By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports
Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- It was a long road back for Marty Jones, but
on Sunday the Golden Eagle safety stamped his passport signifying
his complete return to form when he was named the Ohio Valley
Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
Jones had five tackles, forced a fumble and had an interception as
Tennessee Tech went on the road and topped Southeast Missouri,
41-16. His interception, the eighth of his career (in the photo
above), came late in the second quarter as the Redhawks were trying
to mount a comeback. He later forced a fumble in the second half.
Jones currently ranks second in the OVC with 8.3 tackles/game
Jones has gone through two tough seasons, missing all but the
opening play of 2011, and seeing action in a little more than one
game last year. In both cases, injuries sidelined him for the
year.
Since those disappointing seasons, Jones has been the picture of
determination in fighting his way back onto the field. He is
showing leadership and the ability to return to his dominating role
as the starter at free safety. He ranks second on the team and
second in the OVC in tackles with 91.
In 36 career games, Jones has 236 total tackles to rank second
among all active players. After making 43 tackles as a true
freshman in 2009, he stopped the ball carrier 87 times in 2010. He
had 15 tackles in just five quarters last year when he was injured,
including 13 in the opening-day win over Hampton, one shy of his
previous career-best (14 at Southeast Missouri). He now has nine
games with tackles in double digits.
This season has been a checklist of highlight games for the
fifth-year player from Cincinnati. Against Jacksonville State he
made 10 tackles including 2.5 tackles-for-loss. At Eastern
Kentucky, he had seven tackles and recovered a fumble. Against UT
Martin, he had 14 tackles and recovered a fumble. He made 10
tackles at No. 21 Wisconsin, seven at Hampton and eight against
Tennessee State. Against Indiana State, he piled up a career-high
16 tackles.
The honor from the OVC was the first in Jones' career. Jacksonville
State quarterback Eli Jenkins was seleced as both the Offensive
Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week, while JSU placekicker
Griffin Thomas was voted the Special Teams Player of the
Week.
The Golden Eagles have an open date coming up this weekend, then
wrap up the 2013 schedule on Saturday, Nov. 23, by hosting Austin
Peay at 1:30 p.m.
