SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its SoCon Football Players of the Week presented by GEICO on Monday, for games Sept. 28. Samford quarterback Liam Welch was named the Offensive Player of the Week and placekicker Mitchell Fineran was honored as Special Teams Player of the Week after the Bulldogs’ win over No. 25 The Citadel. ETSU defensive back Artevius Smith was named the Defensive Player of the Week. The players of the week are selected by the league office.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Liam Welch, Samford, Jr., QB, Augusta, Ga.
Samford quarterback Liam Welch entered Saturday’s 61-55, four-overtime win over No. 25 The Citadel in the third quarter after an injury to starter Chris Oladokun and proceeded to throw for 189 yards and three touchdowns and run for 24 yards and a score to lead the Bulldogs to the upset. Welch recorded his first two passing TDs in the final eight minutes of regulation, including a 67-yard scoring strike with 1:43 left, to knot the score at 38 and send the game to OT. On the Bulldogs’ first overtime possession, the Augusta, Georgia, junior fired a 25-yard touchdown pass, which The Citadel answered. After the squads traded TDs and field goals, Welch gave the homestanding Bulldogs the walk-off win with a 2-yard touchdown run.
Other nominees: Brandon Rainey (The Citadel), Quay Holmes (ETSU), Deondre Johnson (Mercer), Ailym Ford (Chattanooga), Alex Ramsey (VMI), Connell Young (Western Carolina) and Joe Newman (Wofford).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Artevius Smith, ETSU, R-Sr., DB, Birmingham, Ala.
ETSU defensive back Artevius Smith had a pair of takeaways and five tackles in the Bucs’ 17-10 loss at No. 15 Furman on Saturday. The redshirt senior from Birmingham, Alabama, recorded his first career forced fumble in the second quarter, leading to ETSU’s only touchdown of the contest. In the fourth quarter, with the Bucs trailing 17-10, Smith intercepted a Furman pass at the 1-yard line to prevent a Paladin score and keep ETSU’s hopes alive. It was Smith’s second fourth-quarter interception in as many weeks. The weekly award is the second of his career.
Other nominees: Willie Eubanks III (The Citadel), Amir Tapp (Furman), Armond Lloyd (Samford), Ty Boeck (Chattanooga), John Brannon III (Western Carolina) and Jireh Wilson (Wofford).
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Mitchell Fineran, Samford, So., PK, Fort Valley, Ga.
Samford placekicker Mitchell Fineran accounted for 13 points and kicked off seven times in the Bulldogs’ 61-55 win over No. 25 The Citadel in four overtimes on Saturday. The sophomore from Fort Valley, Georgia, was a perfect 7-for-7 on point-after attempts and converted both of his field goals, including a 34-yard make late in the second quarter and a 33-yard conversion in the third overtime. Fineran averaged 64.0 yards on his seven kickoffs, producing five touchbacks. The weekly award is the fourth of his career.
Other nominees: Gage Russell (The Citadel), Tyler Keltner (ETSU), Grayson Atkins (Furman), Colin Brewer (Chattanooga), Caleb Ferguson (Western Carolina) and Luke Carter (Wofford).
2019 SoCon Football Players of the Week presented by GEICO
Offensive
Sept. 2 Chris Oladokun, Jr., QB, Samford
Sept. 9 Darren Grainger, R-Fr., QB, Furman
Sept. 16 Chris Oladokun, Jr., QB, Samford
Sept. 23 Chris Oladokun, Jr., QB, Samford
Sept. 30 Liam Welch, Jr., QB, Samford
Defensive
Sept. 2 Marshall Cooper, Sr., LB, Chattanooga
Sept. 9 Kaleb Tucker, Sr., DB, VMI
Sept. 16 Braden Gilby, R-Fr., LB, Furman
Sept. 23 Jireh Wilson, Sr., LB, Wofford
Sept. 30 Artevius Smith, R-Sr., DB, ETSU
Special teams
Sept. 2 Grayson Atkins, Jr., K, Furman
Sept. 9 Sean-Thomas Faulkner, R-So., DB, The Citadel
Sept. 16 Jacob Godek, Sr., K, The Citadel
Sept. 23 Grayson Atkins, Jr., K, Furman
Sept. 30 Mitchell Fineran, So., PK, Samford