SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Monday, the Southern Conference named its Football Player of the Week awards for all games played so far this season. Samford quarterback Michael Hiers was named the Offensive Player of the Week, VMI defensive back Alex Oliver was named the Defensive Player of the Week and Wofford punter Atkins Roberts was named the Special Teams Player of the Week. The awards are selected by the league office.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Michael Hiers, Gr., QB, Samford, Birmingham, Ala.
Hiers accounted for five touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 69-14 win over Shorter on Thursday. The graduate student went 28-for-35 through the air, completing 80 percent of his passes for 375 yards. The Birmingham, Alabama, native had touchdown tosses of 7, 27, 16, 8 and 33 yards, with the first four coming in the first 20 minutes of the contest. The five-touchdown performance for Hiers was a career high and one short of tying the school record. Hiers’s effort helped Samford move up one spot in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 to No. 8 on Monday.
Other nominees: Carter Peevy (Mercer), Chase Artopoeus (Chattanooga) and Bryce Corriston (Wofford)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Alex Oliver, Sr., DB, VMI, Mechanicsville, Va.
Oliver had six tackles, including one tackle for loss, and the game-clinching interception as the Keydets opened their season with a 12-7 win over Davidson on Saturday. The senior was part of a defense that held Davidson to 184 total yards, after the Wildcats averaged 449.3 yards per game a season ago. The Mechanicsville, Virginia, native caught his interception leaping over two players with eight seconds remaining in the game at the VMI 21, halting Davidson’s attempt to win the contest. After Saturday’s contest, Oliver has 27 pass breakups in his career, which is second in all of FCS.
Other nominees: Chris Hope (ETSU), Dan Scianna (Furman), Marques Thomas (Mercer), Noah Martin (Samford), Jay Person (Chattanooga), Andreas Keaton (Western Carolina) and John Michael DiRoberto (Wofford)
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Atkins Roberts, Sr., P, Wofford, Mountain Brook, Ala.
Roberts had a total of seven punts for the Terriers as Wofford fell to Pittsburgh, 45-7, on Saturday. The senior from Mountain Brook, Alabama, averaged 44.3 yards per punt, including a 68-yard boot, which is the sixth-longest in school history. Roberts had three punts that were downed inside the 20, with two of those landing inside the 5-yard line. Following week one, Roberts is the only punter in the SoCon that had three kicks get downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
Other nominees: Ewan Johnson (ETSU), Ryan Leavy (Furman), Devron Harper (Mercer), Wilson Beaverstock (Samford), Jack Culbreath (VMI), Richard McCollum (Western Carolina)
2023 SoCon Football Players of the Week
Offensive
Sept. 4 Michael Hiers, Gr., QB, Samford
Defensive
Sept. 4 Alex Oliver, Sr., DB, VMI
Special teams
Sept. 4 Atkins Roberts, Sr., P, Wofford