ST. LOUIS – After turning in a career day to help Missouri State rally for a key conference win over Southern Illinois Saturday, senior quarterback has been named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Sunday.
Lambert completed 25-of-39 passes and posted career highs for total offense (390), passing yards (339) and rushing yards (51) while tossing four touchdown passes to lead MSU to a 38-35 comeback win over the Salukis. Lambert threw for three TDs in the second half and guided an offense that racked up 516 yards of total offense in helping the Bears rally from a 14-point deficit.
The Arlington, Texas native ignited the MSU comeback by ripping off a career-long 46-yard rush to set up the first of his three second-half TDs, then tied the game with a 36-yard scoring strike to Zac Hoover with just over three minutes remaining in regulation. Lambert’s 390 yards of offense represent the sixth-best single-game total in school history, and his 76-yard first-quarter TD pass to Hoover is the Bears’ longest under head coach Dave Steckel.
With the first Valley player of the week honor of his career, Lambert joins fellow Bears Sam Ellifrits (Offensive Lineman of the Week—Oct. 2), Dylan Cole (Defensive Player of the Week—Oct. 2) and Deion Holliman (Special Teams Player of the Week—Sept. 4) as MVFC weekly award winners this season.
The Bears (4-4, 2-3 MVFC) travel to Brookings, S.D., next Saturday (Nov. 5) for a 2 p.m. match-up with South Dakota State at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
