SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference named its football players of the week today for the games played Saturday, October 1. Furman's Chris Forcier was named Offensive Player of the Week for the second straight week while The Citadel's Rod Harland earned Defensive Player of the Week honors. Georgia Southern's Dominique Swope was selected as the Freshman of the Week, and Western Carolina's George Richardson was tabbed as the Special Teams Player of the Week. The players of the week are selected by the league office.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chris Forcier, Furman, Sr., QB, San Diego, Calif.
Forcier continued his strong output for the Paladins as he was 14-of-17 for 237 yards with 4 TDs Saturday at Western Carolina. The senior signal caller threw touchdown passes of 1, 29, 34 and 42 yards as the Paladins topped WCU, 47-21. He has completed 35 of 42 passes for 521 yards and 12 TDs in his last three games.
Other Nominees: Ben Jorden (Appalachian State), Darien Robinson (The Citadel), Aaron Mellette (Elon), Jaybo Shaw (Georgia Southern), Dustin Taliaferro (Samford), B.J. Coleman (Chattanooga), Josh Cockrell (Western Carolina) and Eric Breitenstein (Wofford).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Rod Harland, The Citadel, Sr., LB, Hartwell, Ga.
Harland recorded a team-high seven tackles as The Citadel rallied for a 28-27 win at Chattanooga. The senior recorded six solo stops, including a sack. Midway through the fourth quarter, Harland scooped up a blocked punt and raced 40 yards for a touchdown to pull the Bulldogs to within six points (27-21). Harland leads the conference with 9.5 tackles per game.
Other Nominees: Demery Brewer (Appalachian State), Joshua Jones (Elon), Mitch McGrath (Furman), Laron Scott (Georgia Southern), Aaron Bethune (Samford), Wes Dothard (Chattanooga), Andre Shishkin (Western Carolina) and Alex Goltry (Wofford).
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Dominique Swope, Georgia Southern, Fr., RB, Buford, Ga.
Swope made his first career start and responded with a solid all-around performance as Georgia Southern topped Elon, 41-14. Swope carried the ball 15 times for 74 yards and a touchdown. His five-yard TD run in the first quarter pulled the Eagles even with Elon, 7-7. The Buford, Ga., native caught a 12-yard TD pass from Jaybo Shaw early in the second quarter to push GSU's lead to 17-7.
Other Nominees: Ronald Blair (Appalachian State), Aaron Miller (The Citadel), Akeem Langham (Elon), Stanley Robinson (Samford), Ron Moore (Chattanooga), and Christon Gill (Western Carolina).
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: George Richardson, Western Carolina, So., WR, Kernersville, N.C.
Richardson averaged 45.8 yards per kickoff return on four returns for Western Carolina. The sophomore wideout took the opening kickoff of the second half 99 yards for a touchdown. It was the Catamounts' first return for a touchdown since Mike Malone ran back a score against Furman in 2007. The Kernersville, N.C., native is averaging 27.9 yards per return this season.
Other Nominees: Travaris Cadet (Appalachian State), Adrian Mora (Georgia Southern), Phillip Ketcham (Samford), Nick Pollard (Chattanooga), and Stephon Shelton (Wofford).