DALLAS – After throwing a career-high 336 yards, setting a new school record with 432 yards of total offense, throwing three touchdowns and rushing for another, Charlotte sophomore QB
Chris Reynolds has been named the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week. The Defensive Player of the Week honor went to Marshall senior CB
Kereon Merrell, who had 10 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in the Thundering Herd’s victory over WKU. The Special Teams Player of the Week award was given to Marshall senior K
Justin Rohrwasser, who booted four field goals, including a career-long 53-yard game-winner as time expired in the Mean Green’s win over WKU. C-USA Football Players of the Week are voted on by a panel of the league’s media. All C-USA weekly awards are presented by Top of the World Headwear.
Oct 28 2019 FB POW Release.(pdf)
Reynolds set a new Charlotte school record for total offense, threw for the program’s most yards against an FBS opponent, had three touchdown passes of over 30 yards, ran for a 29-yard score and engineered a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback in the 49ers’ 39-38 victory over North Texas. His 34-yard TD pass to Victor Tucker in the end zone with 18 seconds capped a comeback that saw Charlotte rally from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit. Reynolds finished the day with a school-record 432 yards of total offense with career-bests of 336 passing and 96 rushing. His career-high 336 passing yards are the most by a 49er against an FBS opponent. The Mocksville, North Carolina, native is just the second Charlotte player to pass for over 300 yards in a game. His 52-yard TD pass to Tyler Ringwood to start the second half is the 49ers longest of the season. Trailing 35-21 in the 4th quarter, Reynolds engineered three fourth-quarter TD drives and threw TD passes of 31 and 34 yards, including the game-winner in the final 20 seconds.
Merrell had a huge hand in staking the Thundering Herd to a two-touchdown, first-quarter lead in the Marshall’s 26-23 victory over WKU. The senior picked off a pass near midfield (his first career interception) and the Thundering Herd cashed that in for a touchdown on the ensuing drive. On the very next drive, Merrell fell on a loose ball in the WKU backfield near midfield (his second career fumble recovery) and Marshall scored three plays later to take a 14-0 lead just over eight minutes into Saturday’s action. Eight of the Vienna, Georgia, native’s 10 tackles were solos and he helped Marshall limit WKU to just a 5-for-13 clip on third down. This season, Merrell is Marshall’s fifth-leading tackler with 42 tops.
Rohrwasser had a huge day for the Thundering Herd, booting four field goals, including a game-winning, career-long 53-yarder as time expired to lift Marshall to a 26-23 win over WKU. During the game, he connected on a (then-) career-long 46 yarder in the second quarter, followed by kicks from 31 and 43 yards prior to the game-winner. The Clifton Park, New York, native also made two extra points for a 14-point day. His 53-yard field goal is tied for the fourth-longest made kick in school history, and tied for the third-longest made kick in Joan C. Edwards Stadium history. The 53-yarder is the longest in 217 games at Marshall, since Curtis Head made a kick of the same distance against Buffalo in 2002. Rohrwasser tied a school record with those four field goals, equaling the four made by four others, most recently Justin Haig (MVP vs. Louisiana Tech in the 2014 C-USA Championship Game). He is a perfect 11-for-11 on field goals this season, and has made 12 consecutive field goals dating back to last season.
2019 WINNERS:
Offensive Player of the Week – Sept. 2 – Jason Pirtle, TE, North Texas; Sept. 9 – Tyler Johnston III, QB, UAB; Sept. 16 – Quez Watkins, WR, Southern Miss; Sept. 23 – Deangelo Antoine, WR, Florida Atlantic; Sept. 30 – Jack Abraham, QB, Southern Miss; Oct. 7 – Sincere McCormick, RB, UTSA; Oct. 14 – Jack Abraham, QB, Southern Miss; Oct. 21 – Brenden Knox, RB, Marshall; Oct. 28 – Chris Reynolds, QB, Charlotte.
Defensive Player of the Week – Sept. 2 –Garrett Marino, DL, UAB; Sept. 9 – Reed Blankenship, S, Middle Tennessee; Sept. 16 – Rashad Smith, LB, Florida Atlantic; Sept. 23 – Keion White, DE, Old Dominion; Sept. 30 – Kyle Bailey, LB, WKU; Oct. 7 – Jovante Moffatt, S, Middle Tennessee; Oct. 14 – Darius Hodge, DL, Marshall; Oct. 21 – Amik Robertson, CB, Louisiana Tech; Oct. 28 – Kearon Merrell, CB, Marshall.
Special Teams Player of the Week – Sept. 2 – Jaylond Adams, KR/PR, Southern Miss; Sept. 9 – Cory Munson, K, WKU; Sept. 16 – Jaylond Adams, KR/PR, Southern Miss; Sept. 23 – Bailey Hale, K, Louisiana Tech; Sept. 30 – Cory Munson, K, WKU; Oct. 7 – Maurice Alexander, PR, FIU; Oct. 14 – Nick Vogel, K, UAB; Oct. 21 – Ethan Mooney, K, North Texas; Oct. 28 – Justin Rohrwasser, K, Marshall.