Philadelphia,
PA. - The Sports Network/Fathead.com has selected Tennessee Tech
sophomores Marcus Edwards and Caleb Mitchell as the Football
Championship Subdivision (FCS) National co-Defensive Players of the
Week for the key roles each played in the Golden Eagles' 34-20 Ohio
Valley COnference win over Eastern Illinois Saturday in Tucker
Stadium.
Also receiving national recognition this week are Colgate running
back Nate Eachus, Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault,
Charleston Southern wide receiver Gerald Stevenson and Eastern
Kentucky punter Jordan Berry.
The Golden Eagles (3-4/2-2 OVC) head to Nashville Saturday to face
the Tennessee State Tigers at 6 p.m. in LP Field.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Nate Eachus, Colgate, Junior, 5-10, 216, RB, Drums,
PA
Eachus ran for a Patriot League record 291 yards in a 44-3 victory
over Cornell. He carried the ball just 25 times in the contest,
resulting in an average of 11.6 yards per rush. He also had three
rushing touchdowns, one of which was a career-long 66-yarder. The
junior running back leads the FCS in rushing yards per game
(169.3).
Casey Therriault, Jackson State, Junior, 6-3, 205, QB,
Wyoming Park, MI
Therriault threw for five touchdowns in a thrilling, 49-45 victory
over Southern University. The final touchdown - a 28-yarder - came
with two seconds remaining, and lifted the Tigers. Therriault, a
junior college transfer, completed 24-of-40 passes for 315 yards
and threw touchdowns of 16, 22, 35, 52 and 28 yards.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Marcus Edwards, Tennessee Tech, Sophomore, 6-1, 225, LB,
Alabaster, AL
Edwards tied a Tennessee Tech record with five sacks in the Golden
Eagles' 34-20 win over Eastern Illinois. The sophomore linebacker
finished with seven tackles on the day. He now leads the Golden
Eagles with eight sacks in seven games and is two sacks shy of the
school single-season record of 10.
Caleb Mitchell, Tennessee Tech, Sophomore, 6-1, 190, CB,
Russellville, AL
Mitchell joined his teammate Marcus Edwards in thwarting Eastern
Illinois, forcing a fumble and intercepting two passes in the
Golden Eagles' win. Mitchell returned his first interception 36
yards for a touchdown and recorded his second interception in the
end zone, effectively stopping an Eastern Illinois drive. The
sophomore linebacker also recorded seven tackles, including one
tackle for a loss, and a quarterback sack.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Gerald Stevenson, Charleston Southern, Senior, 5-10, 165,
WR, Naples, FL
Stevenson returned two kickoffs for touchdowns - traveling 92 and
81 yards - in a 35-25 loss to Garner-Webb. The senior wide receiver
became the first player in Big South history to accomplish such a
feat, and also set a conference record with 389 all-purpose yards.
Stevenson averaged 48.6 yards on five kickoff returns. He had
returned a touchdown 100 yards for a TD against Liberty just a week
prior to the game against Gardner-Webb.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Jordan Berry, Eastern Kentucky, Freshman, 6-5, 195, P,
Essendon, Victoria, Australia
Jordan Berry came within three yards of the Eastern Kentucky
record when he boomed a punt 75 yards to the UT Martin 3-yard line.
He punted six times for an average of 52.3 yards, and four of his
punts landed inside UTM's 20. The redshirt freshman also converted
a 4th-and-11 play by avoiding a tackle near the first-down marker
and finishing with a 14-yard run. Behind Berry, the Colonels rank
second in the FCS with a net punting average of 40.9
yards.