C-USA Football: Dec. 7 Players of the Week

DALLAS – After registering 10 tackles, intercepting a pass and adding an additional pass breakup in Rice’s 20-0 shutout victory at No. 15 Marshall, Owls senior LB Blaze Alldredge has been voted the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week. A pair of players that squared off in the same game share this week’s Offensive Player of the Week honors: Louisiana Tech redshirt senior RB Israel Tucker and North Texas senior WR Jaelon Darden. Tucker carried 37 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns, while Darden caught eight passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns. The Special Teams Player of the Week award was given to WKU redshirt sophomore P Brayden Narveson, who kicked three field goals and scored a career-high 13 points in a win at Charlotte. C-USA Football Players of the Week are voted on by a panel of the league’s media.

Alldredge was credited with 10 tackles, including a shared tackle for loss, picked off one pass and broke up a second to lead an Owls defensive effort that recorded the first shutout by an opponent against No. 15 Marshall at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in its history and the first by the Owls against a ranked opponent since 1960. Alldredge reached double figures in stops for the third time in four games this season as the Owls blanked C-USA’s top scoring offense (37.4 points per game) and held them to 245 yards (averaged 450.3 coming in), including 80 yards and 2.9 yards per carry on the ground (205.7 and 4.9 coming in).

Tucker led the Bulldogs to a 42-31 victory at North Texas last Thursday in Louisiana Tech’s first game since Oct. 31. The Metairie, Louisiana, native set career-highs in rushing yards with 161 and carries with 37, and tied his career high with two rushing touchdowns. Tucker became the first Bulldog to carry the ball at least 30 times in a game since Lennon Creer had 32 attempts vs. UCA in 2011. His 37 carries tied for the second-most in the FBS this season and were the fourth most in program history. Tucker became the first Bulldog to rush for 100 yards since Justin Henderson rushed for 105 yards vs. UTSA in November, 2019.

Darden had a record-breaking day in the game against Louisiana Tech, setting new program records for career receiving touchdowns (34) and single-season receiving touchdowns (15). The Houston native hauled in eight passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns. It marked Darden’s ninth straight game with at least one TD catch and his FBS-leading third game of the season with three receiving TDs. He remains the FBS leader in receiving touchdowns with 15 through just eight games. He became the program record-holder for career receiving TDs, breaking a tie with Ron Shanklin (1967-69), who had 31 throughout his storied career, in the first quarter with a 13-yard TD grab, where Darden took a wide receiver screen and evaded several Bulldog defenders. Darden’s 33-yard TD in the third quarter made him the program record-holder in single-season receiving scores, breaking another tie with Shanklin, who had 13 in his 1967 season. Darden also scored on a screen early in the fourth quarter to pull the Mean Green within 11.

Narveson contributed a career-high 13 total points in the Hilltoppers’ 37-19 win over Charlotte. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native went a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals and 4-for-4 on PATs in the game. Narveson connected on field goals of 33, 46 and 49 yards in the contest. For the season, he is now 13-for-14 on field goals and 24-for-24 on PATs, with his only miss coming on a 50-yard attempt.

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..

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.

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.