Football

ASC Football Players of the Week (7) | Garcia, Williams, Piazza

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Games: October 14, 2023
 
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Noah Garcia, RB, So., Hardin-Simmons
Hardin-Simmons sophomore running back Noah Garcia (Abilene, Texas) had 111 yards rushing and 58 yards receiving and scored a touchdown rushing and receiving. His 44-yard reception in the third quarter included a spin move that got him into space and then he won the sprint to the end zone.
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Dominick Williams, DE, So., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist sophomore defensive end Dominick Williams (Houston, Texas) defensive presence was felt in the win over McMurry as he blocked the extra point that would have tied the game at 14 and had two sacks in the fourth quarter. He finished with five tackles with two sacks for eight yards. With 5:07 to go in the 3rd quarter, he blocked the McMurry extra point to keep the one-point lead, 14-13. In the 4th quarter when MCM was driving into ETBU territory, he had a sack on a 3rd-and-5 at the ETBU 46-yard line to force a punt. With under a minute to play in the game at the MCM 35-yard line he had a 7-yard loss sack for his second of the game forcing a 2nd-and-17.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Christian Piazza, P, Jr., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist junior punter Christian Piazza (Sugarland, Texas) put McMurry deep in their territory for most of the game. He had four punts for 168 yards. He had a 58-yard punt and three punts within the 20-yard line. His three punts within the 20-yard line were at the 5, 13, and 20-yard lines. His punting made MCM have to drive a long field in the second half.
 
OTHER OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES
Offensive
Howard Payne graduate student Jordan Carroll (Forney, Texas) had nine catches for 138 yards and two Touchdowns. In the Yellow Jackets' 35-11 victory over Austin College, Carroll hauled in TD passes from five and 18 yards.
 
East Texas Baptist sophomore wide receiver Zay Thomas (Karnack, Texas) recorded his first-ever 100-yard receiving game with 114 yards on eight receptions and one touchdown. He had the first touchdown of the game in the second quarter to tie the game at seven. Carlos Garibay found him from 33 yards out for the 7-7 tie. In the go-ahead drive in the 2nd quarter, had a 23-yard reception to put ETBU in the red zone setting up the go-ahead touchdown. His longest reception was 33 yards on the day.
 
Austin freshman quarterback Jaylon Talton (Arlington, Texas) threw for 181 yards on 15-of-35 passing to lead Austin College offensively, while also adding a team-high 66 rushing yards on 21 attempts against Howard Payne.
 
Mary Hardin-Baylor graduate student running back Ozias Wright (Killeen, Texas) rushed for 67 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown against the Lobos. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry and lost just one yard.
 
Texas Lutheran sophomore quarterback Caden Bosanko (San Antonio, Texas) nearly led TLU to an upset in second career start going 13-of-24 passing for 148 yards, one touchdown, and rushed 23 times for 97 yards and a touchdown.
 
Defensive
Howard Payne safety KJ Kelley (Abilene, Texas) picked off an Austin College pass in the second quarter and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to round out HPU's 35-point first half. It was the sixth interception for Kelley on the season.
 
Austin junior linebacker Colton Gerken (Grand Prairie, Texas) continued his stellar season against Howard Payne, making 10 tackles, including four solo stops, while also coming up with half a sack against the Yellow Jackets.
 
Mary Hardin-Baylor junior linebacker Johnny Smith-Rider (Haltom, Texas) totaled five tackles with one tackle for loss against the Lobos. He also had a crucial interception returned 41 yards for a score that put the Cru up by two possessions in the game.
 
Hardin-Simmons sophomore linebacker Javion Mays (Cedar Park, Texas) made his first career start and came up with nine tackles, six solo. He also had a huge play in the game when he got a sack and strip and the Cowboys recovered.
 
Special Teams
Mary Hardin-Baylor freshman defensive back Solomon Hopkins (Dallas, Texas) had a big punt block which he recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, putting UMHB up by three possessions early in the fourth quarter.
 
Texas Lutheran junior punter Cameron Welch (New Braunfels, Texas) flipped the field consistently against the Cowboys. He had seven punts for 361 yards and averaged 51.6 yards. He also had one touchback and two punts inside the 20.
 
Hardin-Simmons sophomore return specialist Dameon Gomes (Mansfield, Texas) had a huge 58-yard punt return that set the Cowboys up for a score. He had five punt returns for 127 yards in the game.