NEW ORLEANS – Troy’s Kimani Vidal, Old Dominion’s Jason Henderson and Louisiana’s Dalen Cambre make game-changing plays to secure the conference’s weekly awards.
Football Offensive Player of the Week
Kimani Vidal, Troy
(Jr., RB – Marietta, Ga.)
Trojans junior running back Kimani Vidal rushed for 245 yards and three touchdowns in Troy’s dominant 37-3 win over Arkansas State. The Marietta, Ga., native topped 200 yards for the second time this season and the fourth time in his career, finishing just three yards shy of his own Troy program record. Vidal has rushed for 835 yards through the first six games of the season, the most by a Trojans at that point in the year since at least 2000. This week’s outburst was the 10th career 100-yard rushing game for Vidal—the second-most in program history.
Football Defensive Player of the Week
Jason Henderson, Old Dominion
(Jr., LB – Dingmans Ferry, Pa.)
Monarchs junior linebacker Jason Henderson recorded a game-high 17 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack in Old Dominion’s 17-13 victory over Southern Miss. The Dingmans Ferry, Pa., product’s final tackle of the game stopped the Golden Eagles on fourth and goal from the one-yard line to set up the Monarch offense to run out the clock. Henderson and the Old Dominion defensive unit did not allow a touchdown, as they held Southern Miss to 276 yards of total offense. In the process, Henderson became Old Dominion’s all-time leading tackler with 358 career tackles.
Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Dalen Cambre, Louisiana
(RS Jr., WR – Lafayette, La.)
Ragin’ Cajuns redshirt junior wide receiver Dalen Cambre stormed in from the left side and blocked Texas State’s lone punt attempt of the game with less than five minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The blocked punt was returned to the Texas State 22-yard line and four plays later Louisiana scored the go-ahead touchdown to take its first lead of the game with 2:21 remaining on the clock. The touchdown would prove to be the game-winner in the 34-30 victory over Texas State.
2023 Sun Belt Football Offensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – TJ Finley, Texas State (RS So., QB – Ponchatoula, La.)
Week 2 – Davis Brin, Georgia Southern (6th Yr., QB – Boerne, Texas)
Week 3 – Darren Grainger, Georgia State (RS Sr., QB – Conway, S.C.)
Week 4 – Rasheen Ali, Marshall (Jr., RB – Cleveland, Ohio)
Week 5 – Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State (Fr., QB – Kernersville, N.C.)
Week 6 – Kimani Vidal, Troy (Jr., RB – Marietta, Ga.)
2023 Sun Belt Football Defensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Clayton Isbell, Coastal Carolina (Super Sr., S – St. Charles, Ill.)
Week 2 – Jason Henderson, Old Dominion (Jr., LB – Dingmans Ferry, Pa.)
Week 3 – LaMareon James, Old Dominion (Jr., CB – Norfolk, Va.)
Week 4 – Brian Holloway, Texas State (RS Sr., LB – Clear Lake, Texas)
Week 5 – Marques Watson-Trent, Georgia Southern (RS Jr., LB – Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Week 6 – Jason Henderson, Old Dominion (Jr., LB – Dingmans Ferry, Pa.)
2023 Sun Belt Football Special Teams Players of the Week
Week 1 – Andrew Stein, Southern Miss (RS Jr., K – Slidell, La.)
Week 2 – Aiden Fisher, James Madison (So., LB – Fredericksburg, Va.)
Week 3 – Camden Wise, James Madison (RS Sr., K – Blacksburg, Va.)
Week 4 – Dominic Zvada, Arkansas State (So., K – Chandler Ariz.)
Week 5 – Michael Hughes, App State (Jr., K – Charleston, W.Va.)
Week 6 – Dalen Cambre, Louisiana (RS Jr., WR – Lafayette, La.)