October 18, 2010

Edwards, Mitchell selected as National Players of the Week

Sophomores Marcus Edwards and Caleb Mitchell have been selected as co-winners of the FCS National Defensive Player of the Week honor by The Sports Network, for their roles in Tech's victory over Eastern Illinois on Saturday.

Philadelphia, PA. - The Sports Network/Fathead.com has selected Tennessee Tech sophomores Marcus Edwards and Caleb Mitchell as the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) National co-Defensive Players of the Week for the key roles each played in the Golden Eagles' 34-20 Ohio Valley COnference win over Eastern Illinois Saturday in Tucker Stadium.

Also receiving national recognition this week are Colgate running back Nate Eachus, Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault, Charleston Southern wide receiver Gerald Stevenson and Eastern Kentucky punter Jordan Berry.

The Golden Eagles (3-4/2-2 OVC) head to Nashville Saturday to face the Tennessee State Tigers at 6 p.m. in LP Field.

CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Nate Eachus, Colgate, Junior, 5-10, 216, RB, Drums, PA
Eachus ran for a Patriot League record 291 yards in a 44-3 victory over Cornell. He carried the ball just 25 times in the contest, resulting in an average of 11.6 yards per rush. He also had three rushing touchdowns, one of which was a career-long 66-yarder. The junior running back leads the FCS in rushing yards per game (169.3).

Casey Therriault, Jackson State, Junior, 6-3, 205, QB, Wyoming Park, MI
Therriault threw for five touchdowns in a thrilling, 49-45 victory over Southern University. The final touchdown - a 28-yarder - came with two seconds remaining, and lifted the Tigers. Therriault, a junior college transfer, completed 24-of-40 passes for 315 yards and threw touchdowns of 16, 22, 35, 52 and 28 yards.

CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Marcus Edwards, Tennessee Tech, Sophomore, 6-1, 225, LB, Alabaster, AL
Edwards tied a Tennessee Tech record with five sacks in the Golden Eagles' 34-20 win over Eastern Illinois. The sophomore linebacker finished with seven tackles on the day. He now leads the Golden Eagles with eight sacks in seven games and is two sacks shy of the school single-season record of 10.

Caleb Mitchell, Tennessee Tech, Sophomore, 6-1, 190, CB, Russellville, AL
Mitchell joined his teammate Marcus Edwards in thwarting Eastern Illinois, forcing a fumble and intercepting two passes in the Golden Eagles' win. Mitchell returned his first interception 36 yards for a touchdown and recorded his second interception in the end zone, effectively stopping an Eastern Illinois drive. The sophomore linebacker also recorded seven tackles, including one tackle for a loss, and a quarterback sack.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Gerald Stevenson, Charleston Southern, Senior, 5-10, 165, WR, Naples, FL
Stevenson returned two kickoffs for touchdowns - traveling 92 and 81 yards - in a 35-25 loss to Garner-Webb. The senior wide receiver became the first player in Big South history to accomplish such a feat, and also set a conference record with 389 all-purpose yards. Stevenson averaged 48.6 yards on five kickoff returns. He had returned a touchdown 100 yards for a TD against Liberty just a week prior to the game against Gardner-Webb.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Jordan Berry, Eastern Kentucky, Freshman, 6-5, 195, P, Essendon, Victoria, Australia
Jordan Berry came within three yards of the Eastern Kentucky record when he boomed a punt 75 yards to the UT Martin 3-yard line. He punted six times for an average of 52.3 yards, and four of his punts landed inside UTM's 20. The redshirt freshman also converted a 4th-and-11 play by avoiding a tackle near the first-down marker and finishing with a 14-yard run. Behind Berry, the Colonels rank second in the FCS with a net punting average of 40.9 yards.