Gardner-Webb Quartet Sweeps Big South Weekly Football Honors
September 24, 2007 | Football
CHARLOTTE – Gardner-Webb's Stan
Doolittle and Mario Brown have been named the Big South
football Choice Hotels Offensive Player of the Week and New Balance
Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, by the league
office.
True freshman Evan Kay was also honored as Special Teams Player of
the Week, and classmate Jeffrey Williams was named Freshman of the
Week following the team's competitive, 31-15, loss at SEC member
Mississippi State.
Doolittle (Ninety Six, S.C. / Ninety Six HS) came off the bench and
showed excellent poise, leadership and determination in directing
four Gardner-Webb scoring drives in the game. The 6-foot-3,
210-pound sophomore completed 19-of-33 passes for 191 yards with no
turnovers – setting new career highs for completions and
yardage in the process. Doolittle was responsible for directing
Gardner-Webb to 19 of its 20 first downs in the game. He added 19
rushing yards and finished with 210 yards of total offense in the
contest.
Doolittle's performance under center helped Gardner-Webb total more
yardage against the SEC's fifth-rate defense (332 total yards) than
either Auburn or Tulane. GWU actually finished just a few yards shy
of No. 2 LSU's production in the season opener against Mississippi
State.
Brown (Greenville, S.C. / J.L. Mann HS) was around the football all
night in Starkville, finishing with eight total hits (four solo), a
fumble recovery, 1.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback pressure in
the game. His aggressive play helped hold Mississippi State to just
108 total yards and six first downs in the final two quarters
– which allowed Gardner-Webb to creep within two scores early
in the fourth quarter.
Brown, a preseason All-America selection who led GWU with 109 total
hits last season, has made 20 stops in his last two games –
and has 25 total tackles on the year.
Kay (Jonesboro, Ga. / Jonesboro HS) became just the sixth kicker in
Big South Conference history to boot home three field goals in a
game, and is just the fifth in league history to go a perfect
3-for-3.
Kay booted home kicks of 33, 20, and 28 yards in front of a rowdy,
cowbell-ringing crowd of 42,272 – and nailed his final field
goal with driving rain and swirling winds in his face.
Kay has made 5-of-7 field goal attempts in 2007, and leads
Gardner-Webb in scoring with 15 points.
Williams (Frisco City, Ala. / Frisco City HS) recorded his second
double figures tackling game in as many outing against the Football
Bowl Subdivision, finishing with a career-high 11 hits (five solo)
against Mississippi State.
Williams (6-0, 205) leads Gardner-Webb with 28 stops on the season,
and has recorded 21 of those against Ohio and Mississippi State.
Playing just a couple of hours from his hometown, Williams was a
key cog in Gardner-Webb's defense forcing a pair of turnovers and
holding the SEC Bulldogs to just 108 yards and six first downs in
the final 30 minutes of action.
A two-time All-State selection at Frisco City (Ala.) High, Williams
led the State of Alabama in tackles last season (196 stops) and
finished No. 6 nationally in tackles per game (19.6).
Gardner-Webb returns home this week to face OVC member Austin Peay
(3-1) at 6 pm ET in Ernest W. Spangler Stadium. The Governors are
coming off an impressive win over preseason top-25 foe UT-Martin at
home last week, 17-14, and have one of the nation's top running
backs in Chris Fletcher.
Fletcher (5-11, 200, Sr.) posted his 10th-straight 100-yard rushing
game last Saturday, and the 24th of his career.
