BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. -- Malik Grove (Notre Dame), James Gupton (Shepherd) and Ryan Earls (Shepherd) have earned Mountain East Conference Player of the Week honors for their play in the eighth week of the season.
Grove, a sophomore quarterback from Cincinnati, Ohio, directed a Falcon offense that scored 59 points in a win over West Liberty last Thursday night. He completed 30-of-42 passes for 499 yards with three touchdowns and also added another score on the ground.
Gupton, a sophomore linebacker from Waldorf, Md., racked up a game-high 14 tackles to help lead the sixth-ranked Rams to a 35-28 win over Concord. He had 1.5 tackles for a loss in the game, including a key stop on fourth down with just 1:44 in the game to help give the Rams the ball back and get the game-winning touchdown.
Earls, a senior from Stevensville, Md., went 3-for-3 on field goals and had touchbacks on seven of his eight kickoffs in Shepherd's win over Concord. In the process, Earls became Shepherd's leader in field goals for a season (14) and career (37) on Saturday.
Other Top Performances
Offense: Dakota Conwell (WLU) had 405 yards passing (489 total offense) and accounted for six touchdowns (four passing, two rushing) in a loss to NDC ... Jabre Lolley (SU) had three rushing touchdowns, including the game winner, against Concord ... Terrell Charles (FSU) had 130 yards on 28 carries and two TDs ... Tevin Drake (GSC) averaged 5.1 yards per carry and finished with 133 and a score ... T.J. Smith (CU) caught five passes for 84 yards and two TDs.
Defense: Dennis Gardeck (WVSU) had 13 tackles, including two sacks, and batted down two passes as the Yellow Jackets upended Glenville State ... Claudy Mathieu (NDC) had a game-changing interception return for a touchdown and also forced a fumble last Thursday against WLU ... Siddiq Kanneh (FSU) had six tackles and broke up four passes in a win over UVa-Wise ... D'Gary Wallace (UU) matched a league record with 20 tackles and forced and recovered a fumble ... Austin Dotson (CU) had 10 tackles vs. Shepherd ... Markeith Dews (GSC) was in on 13 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss ...
Special Teams: Anthony Herrera (WVSU) hit a 36-yard field goal which proved to be the game-winner against Glenville State ... Johnny Dearstine (FSU) was 5-for-5 on extra points and made a pair of field goals ... Kyle Kaplan (NDC) was 1-for-2 and hit all eight PATs vs. West Liberty ... Christian Morris (WLU) averaged 44.8 yards per punt.
| 2015 MEC Players of the Week |
| Week |
Offense |
Defense |
Special Teams |
| Sept. 7 |
Joey Augustin (UC) |
Garrett Vulcano (WLU) |
Christian Morris (WLU) |
| Sept. 14 |
Rahmann Lee (GSC) |
Kevin Chapple (UU) |
C.J. Davis (SU) |
| Sept. 21 |
Matt Kinnick (WVSU) |
Marcus Porter (FSU) |
Brett Benes (UC) |
| Sept. 28 |
Daree' Goodwin (WLU) |
Jaylen Johnson (SU) |
Brett Benes (UC) |
| Oct. 5 |
Jeremy Johnson (UC) |
Emanuel Ivey (FSU) |
Johnny Dearstine (FSU) |
| Oct. 12 |
Jabre Lolley (SU) |
D'Gary Wallace (UU) |
Keon Robinson (SU) |
|
Calvinaugh Jones (CU) |
|
|
| Oct. 19 |
Tevin Drake (GSC) |
Kevin Pharon (WVWC) |
C.J. Davis (SU) |
|
|
|
Kyle Kaplan (NDC) |
| Oct. 26 |
Malik Grove (NDC) |
James Gupton (SU) |
Ryan Earls (SU) |