SoCon announces football players of the week
Oladokun, Gilby and Godek honored
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its SoCon Football Players of the Week presented by GEICO on Monday, for games Sept. 14. Samford quarterback Chris Oladokun was named the Offensive Player of the Week, Furman inside linebacker Braden Gilby was named the Defensive Player of the Week and Citadel kicker Jacob Godek was tabbed Special Teams Player of the Week. The players of the week are selected by the league office.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chris Oladokun, Samford, Jr., QB, Tampa, Fla.
Samford quarterback Chris Oladokun picks up his second honor of the season after leading the Bulldogs to a 21-14 road win over No. 22/21 Wofford on Saturday. The junior from Tampa, Florida, accounted for two of Samford’s three scores, rushing for a team-high 79 yards and a touchdown and throwing for 230 yards and a score, going 17-for-25 through the air. His 30-yard touchdown run in the third quarter proved the difference in the contest as the Bulldogs topped the Terriers for the fifth straight time and halted Wofford’s 18-game win streak in home openers.
Other nominees: Brandon Rainey (The Citadel), Jacob Saylors (ETSU), David Durden (Mercer), Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks (Chattanooga), Alex Ramsey (VMI) and Will Jones (Western Carolina).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Braden Gilby, Furman, R-Fr., LB, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Making his first career start, Furman inside linebacker Braden Gilby had a game-high 12 tackles, including seven solo stops and a tackle for loss, as the Paladins dropped a 24-17 contest at Virginia Tech on Saturday. The redshirt freshman from St. Petersburg, Florida, also forced a fumble late in the first quarter, setting up Furman’s first touchdown to put the Paladins on top 7-3.
Other nominees: Joseph Randolph II (The Citadel), Jeremy Lewis (ETSU), Will Coneway (Mercer), John Staton (Samford), Jay Person (Chattanooga), A.J. Smith (VMI), Trevor Childers (Western Carolina) and DT Wilson (Wofford).
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jacob Godek, The Citadel, Sr., K, Longwood, Fla.
Citadel kicker Jacob Godek hit a pair of field goals in the Bulldogs’ 27-24, overtime win at Georgia Tech on Saturday, converting a 47-yard attempt late in regulation to put The Citadel on top and nailing a 37-yarder in overtime for the walk-off win. The Longwood, Florida, senior, who was 3-for-3 on PAT attempts, also kicked off five times for an average of 64.4 yards. Godek helped The Citadel to its first win over an FBS opponent since 2015, when the Bulldogs downed South Carolina in what was the last FBS win for a SoCon squad.
Other nominees: David Durden (Mercer), Mitchell Fineran (Samford), Gabe Boring (Chattanooga) and Daquan Patten (Western Carolina).
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
Defensive
Sept. 2 Marshall Cooper, Sr., LB, Chattanooga
Sept. 9 Kaleb Tucker, Sr., DB, VMI
Sept. 16 Braden Gilby, R-Fr., LB, Furman
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