Raymond Johnson III Named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week
10/7/2019 11:01:00 AM | Football
First honor of the year for the junior
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Raymond Johnson III, Georgia Southern (Junior, DE, Sumter, S.C.)
Georgia Southern junior defensive end Raymond Johnson III had three tackles, including half a tackle for loss, in Georgia Southern's double-overtime win at South Alabama on Thursday night, but he saved his best for the extra frames. Johnson III blocked the potential game-winning field goal in the back half of the first overtime to force a second extra stanza, and then pounced on a fumble in the second overtime, which set up the game-winner from Tyler Bass.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dan Ellington, Georgia State (Senior, QB, Olive Branch, Miss.)
Georgia State senior quarterback Dan Ellington recorded career highs with 382 yards passing and 451 yards of total offense while directing the most prolific offensive day in GSU history and one of the top games in Sun Belt Conference annals in the Panthers' 52-38 victory over Arkansas State. Ellington completed 29 of 41 passes for 382 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown pass, while rushing for 69 yards with a 10-yard scoring run. The senior from Olive Branch, Miss., led Georgia State to a school-record 722 yards of total offense, which ranks among the top 10 single games in Sun Belt history. Ellington's running helped the Panthers pile up a school-record 34- yards rushing. With Ellington at the helm, the Panthers tied the Sun Belt record with 39 first downs and controlled the clock for 39:19, another Georgia State record. The GSU quarterback engineered seven touchdown drives of 75 yards or longer, including an 89-yard drive and a 90-yard march. Ellington leads the Sun Belt with 308.2 yards of total offense per game while ranking second in passing yards and touchdown passes.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cody Grace, Arkansas State (Sr., P, Perth, Western Australia)
Arkansas State senior punter Cody Grace pinned Georgia State inside its won 20-yard line four times on five punts, while also recoding three punts of at least 50 yards and averaging 49.0 yards per attempt. Grace had two punts travel 59 yards, just three shy of his career long, and had another cover 53 yards. His four punts inside the 20-yard line were only one shy of his career high.
Georgia Southern is back in action on Saturday, Oct. 19, hosting Coastal Carolina.
