UIW’s Copeland, Bearkat Duo Crowned Southland Football Players of the Week
FRISCO, Texas – UIW’s Jon Copeland and Sam Houston State’s Royce See and Matt McRobert earned Southland Football Player of the Week honors, the league announced Monday.
For the first time in his career, Copeland is the Offensive Player of the Week after leading the No. 25 Cardinals (5-2, 4-1 SLC) to a 35-17 victory over Lamar, their first win in program history as a ranked squad. The sophomore signal-caller completed 24 of his 35 pass attempts for 376 yards and four touchdowns, moving him one score away from the school’s career touchdown record. UIW continues a three-game homestand against Northwestern State at 4 p.m. Saturday.
See picks up his second Defensive Player of the Week award this fall while teammate Matt McRobert, a junior punter, garners Special Teams Player of the Week honors. See tallied a team-high 10 tackles against Nicholls’ league-best rushing attack and McRobert played a vital role in pinning the Colonels back in their own territory as the Bearkats (5-3, 4-1 SLC) blanked No. 9 Nicholls, 17-0. SHSU hits the road for a top-25 matchup with Central Arkansas at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Offensive Player of the Week: Jon Copeland, UIW – So. – Quarterback – Argyle, Texas
Copeland’s four touchdown passes tied for the second-most in program history and each of his four scores went to a different target. His longest completion of the day came on a throw to Ameer King from the Cardinals’ eight-yard line that went 90 yards to set up Keyondrick Philio’s two-yard touchdown run to make it 20-7 in the second quarter. With 376 yards, Copeland recorded the third 300-yard game of the season and the eighth of his career.
Honorable Mention: Xavier Gipson, Stephen F. Austin; Tracy James, Abilene Christian; Cody Orgeron, McNeese; Lujuan Winningham, Central Arkansas.
Defensive Player of the Week: Royce See, Sam Houston State – Sr. – Linebacker – Shepherd, Texas
Facing off against the conference’s top rushing offense for the second-straight week, See showed he was not fazed with a team-high 10 tackles, including four solo stops. The senior had a pair of tackles for loss, including 1.5 sacks, and forced a fumble to help the Bearkats secure their seventh-straight win at home over a top-10 opponent. The Colonels, who entered averaging 207 yards per game on the ground, were held to 55 yards on 33 attempts.
Honorable Mention: Jovon Burriss, McNeese; Jeremiah Chambers, Abilene Christian; Robert Rochell, Central Arkansas.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Matt McRobert, Sam Houston State – Jr. – Punter – Berorwa, Australia
McRobert averaged 45.1 yards per punt on seven boots with a long of 64 yards in a 17-0 upset of No. 9 Nicholls. He pinned the Colonels inside their own 20-yard line on three attempts and placed them within the 10-yard line on a pair of punts. Just beyond field-goal range in the fourth quarter, a 31-yard kick landed Nicholls at their own five-yard line. The Colonels’ average starting field position in the loss was their own 21-yard line.
Honorable Mention: Winston Jones, Nicholls; Jaden Smith, UIW.
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school’s sports information director. Voting for one’s own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.