SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Monday, the Southern Conference named its Football Player of the Week awards for all games played on Sept. 30. Western Carolina running back Desmond Reid was named the Offensive Player of the Week, ETSU defensive back Sheldon Arnold II was named the Defensive Player of the Week and Mercer wide receiver Devron Harper was named the Special Teams Player of the Week. The awards are selected by the league office.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Desmond Reid, So., DB, Western Carolina, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Reid, who also won the honor on Sept. 11, rushed for 167 yards on 18 carries and caught three passes accounting for 28 yards as Western Carolina defeated The Citadel, 49-14, on Saturday. The sophomore rushed for a school-record five touchdowns in the first half from 11, 1, 9, 1 and 13 yards out, marking a career high for his Catamount career. Reid’s five scores also tied a conference record for rushing touchdowns in a half. The Miami Gardens, Florida, native averaged 9.3 yards per rush, spearheading a Catamount offense that had 569 total yards in the contest. Reid’s record-setting day helped Western Carolina move to No. 17 in the AFCA FCS Top 25 Poll and No. 11 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll on Monday.
Other nominees: Bryson Irby (ETSU), Al Wooten II (Mercer), Jay Stanton (Samford) and Gino Appleberry (Chattanooga)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sheldon Arnold II, Jr., DB, ETSU, Loganville, Ga.
Arnold had seven solo tackles, one for a loss, two interceptions and a fumble recovery in ETSU’s 42-28 setback at Samford. The junior’s fumble recovery came in the first quarter with 3:49 on the clock. Arnold’s first interception of the day came 29 seconds into the second quarter, which the Bucs turned into a touchdown to tie the score at 7-7. The Loganville, Georgia, product picked off another pass in the second frame, returning the ball 32 yards to set the ETSU offense up at the Samford 38-yard line with 5:00 on the clock. The Buccaneers would score off that turnover as well to tie the score at 14-14.
Other nominees: Ken Standley (Mercer), Garrett Morris (Samford), Alex Mitchell (Chattanooga), Curtis Fann Jr. (Western Carolina) and Damien Curtis (Wofford)
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Devron Harper, Sr., WR, Mercer, Conyers, Ga.
Harper, who also won the honor on Sept. 11, had 217 all-purpose yards as Mercer rolled to a 38-3 win over VMI on Saturday. The Conyers, Georgia, native had 100 punt return yards, including a 73-yard return for a touchdown in the third quarter. The senior also had two kickoff returns for 57 yards and five catches for 60 yards and a second-quarter score on offense. Harper’s performance on Saturday made him the career all-purpose yards leader in school history. Mercer received votes in the AFCA FCS Top 25 and the Stats Perform Top 25 polls on Monday.
Other nominees: Nate Brackett (ETSU), Wilson Beaverstock (Samford), Clayton Crile (Chattanooga) and Richard McCollum (Western Carolina)
2023 SoCon Football Players of the Week
Offensive
Sept. 4 Michael Hiers, Gr., QB, Samford
Sept. 11 Desmond Reid, So., RB, Western Carolina
Sept. 18 Tyler Huff, Gr., QB, Furman
Sept. 25 Cole Gonzales, So., QB, Western Carolina
Oct. 2 Desmond Reid, So., RB, Western Carolina
Defensive
Sept. 4 Alex Oliver, Sr., DB, VMI
Sept. 11 Jordan Walker, R-So., DB, Chattanooga
Sept. 18 Kourtlan Marsh, Jr., DB, Samford
Sept. 25 Alex Mitchell, So., LB, Chattanooga
Oct. 2 Sheldon Arnold II, Jr., DB, ETSU
Special teams
Sept. 4 Atkins Roberts, Sr., P, Wofford
Sept. 11 Devron Harper, Sr., WR, Mercer
Sept. 18 Jude Kelley, Jr., K, Chattanooga
Sept. 25 Jack Culbreath, Sr., P, VMI
Oct. 2 Devron Harper, Sr., WR, Mercer