After its win against Mississippi State Saturday, South Alabama had a pair of player of the week award winners as announced Monday and they were joined with a Texas State special teamer who had a big impact in his first collegiate game.
Sun Belt Conference Football Players of the Week are selected each Monday by a vote of the Sun Belt’s media voting panel.
Offensive Player of the Week
Dallas Davis (South Alabama, So., QB, Sports and Recreation Management)
Making his first career start at the collegiate level, Davis posted 308 yards of total offense while leading three second-half touchdown drives to help the Jaguars earn a 21-20 victory at Mississippi State — the program’s first against a Southeastern Conference school — on Saturday. The redshirt sophomore was 24-of-34 passing for 285 yards, with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Josh Magee to get USA on the scoreboard with its opening drive of the third quarter and a four-yard scoring pass to Gerald Everett in the final minute to secure the win. In addition to 19 of his 23 rushing yards coming with the Jags facing third-and-three on the game-winning drive, moving the team to the MSU-8, Davis was 3-of-3 passing on third downs during the march. Davis’ 24 completions tied for the third-highest mark in a game in the school’s record books while his 285 yards through the air were the fifth most in a contest as he became the first individual in the program to surpass 300 yards of total offense since the Jaguars’ appearance in the 2014 Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.
Defense Player of the Week
Roman Buchanan (South Alabama, Sr., LB, Exercise Science)
Buchanan recorded a career-high 12 total tackles in the Jaguars’ win Saturday at Mississippi State, with 10 of those of the solo variety and one for a loss of four yards; he also broke up a pass to force a three-and-out on the Bulldogs’ second possession of the day. The senior was credited with eight stops in the second half to help South overcome a 17-0 deficit as his efforts helped USA limit MSU to 177 yards and just three points after the break. Buchanan’s performance — just the second of his career with 10-plus stops — helped him move into fourth on the program’s all-time record list as he now has 188 tackles in three-plus seasons.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Marcus Ripley (Texas State, Freshman, Kicker, Exploratory Studies)
In his first collegiate game, Marcus Ripley made all six of his extra-point attempts and kicked a pair of key field goals in Texas State’s 56-54 overtime victory at Ohio. Ripley’s first field goal was in the final seconds of regulation when he nailed a 27-yard attempt to send the game into overtime. His second field goal came in overtime when he booted a 37-yard field goal to send the game into a third overtime where Texas State scored a touchdown and two-point conversion to preserve the victory.