By THOMAS STOKES
This week after a very soft Southern Conference schedule, let’s turn and focus on some midseason awards. We will look at the official awards and throw in some awards of our own to deep dive into some of the best of the best in the SoCon.
Roy M. “Legs” Hawley Offensive Player of the Year
Three candidates:
- Jax Leatherwood (Tennessee Tech) 168-249, 1,859 yards, 19 touchdowns, 4 interceptions
- TJ Peyton (ETSU) 96 rushing attempts, 623 yards, 6 touchdowns, 54 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
- Lex Thomas (Western Carolina) 153-241, 1,693 yards, 8 touchdowns, 1 interception, 81 rushing attempts, 377 yards, 5 rushing touchdowns
Jax Leatherwood must be the favorite. The oddly sized 6-8 quarterback has been playing extremely well in his first year in Cookeville. He has this team poised for another playoff bid and potentially the Southern Conference championship in its first year in the league. TJ Peyton is the most prolific back that ETSU uses; other than goal line situations he is the main back for the team. He has shown he can bust open runs and take off for a touchdown. He will need to lead what must be the most talented running back room in the conference if the Bucs want to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Western Carolina coach Kerwin Bell and quarterbacks are becoming synonymous with each other as he has found another great quarterback to lead his high-power offense. Lex Thomas is doing it both through the air and with his legs which is causing a lot of team fits (Thomas helped WCU upset Tennessee Tech recently).
Defensive Player of the Year
- Zion Rutledge (Chattanooga) 62 total tackles, 2 sacks, 1 pass deflected
- Cameron Goggins (Mercer) 20 total tackles, 5 interceptions, 5 pass deflected, 1 touchdown
Zion Rutledge and Cameron Goggins both deserve this award. If Goggins can continue his production after the bye week I feel like he will win, as the Bears face all three Tennessee schools in the last three weeks, giving Mercer ample opportunity to play the current best teams in the conference. If he produces like he has the first half and Mercer wins the majority of those games down the stretch, Goggins will bring home some personal trophies including this one. Meanwhile, Rutledge has been a tackling machine leading the conference in that statistic. If he can add more sacks that could help him really push away from Goggins in this competition.
Freshman of the Year
- Mason Mims (ETSU), 133-190, 1,551 yards, 10 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
- Devon Caldwell (Mercer) 81 rushes, 581 yards, 1 touchdown, 10 receptions, 28 receiving yards
- Braylon Peebles (Furman) 42 total tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 interception
Mason Mims was announced as part of the Jerry Rice Watchlist. I do not see him winning that award as there are some amazing freshman players around the nation, particularly in Bozeman, Montana. Still, Mims should be the front runner for this award. Braylon Peebles is one of the top tacklers on an outstanding Furman defense. If the Paladins had any offensive help, they would be in the conversation for the conference championship. But, with guys like Peebles this defense is tough, gritty and, like in the Mercer game, can get plenty of turnovers. It feels like the conference voters would need to see the linebacker get home more and get a few sacks for Peebles to win the top freshman honors. With the schedule Furman has he could have some great games statistically ahead. Devon Caldwell is breaking out in the Mercer rushing game. In an offense that sometimes feels like the passing game is an issue more than a complement he is just outside of being with the star running backs in the league.
Wallace Wade Coach of the Year
- Will Healy (ETSU)
- Bobby Wilder (Tennessee Tech)
Will Healy is two wins away from the first back-back winning seasons at ETSU since football has returned. But right now that is not the goal for the Bucs, who are in the lead for the SoCon title and automatic postseason bid. A return to the playoffs would help Healy win this award. Bobby Wilder might be literally standing in his way on October 31st when these two men lead their teams against each other. In its first year as a SoCon member, Tennessee Tech is in the thick of a conference championship. The Golden Eagles did stumble against Western Carolina but can right the ship if they beat ETSU on the road. Whoever wins that game will be the front-runner for this award.
FCS Viewing Guide
(All Times Eastern, all rankings using Stats FCS Poll)
The Former Sitting Bull Trophy Game
#6 North Dakota vs #8 South Dakota (2 PM, ESPN+)
The Sitting Bull Trophy was given out every game from 1953-2000. The two teams have been in several different conferences and divisions during that time as they have both made the trek to the FCS. North Dakota leads the series 64-34-5, but South Dakota has won the last three games. This could be the year that North Dakota ends the streak. First, preseason All-American Edge Lance Rucker is back and one of the biggest reasons the Fighting Hawks won against South Dakota State last week. In that same game we saw the return of their signal caller as well, Jerry Kaminski. South Dakota is 6-2 but not really played any strong FCS teams outside of the Youngstown State, in a game that was not close in any aspect. This will be a real test for the rest of the season to see if the Yotes are a playoff team or a pretender.
Princeton (RV) vs #15 Harvard (3 PM, ESPN+)
This game should decide the ivy League’s automatic playoff bid. Harvard’s best win is starting to look worse as Colgate lost to Georgetown recently so how good are the Crimson really? Princeton is in a similar boat; its best win is against UAlbany. I think the winner of this game, and the league, is the only Ivy representative in the playoffs.
#22 Weber State vs #3 Montana State (3 PM, ESPN+)
Due to record, Weber State (4-1) is currently leading the Big Sky conference. This is bad news for conferences looking for an at-large bid. Weber State (5-3 overall) has crushed it after starting 2-3 with an embarrassing loss to Portland State. Montana State has three of its four All-Americans returning from injuries and looks to get back on track after being upset recently against Idaho with them missing in action. Teams around the nation should take notice for this game; if Weber can pull it off a win, it takes an at-large bid off the board.
Playoff October Release
The FCS Playoff Committee produced its first top 10 rankings for the season:
- Montana State 6-1
- Tarleton State 7-0
- Youngstown State 6-2
- Stephen F. Austin 7-0
- South Dakota State 5-2
- North Dakota 6-2
- Northern Arizona 6-2
- South Dakota 6-2
- Austin Peay 6-2
- Harvard 5-0
So, this poll tells me that, if Miami played Pitt this Saturday without four star players and lost, it would not matter to this committee. The Hurricanes would still be the No. 1 team in the nation and the playoffs. Tarleton State can’t help who it has played. Prairie View A&M, for example, was supposed to be a challenger for the SWAC bid for the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta. The Texans are undefeated and should be No. 1 in the country. Another sore spot for me is the No. 5 rankings. South Dakota State just lost to North Dakota, and the committee kept the Jackrabbits ahead of UND? Does head-to-head not matter? As for the final spot, I feel like with its body of work, Campbell is the 10th best team in the nation.