FRISCO, Texas – UIW's Jalen Walthall, Nicholls' Eli Ennis, and McNeese's Stephen Johnson are the winners of the Jersey Mike's Southland Conference’s football weekly awards for the first week of the season, as announced by the conference office Monday.
Offensive Player of the Week: Jalen Walthall, UIW – WR – R-Jr.. – Missouri City, Texas (Hawai'i/Manvel HS)
In his first game as a Cardinal, Jalen Walthall led the UIW receiving core with 103 yards on five catches. His biggest play came in the second quarter as he broke a 7-7 tie with a 46-yardd touchdown to give UIW a lead they would never relinquish. Walthall averaged 20.6 yards per reception as he helped the 14th-ranked Cardinals to a 28-7 victory over Northern Colorado to open the season in San Antonio.
Defensive Player of the Week: Eli Ennis, Nicholls – LB – Jr. – Ohatchee, Ala. (Ohatchee HS)
Eli Ennis led a strong performance by the Colonel defense against FBS Louisiana Tech, totaling 10 tackles to go along with an interception and a fumble recovery. Both turnovers were firsts for the 2022 Freshman of the Year as he made his debut at inside linebacker. The defending champion Colonels finished with five takeaways for the game and limited the Bulldogs to 2.7 yards per rush.
Honorable Mention: Boogsie Silvera, McNeese
Special Teams Player of the Week: Stephen Johnson, McNeese – DL – R-Fr. – Fayetteville, Ga. (Auburn/Whitewater HS)
Stephen Johnson came up with a play that turned the momentum McNeese's way when he blocked a Southern field goal early in the fourth quarter with McNeese trailing 7-0. The block was returned inside the five and set up the first of three fourth quarter touchdowns for the Cowboys in a 21-7 come-from-behind over the Jaguars in their home opener.
Honorable Mention: Antonio Hall, Northwestern State
2024 Southland Football Players of the Week
| Date |
Offensive |
Defensive |
Special Teams |
| Sept. 2 |
Jalen Walthall, UIW |
Eli Ennis, Nicholls |
Stephen Johnson, McNeese |
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.