(MSU/WIU Sports Information)
Offense
WR Jaelon Acklin, Western Illinois
6-2, 190, Sr., Mountain View (Mo.) Liberty
Western Illinois wide receiver Jaelon Acklin has been named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week, his first such award. Acklin also earned CFPA FCS Honorable Mention National Performer of the Week.
Acklin set school single-game records with an extraordinary 19 catches for 343 yards in Saturday’s game against South Dakota. The yardage set an MVFC record and is the fourth-most of any player in a single-game in FCS history. The Mountain View, Mo., native’s 19 catches are tied for the 11th-most in a single-game in FCS history.
Acklin also scored three touchdowns, one shy of matching a program record. Acklin’s scores came from 11, 41 and 62 yards out, meaning, just on those three plays alone, he racked up 114 yards receiving. In just the fourth quarter, Acklin registered 12 catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Twelve catches was the fourth-most catches in a single-game in Western Illinois history until Acklin’s performance on Saturday. Acklin’s 343 all-purpose yards are also the fourth-most in a single game in program history.
Special Teams
RS Deion Holliman, Missouri State
5-9, 192, Sr., Camden (Ark.) Fairview High
For the second time in three weeks, Missouri State senior return specialist Deion Holliman was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s Special Teams Player of the Week, the league office announced Sunday.
Holliman delivered yet another record-breaking afternoon in the Bears’ setback at North Dakota State Saturday, piling up 221 kickoff return yards to eclipse not only Tony Gilbert’s all-time MSU mark of 2,219 career kickoff return yards, but also Carlos Anderson’s Valley record of 2,318.
Holliman, whose 221 yards on the day is second in school history only to his 238-yard performance at SIU in 2015, logged his longest kickoff return of the year—a 32-yarder—early in the contest, then eclipsed Gilbert’s 28-year-old mark with a 25-yard return in the second period. He also turned in a 14-yard punt return to total 250 all-purpose yards, good for the 12th-best figure in program history.
The Valley honor marks the fourth time in Holliman’s MSU career he has received the league’s Special Teams Player of the Week award. He also picked up the same citation on Sept. 18 following his performance in the Bears’ win over Murray State.
Following their lone bye week in the 2017 season, the Bears return to action Oct. 14 with an MVFC road tilt against Western Illinois in Macomb.
