SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference named its football players of the week Monday for all games played Sept. 29. Western Carolina quarterback Tyrie Adams was named the Offensive Player of the Week, ETSU lineman Nasir Player was named Defensive Player of the Week and Furman wide receiver/return specialist Dejuan Bell was named Special Teams Player of the Week. The players of the week are selected by the league office.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tyrie Adams, Western Carolina, R-Jr., QB, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Western Carolina quarterback Tyrie Adams was 25-for-36 for 424 yards and five touchdowns in the Catamounts’ 44-38 loss at Furman on Saturday. He also rushed for 48 yards to account for 472 yards of total offense. Adams’ passing yardage fell just three yards short of his career high and moved him into third in school history for career passing yards (5,885), while his five TD tosses equaled his career high. Two of those strikes went for more than 40 yards, as he threw a 43-yard touchdown pass for Western Carolina’s first score of the second half and added a 49-yard TD throw later in the third quarter. He also had TD throws of 13, 9 and 7 yards in the contest. He has one of just 12 400-yard passing games in the FCS this season.
Other nominees: Lorenzo Ward (The Citadel), Quay Holmes (ETSU), Tee Mitchell (Mercer), Devlin Hodges (Samford), Wil Young (Chattanooga), Reece Udinski (VMI) and Andre Stoddard (Wofford).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nasir Player, ETSU, R-Jr., DL, Columbia, S.C.
ETSU defensive lineman Nasir Player finished with six tackles, 3.0 sacks for 26 yards, two forced fumbles and three quarterback hurries as the Bucs downed No. 24/20 Chattanooga on Saturday, 17-14. In the second quarter with UTC trailing 14-0 but driving in plus territory, Player caused his first fumble and earned a sack on the same play. Later in the quarter, Player recorded another fumble on a sack, again squelching a long Chattanooga drive. Player was part of a defensive unit that held the Mocs to season lows in total offense (321 yards) and points.
Other nominees: Adrian Hope (Furman), LeMarkus Bailey (Mercer), Ahmad Gooden (Samford), Derek Mahaffey (Chattanooga), Mitchell Chancey (Western Carolina) and Jireh Wilson (Wofford).
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dejuan Bell, Furman, Fr., WR/RS, North Augusta, S.C.
Furman’s Dejuan Bell returned Western Carolina’s opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and finished the game with 146 yards on three returns to help the Paladins to a 44-38 win over the Catamounts on Saturday. The true freshman wide receiver also hauled in a 45-yard touchdown catch and had two rushes for 16 yards to finish with 208 all-purpose yards on the day. After Western Carolina engineered a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on its first possession, Bell knotted things up at 7 just 14 seconds of game time later when he ran back Furman’s ninth-longest return in school history.
Other nominees: Jacob Godek (The Citadel), Marion Watson (ETSU), Matt Shiel (Mercer), Mitchell Fineran (Samford), Ian Berryman (Western Carolina) and Luke Carter (Wofford).
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