AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Games: September 24, 2022
 
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – T.J. DeShields, QB, Jr., Sul Ross State
Sul Ross State junior quarterback T.J. DeShields (Beloit, Ohio) scored three touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground. He completed 27 of 41 passes for 342 yards, and threw touchdown passes from 42 and 53 yards out. Deshields earned consecutive ASC Player of the Week honors and was a big part of the Lobos winning back-to-back conference outings and improve to .500 overall (2-2)

CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Landry Gilpin, QB, Sr., Southwestern
Southwestern senior quarterback Landry Gilpin (Mission, Texas) had a fantastic game for the Pirates, accounting for almost all of their touchdowns in a five-point victory, 38-33, above McMurry. In a high-scoring game, Gilpin kept the Pirates in the game using his arm and his feet, as he completed 18 of 36 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for 96 yards on 17 attempts for another touchdown and averaged 5.65 yards per carry with a long of 52.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Johnny Smith-Rider, LB, So., Mary Hardin-Baylor
No. 4 Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore linebacker Johnny Smith-Rider (Haltom, Texas) led the Cru with 10 tackles against No. 10 Hardin-Simmons. He totaled seven solo takedowns with two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. Smith-Rider also returned that fumble 25 yards for a score. UMHB's back-to-back fumble recoveries for touchdowns sealed the Cru's 30 second quarter points which proved to be the difference in the contest.
 
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jared Mendoza, PK, Sr., McMurry
McMurry senior placekicker Jared Mendoza (Fort Worth, Texas) drilled a 51-yard field goal during an evening in which he tallied nine total points, as the War Hawks dropped a tight 38-33 result to Southwestern. Mendoza punched the longest made field goal for the program since 2005 and was 10 yards shy of the conference mark. He went three-for-three on extra points, too.

CO-SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ben Lancaster, P, So., Southwestern
Southwestern sophomore punter Ben Lancaster (Gardena, Calif.) consistently helped the Pirates in the battle for field position. Lancaster’s punt inside the 20 pinned the War Hawks deep in their territory in a crucial point of the game. He averaged 48 yards a punt, with his longest of the night being 60 yards.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES
Offensive
Howard Payne senior wide receiver Otis Lanier (Houston, Texas) had five catches for 149 yards and two TDs in a 33-21 victory over ETBU to improve the Jackets to 2-0 in conference play. Lanier's second TD reception came with just under eight minutes left to play in the game to help secure the win for the Yellow Jackets.
 
Mary Hardin-Baylor junior running back Kenneth Cormier, Jr. (Watauga, Texas) helped the Cru hold a late lead with a solid performance on the ground. Cormier totaled 13 grabs for 85 yards and a pair of scores against the Cowboys. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry and helped the Cru maintain a second-half shutout with more time off the clock. His longest carry was 31 yards.

Defensive
Sul Ross State senior linebacker Ronin Williams (Monahans, Texas) tallied 10 total tackles, with seven solo tackles and three assists in a 28-14 win over Texas Lutheran. In addition, Williams had 2.5 tackles for loss.

Southwestern junior linebacker Alex Gomez (McAllen, Texas) was a force to be reckoned with against McMurry. Gomez was constantly disrupting plays and causing havoc for the McMurry offense, as he logged six tackles with two sacks and four tackles for loss.

Special Teams
Mary Hardin-Baylor senior placekicker Anthony Avila (Troy, Texas) went 3-for-3 in field goals last week with five extra-point kicks. He was the only Crusader to score in the first quarter, knocking in back-to-back kicks to even the game at six. Avila added another field goal in the second quarter and made five extra points in the contest. He also had 10 kickoffs for 639 yards and six touchbacks. He averaged 63.9 yards per kickoff and his trio of field goals were 30 yds, 21 yds, and 23 yds.
 
Texas Lutheran sophomore punter Cameron Welch (New Braunfels, Texas) pinned Sul Ross State inside the 15-yard line three times on Saturday night. Welch recorded six punts for 266 yards with the longest 58 yards. A trio of punts were inside the 20-yard line. He added three kickoffs for 147 yards and averaged 49 yards.