After helping spark Missouri State's early surge that paved the way to a big opening-night win over Southwestern College, Bears junior Deion Holliman has been selected Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, the league office announced Sunday.
The NCAA Division I FCS leader in combined kick return yardage in 2015, Holliman picked up right where he left off last season in MSU's 57-0 rout of Southwestern, igniting the Bears' early onslaught by returning the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. Holliman later added a 38-yard kick return, as well as a 23-yard punt return en route to finishing his night with 152 combined return yards. The Camden, Ark., product also hauled in a touchdown reception and finished the game with 173 all-purpose yards in helping the Bears to their largest margin of victory since 1991.
Holliman, a preseason first-team All-MVFC choice, also earned Valley Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 11, 2015, after setting the MSU single-game record for return yards against Southern Illinois.
Missouri State (1-0) embarks on its first road swing of the season next Saturday (Sept. 10), when it takes on Murray State in a 6 p.m. non-conference contest at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Ky.
