#UACFOOTBALL -- Lions and Colonels and Bears... Oh My! Week Seven winners of the United Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards featured a trio of North Alabama players after their historic victory along with a record-setting kicking performance for EKU and a momentum swinging stop for Central Arkansas. UNA's TJ Smith (Offense), Gregory Reddick (Defense) and Jalen Fletcher (Freshman) were joined on the list of honorees by Colonel Patrick Nations (Specialist) and Bear Dillon Williams (Defense).
A redshirt-senior quarterback, Smith accounted for six touchdowns in the Lions upset win over #10 ACU on Saturday. He posted career highs in passing (220 yards) with four touchdowns and rushing (94 yards) with two scores. On the night, Smith was 17-for-24 passing, marking his second consecutive game completing over 70 percent of his passes.
Williams, a sophomore safety, returned an interception 89 yards for a touchdown to stop a late first half drive by UWG. His pick came with :10 left in the second quarter and gave UCA a 21-10 halftime advantage in a game the Bears held on for a one-point win. Williams finished the game with five total tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack to go with his INT.
Reddick, a redshirt-senior defensive back, recorded a game-high 12 tackles in the win over #10 ACU to match his season best and finish one stop shy of a career best mark. Seven of his tackles were of the solo variety, setting a new season high. Reddick also snatched an interception in the final minute to thwart a final comeback by the Wildcats and secure the historic victory for the Lions.
A redshirt-senior kicker, Nations converted 2-of-3 field goal attempts against SUU, breaking the EKU program record for field goals in a career with 50. He added one PAT and also saw all five of his kickoffs go for touchbacks.
Fletcher, a true freshman running back, rushed 10 times for 123 yards (12.3 yds/carry) and a touchdown in UNA's history-making win. The performance marked Fletcher's first career 100-yard rushing game and included a 24-yard touchdown scamper featuring multiple broken tackles. This marks back-to-back and the third award of the season for Fletcher.
| DATE |
OFFENSIVE |
DEFENSIVE |
SPECIALIST |
FRESHMAN |
| Aug. 26 |
Kayvon Britten
(Tarleton State) |
Kasyus Kurns (Tarleton State)
Gregory Reddick (North Alabama) |
Adrian Guzman
(Tarleton State) |
Jalen Fletcher
(North Alabama) |
| Sept. 2 |
Maverick McIvor
(Abilene Christian) |
David Walker (Central Arkansas)
Micah Thurman (West Georgia) |
Andy Day
(Utah Tech) |
Fred Vili
(North Alabama) |
| Sept. 9 |
Targhee Lambson
(Southern Utah) |
Jaden Lyles
(Austin Peay) |
Danny King
(Southern Utah) |
Josh Anglin
(North Alabama) |
| Sept. 16 |
ShunDerrick Powell
(Central Arkansas) |
Kaghen Roach
(Abilene Christian) |
Ritse Vaes
(Abilene Christian) |
Josh Anglin
(North Alabama) |
| Sept. 23 |
Kayvon Britten
(Tarleton State) |
TaMuarion Wilson
(Central Arkansas) |
Romon Copeland Jr.
(Austin Peay) |
Corey Richardson
(Austin Peay) |
| Sept 30 |
Sam Hicks
(Abilene Christian) |
Ty Rawls
(Tarleton State) |
Scott Payne
(North Alabama) |
Jayden Robertson
(Southen Utah) |
| Oct. 7 |
Nehemiah Martinez
(Abilene Christian) |
George Ramirez
(Southern Utah) |
Dominik Stadlman
(Austin Peay) |
Jalen Fletcher
(North Alabama) |
| Oct. 14 |
TJ Smith
(North Alabama) |
Dillon Williams (Central Arkansas)
Gregory Reddick (North Alabama) |
Patrick Nations
(EKU) |
Jalen Fletcher
(North Alabama) |
Other Nominees
Offensive:
ShunDerrick Powell (UCA); Matt Morrissey (EKU); Targhee Lambson (SUU); Kayvon Britten (TSU); Dylan Gary (UWG)
Defensive:
Chris Wright (ACU); Braden Sullivan (EKU); Brandon Tolvert (TSU)
Specialist:
Sam Contorno (UNA); Adrian Guzman (TSU); Chance Gagnon (UWG)
Freshman:
Braden Smith (TSU)