Football John McElwain

Football Players of the Week Announced - Week 13

Offensive Player of the Week
 
Tra Minter, South Alabama (Jr., RB, Ellaville, Ga.)
South Alabama’s Tra Minter didn’t only record the first 100-yard effort of his career in South's season-ending win over Coastal Carolina, he set a school game record with 203 rushing yards - the only 200-yard game in the Sun Belt this season - on 24 carries, while averaging 8.5 yards per run. The junior running back added two receptions for another 49 yards for a career-high 252 all-purpose yards, the fourth-highest total in a contest in program history. Minter accounted for 47 of the 67 yards on South’s opening scoring drive as the Jags took the lead for good midway through the opening quarter as well as 46 yards on a scoring march that extended the advantage to 24-7 late in the first half.
 
Defensive Player of the Week
 
Akeem Davis-Gaither, Appalachian State (Jr., LB, Thomasville, N.C.)
Akeem Davis-Gaither topped all players with 14 tackles (one off his career high) in leading App State to a 21-10 win over Troy that clinched the Sun Belt East title and allows App State to host the inaugural Sun Belt Championship Game on Saturday. Davis-Gaither’s efforts, which also included two TFLs and a big second-quarter pass breakup, helped break Troy’s 13-game conference winning streak and hold the Trojans to season lows of 10 points and 62 rushing yards. Six of Davis-Gaither’s tackles held the Trojans to a 2-yard gain or less. It was the seventh time this year that the Mountaineers held their opponent to 10 or fewer points.
 
Special Teams Player of the Week
 
Justin McInnis, Arkansas State (Sr., WR, Pierrefonds, Quebec)
Senior wide receiver Justin McInnis recorded a momentum-generating blocked punt and then returned it 17 yards for a touchdown to give Arkansas State a two-possession lead during the third quarter of its 33-7 road victory over Texas State. The play marked A-State’s first blocked punt return for a touchdown since its 2016 victory over UCF in the Cure Bowl. McInnis came off the edge to block the punt and then scooped it up and returned it to the end zone to give A-State a 21-7 lead with 8:47 left in the third quarter. The Pierrefonds, Quebec, native also finished the contest with four receptions for 42 yards.