Western Illinois QB Sam Clemons and LB P.J. Jones of Southwest Missouri State highlight the final player of the week selections of the 2001 Gateway Football Conference season.
Offensive
QB Sam Clemons, Western Illinois
Sr., 6-2, 215, El Dorado Hills (Calif.) Oak Ridge High
Clemons threw for a Western Illinois record 472 yards, completing a career-high 30 of 36 passes (two shy of a school record), with five touchdowns, as Western beat Indiana State, 52-15. The 472 yards rank No. 3 all-time in the Gateway, while the five TDs match a Western record and match a Gateway high for TD passes in a conference game. His 483 yards of total offense also set a school record, while that figure ranks fourth-best all-time in the Gateway. He completed 12 passes in the first quarter for 284 yards.
Defensive
LB P.J. Jones, Southwest Missouri State
Sr., 6-3, 240, Bonne Terre (Mo.) North County High
Jones was in on 21 tackles (1 UT, 20 AT) in the game, he broke up one pass and intercepted another as SMS defeated Illinois State, 48-31. His 21 tackles pushed his career total to 500, breaking the SMS career mark of 487 set last year by LB Corky Martin, and making Jones the third leading career tackler in Gateway history. His final season total of 163 tackles makes him the team leader for the third time in his four years at SMS. Jones’ 163-tackle season matches the eighth-best in league single-season history.
Special Teams
RS Ben Sanderson, Northern Iowa
Jr., 5-9, 171, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Prairie High
Sanderson returned the opening kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown and accounted for 164 return yards in Northern Iowa’s 31-13 victory against visiting Cal Poly. In addition to his TD kick return, he also had two punt returns for 55 yards, including a long of 45. His TD kick return was the first for Northern Iowa since Ty Talton returned one 97 yards for a score in the I-AA playoffs against Eastern Illinois in 1996.
Offensive Lineman
OG Elliott Smith, Southwest Missouri State
Sr., 6-4, 340, Longview (Wash.) Mark Morris High
Smith was in on 76 plays with a grade of 83 percent with three pancakes, no sacks allowed and no QB pressures allowed. The Bears rolled up 611 yards of total offense, including 325 on the ground and 286 through the air. SMS beat Illinois State, 48-31, in the season finale on Nov. 17.
Previous Players of the Week
Sept. 1
RB P.J. Mays, Youngstown State
*LB Jason McWilliams, Western Illinois
KR Andre Coleman, Youngstown State
OL Daniel Withrow, Western Kentucky
Sept. 8
RB P.J. Mays, Youngstown State
SS Bruce Hightower, Youngstown State
KR Lee Coleman, Southwest Missouri State
OL Eric Bowman, Indiana State
Sept. 22
QB Julian Reese, Indiana State
*DB LeVar Greene, Youngstown State
DB Bobby Sippio, Western Kentucky
PK MacKenzie Hoambrecker, Northern Iowa
OL Buster Ashley, Western Kentucky
Sept. 29
RB Adam Benge, Northern Iowa
OLB Carlos Dallis, Northern Iowa
PK Justin Langan, Western Illinois
OT Chad Setterstrom, Northern Iowa
Oct. 6
WR Frisman Jackson, Western Illinois
LB Bart Scott, Southern Illinois
RS Joseph Jefferson, Western Kentucky
OT Ben Deike, Northern Iowa
Oct. 13
RB P.J. Mays, Youngstown State
CB Antulio Aroche, Youngstown State
*RS Jake Soliday, Northern Iowa
OG Jake Harriger, Southwest Missouri State
Oct. 20
WR James Braden, Indiana State
DT Robert Hamre, Northern Iowa
*RS Jerald Burley, Youngstown State
OL Chris Price, Western Kentucky
Oct. 27
*WR Vito Golson, Illinois State
LB Erik Dandy, Western Kentucky
*PK Brian Long, Southwest Missouri State
OT Jeff Bristol, Southwest Missouri State
Nov. 3
QB Donte Pimpleton, Western Kentucky
*LB Jon Drummond, Western Kentucky
*RS Joseph Jefferson, Western Kentucky
OG Nick Roberts, Youngstown State
Nov. 10
RB Willie Watts, Illinois State
LB Casey Tierney, Northern Iowa
PK MacKenzie Hoambrecker, Northern Iowa
OT Andy King, Illinois State
Nov. 17
*QB Sam Clemons, Western Illinois
LB P.J. Jones, Southwest Missouri State
RS Ben Sanderson, Northern Iowa
OG Elliott Smith, Southwest Missouri State
*denotes national player of the week that week