SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference named its football players of the week Monday for all games played Saturday, Nov. 16. Georgia Southern quarterback Kevin Ellison was named the Offensive Player of the Week, while Samford’s Jaquiski Tartt was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Week. Appalachian State running back Marcus Cox earned the league’s Freshman of the Week honor and Furman kicker Ray Early was named the Special Teams Player of the Week. The players of the week are selected by the league office.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kevin Ellison, Georgia Southern, Fr., QB, Cornelia, Ga.
Quarterback Kevin Ellison rushed for a season-high 163 yards and two touchdowns in Georgia Southern’s 38-20 win at Elon.  He averaged 11.6 yards per carry on the ground and also completed 5-of-11 passes for 104 yards.  The Cornelia, Ga., native turned in a season-long run of 56 yards in the win and added a 53-yard rush for a touchdown.  Ellison hit four different receivers through the air and saw three of his five completions go for more than 25 yards.

Other Nominees: Andrew Peacock (Appalachian State), Ben Dupree (The Citadel), Richard Hayes III (Furman), Karel Hamilton (Samford), Faysal Shafaat (Chattanooga), Darius Ramsey (Western Carolina) and Jonny Martin (Wofford).

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jaquiski Tartt, Samford, Jr., S, Mobile, Ala.
Safety Jaquiski Tartt tied his career high with a game-high 17 tackles as Samford topped Chattanooga in overtime (17-14) Saturday.  Tartt talled 13 solo tackles and added a pass break-up.  The Mobile, Ala., native came up with two key fourth-down tackles to stop potential UTC scoring drives.  Tartt stopped Marquis Green on fourth-and-4 in the first quarter to halt a 12-play UTC drive.  Later in the third quarter, Tartt pushed Green out of bounds 3 yards shy of the first-down marker at the Samford 10-yard line to give the ball back to the Bulldogs’ offense.

Other Nominees: Karl Anderson (Appalachian State), Derek Douglas (The Citadel), Johnathan Spain (Elon), Antonio Glover (Georgia Southern), Wes Dothard (Chattanooga), Sertonuse Harris (Western Carolina) and Alvin Scioneaux (Wofford).

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Marcus Cox, Appalachian State, RB, Dacula, Ga.
Marcus Cox rushed for 119 yards and tied his career high with three touchdowns on the ground as Appalachian State rallied for a 33-21 win at Wofford.  Cox averaged 4.8 yards per carry and scored all three of his touchdowns in the second half to help the Mountaineers erase a 14-10 halftime deficit.  Cox added two receptions for five yards and became just the third back in school history to top the 1,000-yard rushing mark as a freshman.

Other Nominees: Tevin Floyd (The Citadel), John Silas (Elon), Richard Hayes III (Furman), Kevin Ellison (Georgia Southern), Karel Hamilton (Samford), Dee Virgin (Chattanooga), Terryon Robinson (Western Carolina) and Evan Jacks (Wofford).

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ray Early, Furman, Sr., PK/P, Darlington, S.C.
Early set a school record and tied a SoCon mark with six made field goals in Furman’s 32-20 win at Western Carolina on Saturday.  Early also made two PATs to account for 20 of the Paladins’ 32 points.  He connected on field goal attempts of 48, 24, 40, 39, 30 and 32 yards.  The senior also handled the kickoff duties for Furman and forced seven touchbacks on nine kicks.  He punted three times and averaged 41.3 yards per boot, placing one inside the Catamounts’ 20-yard line.