OVC Football Players of the Week - September 12

• OVC Football Players of the Week – September 12 (PDF)
 
OFFENSIVE
Peyton Logan, RB • 5-8, 190, Sr. • Horn Lake, Miss. • UT Martin
Logan tallied 169 all-purpose yards on just 13 touches, scoring a pair of touchdowns as UT Martin came from behind to beat Samford 33-27. The senior carried the ball nine times for 50 yards (5.2 ypc) and caught a team-high four passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns. After the Skyhawks fell behind 17-0, he caught a 60-yard strike from Keon Howard to put UTM on the board. Later in the second quarter the duo hooked up on a 51-yard touchdown to give UT Martin a lead it would not relinquish. Logan ranks 10th nationally in receiving touchdowns (2) and 13th in all-purpose yards (144.0/game).
 
Others Nominated: Draylen Ellis, Austin Peay.
 
DEFENSIVE
D'Carrious Stephens, LB • 6-0, 225, Grad. • Union City, Tenn. • UT Martin
Stephens had five tackles, including 1.5 for loss for five yards, an interception and a pass breakup as UT Martin topped Samford 33-27. With his team leading by six with 1:34 to play, he picked off Samford quarterback Liam Welch (a Walter Payton Award candidate) at the Samford 38-yard line to end the game. It marked Stephen's fourth career interception.
 
Others Nominated: Shamari Simmons, Austin Peay; Colin Bohanek, Eastern Illinois; Eric Samuta, Murray State.
 
SPECIALIST
Logen Neidhardt, P • 6-2, 220, Grad. • Hicksville, Ohio • Eastern Illinois
Neidhardt averaged 52.0 yards on six punts in Eastern Illinois' game at Dayton. The graduate student tallied 312 total yards, with a long punt of 72 yards and one downed inside the 20-yard line. The 72-yard punt is the third-longest in the FCS this season.
 
Others Nominated: Matthew Rigney, Austin Peay; Zach Haynes, Southeast Missouri.
 
NEWCOMER
Keon Howard, QB • 6-1, 215, Grad. • Laurel, Miss. • UT Martin
Howard, the Tulane transfer, won the award for the second week in a row after accounting for 295 yards of total offense and three touchdowns as UT Martin came from behind to beat Samford 33-27. Howard completed 18-of-30 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns and led the team with 66 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. After the Skyhawks had fallen behind 17-0 after one quarter, he hit Peyton Logan on a 60-yard strike early in the second quarter. Later in that quarter he scored on a seven-yard run and before halftime Howard added a 51-yard strike to Logan to give the Skyhawks a lead it would not relinquish. Howard leads the OVC and ranks sixth nationally with six touchdowns (3 passing, 3 rushing this season); he also ranks 11th nationally in points responsible for (36).
 
Others Nominated: Drae McCray, Austin Peay; Blake Ruffin, Eastern Illinois; Rodell Rahmaan, Tennessee State.