SPARTANBURG, S.C. – VMI quarterback Seth Morgan and linebacker Stone Snyder had been named Southern Conference Football Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week awards presented by GEICO, respectively, for all games played April 17, while Samford kicker Mitchell Fineran was named the Special Teams Player of the Week. The awards are selected by the league office and are the final ones of the 2020-21 season.
 
VMI clinched its first SoCon football title since 1977 Saturday and earned a date with top-ranked and third-seeded James Madison in the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship this coming Saturday.
 
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Seth Morgan, VMI, R-Fr., QB, Pittsburgh, Pa.
VMI quarterback Seth Morgan threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 29 yards and another score as the Keydets clinched their first outright SoCon football title since 1974 by downing archrival The Citadel 31-17 in the Military Classic of the South to move to 6-1 on the year and claim the Silver Shako for the second straight season. The redshirt freshman from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, making his third career start after a season-ending injury to SoCon Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Reece Udinski, completed 25 of his 34 passes and fashioned a pass efficiency of 183.68.
 
Other nominees: Jaylan Adams (The Citadel), Deondre Johnson (Mercer) and Liam Welch (Samford).
 
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stone Snyder, VMI, So., LB, Richmond, Va.
VMI linebacker Stone Snyder turned in a career-high 21 tackles in the Keydets’ win over The Citadel, which secured their first-ever appearance in the FCS playoffs. Snyder, a sophomore from Richmond, Virginia, had two sacks for 10 yards on the day, both of which came on the Bulldogs’ final drive and the second of which was a 7-yard takedown on The Citadel’s final offensive play to punctuate the win. All told, Snyder, who had seven solo stops on the afternoon, finished with 2.5 tackles for loss.
 
Other defensive nominees: Andy Davis (The Citadel) and Josiah Cotton (Samford).
 
 
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Mitchell Fineran, Samford, Jr., PK, Fort Valley, Ga.
Samford placekicker Mitchell Fineran accounted for 14 points in the Bulldogs’ 44-20 win over No. 25/23 Mercer on Saturday. The junior from Fort Valley, Georgia, was 5-for-5 on point-after attempts and converted three field goals on the afternoon, connecting from 44, 20 and 47 yards, the latter two of which came in the fourth quarter as Samford put the game away. Fineran also handled kickoff duties, averaging 62.0 yards on nine kicks with four touchbacks.
 
 
2020-21 SoCon Football Players of the Week presented by GEICO
Offensive
Feb. 22             Quay Holmes, R-Jr., RB, ETSU
March 1            Liam Welch, Sr., QB, Samford
March 8            Ryan Miller, Jr., TE, Furman
March 15          Donnavan Spencer, Sr., RB, Western Carolina
March 22          Liam Welch, Sr., QB, Samford
March 29          Jakob Herres, Jr., WR, VMI
April 5               Quay Holmes, R-Jr., RB, ETSU
April 12             Jaylan Adams, So., QB, The Citadel
April 19             Seth Morgan, R-Fr., QB, VMI
 
Defensive
Feb. 22             Donovan Manuel, R-So., LB, ETSU
March 1            Connor Riddle, R-Sr., LB, VMI
March 8            Chris Edmonds, So., S, Samford
March 15          Chris Edmonds, So., S, Samford
March 22          Ty Boeck, Jr., LB, Chattanooga
March 29          Christian Snyder, Jr., LB, Chattanooga
April 5               Alijah Huzzie, R-Fr., DB, ETSU
April 12             Yahsyn McKee, So., CB, Mercer
April 19             Stone Snyder, So., LB, VMI
 
Special teams
Feb. 22             Paxton Robertson, Fr., K, Western Carolina
March 1            Gabe Boring, Jr., P, Chattanooga
March 8            Timmy Bleekrode, R-So., PK/P, Furman
March 15          Mitchell Fineran, Jr., PK, Samford
March 22          Caleb Dowden, R-So., P/K, Mercer
March 29          Tyler Keltner, So., K, ETSU
April 5               Caleb Dowden, R-So., P/K, Mercer
April 12             Yahsyn McKee, So., CB, Mercer
April 19             Mitchell Fineran, Jr., PK, Samford