SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Monday, the Southern Conference named its Football Player of the Week awards presented by GEICO for all games played Sept. 11. ETSU running back Jacob Saylors was named the Offensive Player of the Week, Chattanooga defensive end Devonnsha Maxwell was named the Defensive Player of the Week and Furman placekicker/punter Timmy Bleekrode was named 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 accounted for a career-best 173 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in the 15^th-ranked Bucs’ 45-14 win over UVA Wise in their home opener. The junior from Jasper, Tennessee, turned in a balanced stat sheet with six rushes for 75 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 75 yards and a touchdown, adding 23 yards on one kickoff return. His 64-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter made it a 14-0 ETSU advantage, while his 16-yard scoring run in the second quarter spotted the Bucs to a 28-6 lead.
 
Other nominees: Fred Payton (Mercer) and Ailym Ford (Chattanooga).
 
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Devonnsha Maxwell, Jr., DE, Chattanooga, Valdosta, Ga.
Chattanooga defensive end Devonnsha Maxwell tied a school record with 3.5 sacks, all of which came in the fourth quarter of the Mocs’ 20-0 win over North Alabama. The junior from Valdosta, Georgia, had three solo sacks on one drive alone, recording consecutive sacks of 8 yards to set up third-and-26 and a fourth-down sack of 5 yards to force a turnover on downs with just over nine minutes to play. He also had a 13-yard sack erased by a penalty earlier in the drive. Maxwell added a half sack later in the quarter on third down, forcing a punt. Chattanooga allowed just 90 yards of total offense on the day, its fewest to a Division I opponent on the road since 1987, holding in check a UNA offense that had rolled up 404 yards of total offense the week prior against No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana. The shutout was the Mocs’ first since 2016.
 
Other nominees: Marquise Blount (The Citadel), Mike Price (ETSU), Travis Blackshear (Furman), Luke Ward (Mercer), Nathan East (Samford), and Ivan Hogans (Western Carolina).
 
 
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Timmy Bleekrode, R-So., PK/P, Furman, Atlanta, Ga.
Furman placekicker/punter Timmy Bleekrode accounted for 14 points in the Paladins’ 26-0 win at Tennessee Tech. The redshirt sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia, connected on all four of his field-goal attempts and drilled two extra points on the day, with his 45-yard field goal in the second quarter coming against a stiff wind and his career-best 51-yarder to lead off the fourth quarter tying for the eighth-longest make in program history. Bleekrode, who also added a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 25-yard make with 18 seconds left in the opening half, punted six times on the day for an average of 38.5 yards, with a long of 46. With the win, Furman moved to 2-0 on the season and jumped into the AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 Poll at No. 25.
 
Other nominees: Matt Campbell (The Citadel), Aaron Sears (Chattanooga) and Brandon Dickerson (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
 
Defensive
Sept. 6             Stephen Scott, So., LB, ETSU
Sept. 13            Devonnsha Maxwell, Jr., DE, Chattanooga
 
Special teams
Sept. 6             Montrell Washington, Sr., WR/KR, Samford
Sept. 13            Timmy Bleekrode, So., PK/P, Furman