Philadelphia, PA – Northern Colorado receiver Patrick Walker, Webb punter Graham Purvis and South Dakota State quarterback Austin Sumner have been named The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS National Players of Week 9 for games ending Oct. 29.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Patrick Walker, Northern Colorado, Senior, 5-8, 181, WR, Long Beach, CA
Walker hauled in 10 passes for a school- and Big Sky-record 315 yards and a pair of long touchdowns in a 27-25 loss to North Dakota. Connecting with Seth Lobato for 80- and 88-yard touchdown passes, Walker put the Bears in a position to win their first game of the season, and would have if not for a late North Dakota field goal. Walker's 315 yards were the most in the FCS this season and 61 short of the division record of 376, held by Cal Poly's Kassim Osgood against Northern Iowa in 2000.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Qua Huzzie, Murray State, Sophomore, 5-11, 237, LB, LaGrange, GA
Even though the Racers lost to Eastern Kentucky, 34-33, on a missed extra point in the fourth quarter, there wasn't much more Huzzie could do. A transfer from Kentucky, Huzzie stuffed the stat sheet with a game-high 13 tackles, four tackles for a loss, two sacks, a pass break-up and two forced fumbles. Huzzie even helped the Racers pick up their first lead of the Ohio Valley Conference game when his second-quarter forced fumble was recovered in the end zone by Julian Whitehead for a touchdown.
Mitch McGrath, Furman, Junior, 6-2, 203, LB, Longwood, FL
McGrath was the leader of a dominant Furman defensive effort, limiting Chattanooga to just 169 yards of total offense and three passing yards in a 14-7 victory. Racking up nine tackles, four sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, McGrath made big plays all game. Perhaps the junior's biggest contributions came late in the Southern Conference contest, hopping on a loose ball on Chattanooga's second-to-last offensive series and then forcing a fumble with 47 seconds remaining.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Graham Purvis, Gardner-Webb, Senior, 5-11, 160, P, Shallote, NC
Purvis punted 11 times for a Big South Conference record 497 yards, dominating the field position battle in 14-7 win against Charleston Southern. While averaging 45.2 yards per punt, Purvis boomed three kicks of more than 50 yards, including a school- and Big South-record 85-yarder late in the fourth quarter. Punting from his team's 15-yard line, Purvis forced Charleston Southern to drive 80 yards for a potential game-tying score. The Buccaneers couldn't cover the ground and Gardner-Webb held on for the victory. His 67- yard punt in the second quarter was the sixth-longest in conference history.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Austin Sumner, South Dakota State, Freshman, 6-5, 230, QB, Brandon, SD
Sumner topped the 300-yard plateau for the fourth time in five games, throwing for a career-high 377 yards and four touchdowns in a 43-36 double-overtime win against Missouri State. Completing 20-of-31 attempts, Sumner had touchdown connections of 5, 3, 80 and 25 yards, and helped set up the game-winning touchdown with back-to-back completions in the second overtime period.
