DALLAS – After totaling four touchdowns in a conference road win at FIU, Liberty QB Kaidon Salter was voted CUSA Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week. Jax State DL Chris Hardie took home Defensive Player of the Week honors following a standout performance with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks on Saturday in the Gamecocks’ win over Eastern Michigan. His teammate, P Jack Dawson, was named CUSA Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season after pinning three of his five punts inside the 20 and averaging 41.0 yards per attempt in Jax State’s win over the Eagles. The 2023 CUSA Players of the Week awards are presented by Blenders Eyewear and are voted on by a panel of the league’s media.
Salter led the Flames to their first-ever FBS conference road win, as Liberty knocked off FIU 38-6 in Miami. The sophomore was responsible for four of Liberty’s five touchdowns in the game and is now tied for second in the country in total rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (five). He carried nine times for 77 yards with two touchdowns and also threw for 156 yards and two more scores. The Cedar Hill, Texas, native helped the Flames surpass the 500-yard mark in total offense for the third consecutive game and is now 4-0 as a starter in 2023, and 6-2 for his career.
Hardie led a dominant defensive effort for Jax State in a 21-0 shutout of Eastern Michigan, the Gamecocks’ first shutout since 2018. On a day that saw Jax State rack up 13 TFLs and six sacks, Hardie was the ringleader and recorded 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss and also notched a pass breakup. The Vincent, Alabama, native led a defensive effort that held EMU to 152 yards of total offense and just 57 rushing yards. The EMU offense managed just 1.6 yards per carry on 35 rushes and 2.4 yards per play on 64 offensive snaps.
Dawson punted five times (41.0 yards per attempt) and pinned three inside the 20, while also running 12 yards for a first down. The junior pinned his first punt of 37 yards at the EMU 7 and booted his second one 50 yards to the 20. The Sylvania Waters, Australia, native also had a 44-yard punt to the EMU 13. The Eagles did not return a single punt in the game. Dawson’s biggest play of the game may have been on a 4th and 9 in the third quarter, when he took a low snap and eluded an EMU defender before bouncing outside and running for 12 yards and a first down to keep a late Jax State drive alive.
2023 WINNERS
Offensive Player of the Week
A28 – WR Smoke Harris, LA Tech
S4 – WR Kris Mitchell, FIU
S11 – RB Kejon Owens, FIU
S18 – QB Kaidon Salter, Liberty
S25 – QB Kaidon Salter, Liberty
Defensive Player of the Week
A28 – S Jeremiah Harris, Jax State
S4 – LB JaQues Evans, WKU
S11 – LB Tyrice Knight, UTEP
S18 – LB Sam Brumfield, MTSU
S25 – DL Chris Hardie
Special Teams Player of the Week
A28 – P Jack Dawson, Jax State
S4 – K Lucas Carneiro, WKU
S11 – K Jacob Barnes, LA Tech
S18 – K Ethan Albertson, New Mexico State
S25 – P Jack Dawson, Jax State
-ConferenceUSA.com-
