DALLAS – After throwing for a season-high 351 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-13 conference-opening win over UTEP, Southern Miss junior QB Jack Abraham has been named the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week.  The Defensive Player of the Week honor went to WKU junior LB Kyle Bailey, who intercepted two passes, had seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in the Hilltoppers 20-13 victory against UAB.  The Special Teams Player of the Week award was given to WKU freshman K Cory Munson, who had two field goals and a pair of extra points for an eight-point night in the Hilltoppers seven-point win over UAB.  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.

Sept 30 2019 FB POW Release
 
Abraham completed 19-of-28 passes for a season-high 351 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in a 31-13 win over UTEP.  His scoring strikes included a 74-yarder to De’Michael Harris, as well as 22-and six-yard TD tosses, as he orchestrated a Southern Miss offense that collected 519 total offensive yards. It was the second 300-plus yard passing game for Abraham this season and the fifth time in his 14 career games as a Golden Eagle.  Saturday was also the third time that the Oxford, Mississippi, native has thrown at least three touchdown passes in a game in his career and has tossed at least one TD pass in each of the last seven contests.
 
Bailey intercepted two passes and recorded 1.5 tackles for loss in WKU’s 20-13 victory vs. defending Conference USA champion UAB.  The Carrollton, Georgia, native finished with seven total tackles, while also adding a QB hurry that caused a rushed pass attempt and led directly to WKU’s fourth interception of the game.  Bailey’s performance was the first multiple-interception game by a Hilltopper since Nick Holt on November 27, 2015 in a 49-28 victory vs. Marshall.  It is one of only three two-interception games this year among Conference USA defenders. The Hilltoppers held the Blazers to their second-lowest point total of the past two seasons while WKU improved to 2-0 in conference play and held a third straight opponent scoreless in the fourth quarter.
 
Munson connected on field goals of 35 and 28 yards in the first half of WKU’s 20-13 victory vs. defending Conference USA champion UAB.  He went 2-for-2 in field goal attempts and 2-for-2 in extra point tries for 8 points scored, the most of any C-USA kicker in Week 5.  Munson also averaged 64.2 yards per kickoff and had two of his five kickoffs go into the end zone for touchbacks.  In two conference games, Warner Robins, Georgia, native is 4-for-4 in field goal attempts and for the season he is 11-for-11 in extra point tries.  Munson, who won the award for the second time this season, is currently only one of 12 true freshmen starting kickers on FBS teams.
 
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.
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.
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.