jabari Fletcher earned Defensive Player of the Week honors. Western Carolina's Deja Alexander was selected as the Freshman of the Week, and Wofford's Mike Rucker was tabbed the Special Teams Player of the Week. The players of the week are selected by the league office.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Joel Bradford, Chattanooga, WR, Jr., Chattanooga, Tenn.
Bradford set a new school record with 274 receiving yards against Furman. Bradford caught 15 passes, including one touchdown, in Chattanooga's 36-28 come-from-behind victory over Furman. Bradford finished the day just six yards shy of the league's single-game receiving record, set by Appalachian State's DaVon Fowlkes against Elon in 2004. Bradford leads the nation with 125.0 receiving yards per game and ranks fourth in the FCS with 7.9 catches per game.
Other Nominees: DeAndre Presley (Appalachian State), Scott Riddle (Elon), Jerick McKinnon (Georgia Southern), Deja Alexander (Western Carolina) and Eric Breitenstein (Wofford).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jabari Fletcher, Appalachian State, DE, Sr., Atlanta, Ga.
Fletcher turned in a complete game for the Mountaineers as top-ranked Appalachian State held off Western Carolina, 37-14. The senior defensive end recorded 11 tackles, including 3.5 for loss. Fletcher added two sacks for minus 15 yards and also recovered a fumble as the Mountaineers limited the Catamounts to just 88 yards on the ground. He is tied for 11th nationally with 6.5 sacks on the season and ranks 15th with 11 tackles for loss.
Other Nominees: Erik Clanton (The Citadel), Brandon Ward (Elon), Max Lerner (Furman), Roderick Tinsley (Georgia Southern), Chris Donald (Chattanooga), Mitchell Bell (Western Carolina) and Mike Niam (Wofford)
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Deja Alexander, Western Carolina, WR, Fr., Jacksonville, Fla.
Alexander hauled in a personal-best nine catches for 151 yards against No. 1 Appalachian State. Alexander grabbed in a 50-yard pass on Western Carolina's opening play from scrimmage. He ranks sixth in the SoCon with 54.8 yards receiving per game. Alexander has averaged 3.7 receptions per game, good for tenth place in the league.
Other Nominees: Michael Spaulding (Georgia Southern), Kadeem Wise (Chattanooga) and Mike McCrimon (Wofford).
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Mike Rucker, Wofford, RB/KR, Sr., Winston-Salem, N.C.
With the Terriers holding a 14-0 advantage over Elon, Rucker took the second half kickoff and raced 84 yards for a touchdown to give Wofford a 21-0 lead. Rucker totaled three returns for 128 yards on the day as Wofford earned a dramatic 28-21 win at Elon. It was Rucker's second career return for a touchdown and the first for a Terrier since 2007. He averages 25.8 yards per return, the second-best mark in the Southern Conference.
Other Nominees: Travaris Cadet (Appalachian State), Charlie Edwards (Georgia Southern) and Nate Harris (Western Carolina).
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