DALLAS – After catching eight passes for 173 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-43 win over UTEP, North Texas senior WR Jaelon Darden has been voted the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week. This week’s Defensive Player of the Week honor went to UAB junior DE Jordan Smith who had a team-high seven tackles and 2.5 sacks, including two in the final four minutes of a 21-16 division-clinching win at Rice. The Special Teams Player of the Week award was given to Southern Miss junior KR Camron Harrell, who returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and proved to be the winning points in a 45-31 victory over Florida Atlantic. C-USA Football Players of the Week are voted on by a panel of the league’s media.
Darden further cemented himself as the Mean Green’s most accomplished receiver in the 45-43 win over UTEP on Dec. 11, hauling in team-highs in catches (8) receiving yards (173) and receiving touchdowns (4). Darden set a new program record for career receptions with 230 and receiving yards with 2,782 just one week after taking over the school record in receiving touchdowns, which now stands at 38. He also moved into second place in program history in single-season receiving yards with 1,190 and career total touchdowns (rushing/receiving/returns) with 39. Darden leads the FBS in receiving touchdowns with 19 and receiving touchdowns per game with 2.1 and his 19 touchdowns have tied him for the second-most in a single season by an FBS player in the last five seasons (Corey Davis – 2016, Western Michigan and Carlos Henderson – 2016, Louisiana Tech). Darden scored touchdowns of 75, 50, 32 and two yards in the win over the Miners.
Smith had a team-high seven tackles and 2.5 sacks (-20 yards) to lead UAB to its third straight C-USA West Division title in a 21-16 victory at Rice. Smith stepped up when it mattered most with two sacks in the final four minutes of the game, including one with only :13 seconds remaining. Smith now has 37 tackles, 9.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks this season.
Harrell registered the team’s first kickoff return for a touchdown this season with a 100-yard return against Florida Atlantic in the team’s season finale. His touchdown pushed the Golden Eagle lead back to 14 points at 38-24 in the third quarter and proved to be the winning score. It was the eighth kickoff return in the school’s history of 100-or-more yards. Harrell returned three kickoffs for 145 yards and also added six tackles, one for loss, and two pass breakups in the contest.
2020 WINNERS:
Offensive Player of the Week – Sept. 7 – Grant Wells, QB, Marshall; Sept. 14 – Sincere McCormick, RB, UTSA; Sept. 21 – Frank Harris, QB, UTSA; Sept. 28 – Luke Anthony, QB, Louisiana Tech; Oct. 5 – Tyrrell Pigrome, QB, WKU; Oct. 12 – Aaron McAllister, RB, Charlotte; Oct. 19 – Jason Bean, QB, North Texas; Oct. 26 – Sincere McCormick, RB, UTSA; Nov. 2 – Aaron Allen, QB, Louisiana Tech; Nov. 9 – Grant Wells, QB, Marshall; Nov. 16 – Grant Wells, QB, Marshall; Nov. 23 – Sincere McCormick, RB, UTSA; Dec. 1 – Sincere McCormick, RB, UTSA; Dec. 7 – Isreal Tucker, RB, Louisiana Tech and Jaelon Darden, WR, North Texas; Dec. 14 – Jaelon Darden, WR, North Texas.
Defensive Player of the Week – Sept. 7 – KD Davis, LB, North Texas; Sept. 14 – Tyler Murray, LB, Charlotte; Sept. 21 – Tavante Beckett, LB, Marshall; Sept. 28 – Jamal Ligon, LB, UTSA; Oct. 5 – Leighton McCarthy, OLB, Florida Atlantic; Oct. 12 – Tavante Beckett, LB, Marshall; Oct. 19 – Eli Neal, LB, Marshall; Oct. 26 – Trey Baldwin, LB, Louisiana Tech and Antonio Parks, S, UTSA; Nov. 2 – Bee Jay Williamson, CB, Louisiana Tech; Nov. 9 – DeAngelo Malone, DE, WKU; Nov. 16 – Rashad Wisdom, S, UTSA; Nov. 23 – Dion Novil, DE, North Texas; Dec. 1 – Trevor Harmanson, LB, UTSA; Dec. 7 – Blaze Alldredge, LB, Rice; Dec. 14 – Jordan Smith, DE, UAB.
Special Teams Player of the Week – Sept. 7 – Matt Quinn, K, UAB; Sept. 14 – Hunter Duplessis, K, UTSA; Sept. 21 – Jacob Barnes, K, Louisiana Tech; Sept. 28 – Lexington Joseph, KR, FIU; Oct. 5 – Brayden Narveson, K, WKU; Oct. 12 – Duron Lowe, KR, UTEP; Oct. 19 – Nikia Eason, Jr., OLB, UAB; Oct. 26 – Jalen Jackson, CB, Middle Tennessee; Nov. 2 – Jacob Barnes, K, Louisiana Tech; Nov. 9 – Matt Hayball, P, Florida Atlantic; Nov. 16 – Robert LeFevre, P, Marshall. Nov. 23 – John Haggerty, P, WKU; Dec. 1 – Lucas Dean, P, UTSA; Dec. 7 – Brayden Narveson, K, WKU; Dec. 14 – Camron Harrell, KR, Southern Miss.
https://conferenceusa.com/news/2020/12/14/dec-14-football-players-of-the-week.aspx
