SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference named its Football Player of the Week awards presented by GEICO on Monday for all games played Nov. 13. ETSU linebacker Donovan Manuel repeated as Defensive Player of the Week, while teammate Jacob Saylors was named the Offensive Player of the Week and Western Carolina’s Calvin Jones was tabbed the Special Teams Player of the Week. The awards are selected by the league office.
 
 
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jacob Saylors, Jr., RB, ETSU, Jasper, Tenn.
ETSU running back Jacob Saylors set a program record with 266 rushing yards in the Bucs’ 56-35 win at Western Carolina on Saturday. The junior from Jasper, Tennessee, needed just 19 carries to set the mark, averaging 14.0 yards per carry, and ran for three touchdowns on the day. Saylors added 71 yards on a pair of kick returns, pushing his all-purpose total to 337 yards on the afternoon, the most by an FCS player this season. Saylors’s rushing total tied for 13th in a game in SoCon history and his all-purpose total was good for seventh in a game in league history.
 
Other nominees: Jaylan Adams (The Citadel), Jace Wilson (Furman), Liam Welch (Samford), Michael Jackson (VMI), Rogan Wells (Western Carolina) and Peyton Derrick (Wofford).
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Donovan Manuel, R-So., LB, ETSU, Ellenwood, Ga.
ETSU linebacker Donovan Manuel earned his second straight weekly honor after turning in 15 tackles and forcing a fumble in the Bucs’ win over Western Carolina. The redshirt sophomore had half a sack for 6 yards and 1.5 tackles for loss for 10 yards, helping ETSU’s defense pitch a shutout in the second half to stave off the upset-minded Catamounts, who boast one of the most prolific offenses in the SoCon. The Ellenwood, Georgia, native had 11 solo tackles on the afternoon.
 
Other nominees: Dominick Poole (The Citadel), Braden Gilby (Furman), Harrison Poole (Mercer), Ty Boeck (Chattanooga), Stone Snyder (VMI) and Kareem Taylor (Western Carolina).
 
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Calvin Jones, Fr., WR/RS, Western Carolina, Forest City, N.C.
Western Carolina wide receiver/return specialist Calvin Jones had five kick returns for a career-best 213 yards and a touchdown in the Catamounts’ 56-35 loss to then-No. 12/11 ETSU on Saturday, averaging 42.6 yards per return. The highlight of his afternoon was a 95-yard kickoff return for a score with just 54 seconds left in the first quarter, which answered an ETSU touchdown and knotted the score at 21. The second-year freshman from Forest City, North Carolina, also had seven catches for a career-best 92 yards, giving him a career-high 305 all-purpose yards on the day, the fifth-most by an FCS player in a game this season.
 
Other nominees: Montrell Washington (Samford).
 
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
Oct. 11             Devin Wynn, Sr., TB, Furman
Oct. 18             Tyrell Price, Sr., RB, Chattanooga
Oct. 25             Carlos Davis, R-So., QB, Western Carolina
Nov. 1              Rogan Wells, Gr., QB, Western Carolina
Nov. 8              Dominic Roberto, R-So., RB, Furman
Nov. 15             Jacob Saylors, Jr., RB, ETSU
 
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
Oct. 11             Lance Wise, So., S, Mercer
Oct. 18             Devonnsha Maxwell, Jr., DE, Chattanooga
Oct. 25             Rashun Freeman, Sr., DB, Chattanooga
Nov. 1              Lance Wise, So., S, Mercer
Nov. 8              Donovan Manuel, R-So., LB, ETSU
Nov. 15             Donovan Manuel, R-So., LB, ETSU
 
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
Oct. 11             Jerry Rice, R-So., K, VMI
Oct. 18             Zach Williams, Jr., PK, Samford
Oct. 25             Aaron Sears, Fr., PK, Chattanooga
Nov. 1              Richard McCollum, R-So., PK, Western Carolina
Nov. 8              Tyler Keltner, So., K, ETSU
Nov. 15             Calvin Jones, Fr., WR/RS, Western Carolina