SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference named its Football Player of the Week awards presented by GEICO on Monday for all games played Oct. 2. Mercer running back Fred Davis was named the Offensive Player of the Week, The Citadel cornerback Dominick Poole was named the Defensive Player of the Week and Wofford kicker/punter Atkins Roberts was tabbed the Special Teams Player of the Week. The awards are selected by the league office.
 
 
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Fred Davis, R-Fr., RB, Mercer, Fortson, Ga.
Mercer running back Fred Davis had a record-breaking day for the Bears in their 45-42 win over Samford on Saturday. The redshirt freshman from Fortson, Georgia, ran for 276 yards and five touchdowns, both program records. His yardage total ranks 12^th in a game in SoCon history, while his five touchdowns tie for second-most in a game in league history and his four second-half scores are tied for second-most in a half in SoCon history. Davis, who averaged an impressive 9.9 yards per carry on 28 totes, ran for TDs of 31, 21, 54, 2 and 1 yards, with his final score with 4:21 remaining proving to be the winning points. Davis, who caught a 22-yard pass to finish with 298 all-purpose yards, was also named the Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts, marking the second straight week a SoCon player has claimed the award (Liam Welch, Samford).
 
Other nominees: Jaylan Adams (The Citadel), Quay Holmes (ETSU), Liam Welch (Samford), Cole Copeland (Chattanooga) and Carlos Davis (Western Carolina).
 
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dominick Poole, Fr., CB, The Citadel, Randleman, N.C.
The Citadel’s Dominick Poole had an all-around productive day on defense as the Bulldogs upset No. 22/18 VMI 35-24 on Saturday to reclaim the Silver Shako. The freshman cornerback from Randleman, North Carolina, had five tackles and three pass breakups on the afternoon, but arguably his biggest contribution was first career interception, which came in the end zone with the Keydets trailing by 11 with just 5:13 left. Poole’s pick was one of two for The Citadel in the final quarter and one of three turnovers forced by the Bulldog defense in the second half.
 
Other nominees: Zach Hopkins (Mercer), Jay Person (Chattanooga), Jacob Harris (Western Carolina) and Tahir Annoor (Wofford).
 
 
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Atkins Roberts, So., K/P, Wofford, Mountain Brook, Ala.
Wofford kicker/punter Atkins Roberts helped pin No. 14/13 ETSU deep several times in the Terriers’ 27-21 loss to the Bucs on Saturday. The sophomore from Mountain Brook, Alabama, punted seven times for an average of 38.9 yards on the day, with four of his punts fair-caught and three coming down inside the 20-yard line. In the second quarter, his 42-yard punt was downed at the 16 and Wofford intercepted the ball two plays later, leading to a touchdown on its offensive possession. Roberts’s first punt of the fourth quarter traveled just 31 yards but was downed at the ETSU 2-yard line, while his second punt of the quarter, a 54-yarder, was downed at the 6. Roberts also kicked off four times for an average of 60.5 yards, recording two tackles on returns. He was also named the Stats Perform National Special Teams Player of the Week.
 
Other nominees: Aaron Sears (Chattanooga) and Calvin Jones (Western Carolina).
 
2021 SoCon Football Players of the Week presented by GEICO
Offensive
Sept. 6             Hamp Sisson, Jr., QB, Furman
Sept. 13            Jacob Saylors, Jr., RB, ETSU
Sept. 20            DeMarcus Ware, Sr., RB, Samford
Sept. 27            Liam Welch, Gr., QB, Samford
Oct. 4               Fred Davis, R-Fr., RB, Mercer
 
Defensive
Sept. 6             Stephen Scott, So., LB, ETSU
Sept. 13            Devonnsha Maxwell, Jr., DE, Chattanooga
Sept. 20            Ty Boeck, Jr., LB, Chattanooga
Sept. 27            Stone Snyder, Jr., LB, VMI
Oct. 4               Dominick Poole, Fr., CB, The Citadel
 
Special teams
Sept. 6             Montrell Washington, Sr., WR/KR, Samford
Sept. 13            Timmy Bleekrode, So., PK/P, Furman
Sept. 20            Aaron Sears, Fr., PK, Chattanooga
Sept. 27            Tyler Keltner, So., K, ETSU
Oct. 4               Atkins Roberts, So., K/P, Wofford