Southland Conference Announces Football Players of the Week
Southland Conference
FRISCO, Texas – Senior quarterback Tony Dawson of Houston Baptist, senior defensive back Tyler Williams of Central Arkansas and Lamar senior defensive back Brendan Langley earned Southland Conference Football Player of the Week honors, presented by UniversalCoin.com, the league office announced Monday. Dawson took offensive honors, Williams was named defensive player of the week and Grau earned special teams recognition.
Offensive Player of the Week: Tony Dawson, Houston Baptist
Senior quarterback Tony Dawson had a hand in all four HBU touchdowns in a 31-24 victory over Stephen F. Austin. He broke his own school record by rushing for 218 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns. His 83-yard touchdown run in the third quarter is the longest play from scrimmage in HBU history, then he followed with a 41-yard touchdown run to give the Huskies a 28-14 lead. Dawson hit Terrance Peters for a 26-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, then found Ricardo Barnett for a 32-yard touchdown strike to give the Huskies a 14-7 lead at the half. He has thrown for 1,484 yards and seven touchdowns, while leading the Huskies with 731 yards and four touchdowns this season.
Honorable Mention: C.J. Bates, Nicholls; Jeremiah Briscoe, Sam Houston State; Kody Edwards, UIW
Defensive Player of the Week: Tyler Williams, Central Arkansas
Williams intercepted two fourth-quarter passes on Nicholls’ final two drives to seal UCA’s win. The senior also broke up five passes and had four tackles as UCA won its 8th straight game. The Bears, undefeated in conference play, will meet the top-ranked and also-undefeated Bearkats of Sam Houston State on Thursday to decide the Southland Conference championship.
Honorable Mention: Taaron Timmons, Houston Baptist; Allen Pittman, Nicholls; Eric England, UIW
Special Teams Player of the Week: Brendan Langley, Lamar
Langley tied the LU career record for punts return for a touchdown in a game, returning two punts for scores against UIW. He also set the school’s single-game record for punt return yards (206). His first punt return went for 90 yards, which tied the longest return in school history. His second score was 75 yards which is also in the program all-time top 10. He averaged 34.3 yards per return on the night.
Honorable Mention: Patrick Ponder, Central Arkansas, Alec Chadwick, Houston Baptist; Joesph Figenshaw, Sam Houston State
Each school’s sports information director nominates and votes for the players of the week, though is not permitted to vote for his own player. To receive honorable mention, a player must receive votes from 25 percent of the Southland sports information directors.