STEPHENVILLE, Texas – It's not often a group wins an individual award, but Tarleton State's special teams unit as a whole was too special on Saturday that the conference awarded them player of the week honors.
The United Athletic Conference announced on Monday that Tarleton's "Special Teams Group" was named the UAC Special Teams Player of the Week. This marks Tarleton's sixth weekly award of the season.
Tarleton State won 39-14 at home vs. Central Arkansas on Saturday to improve to 9-3 overall and 6-2 in conference play. On back-to-back Tarleton State kickoffs, the Texans ended up with the football, the first on a designed lob "onside" kick that was recovered by
Omar Emmons at the Central Arkansas 19-yard line. After Tarleton scored a field goal, the Texans got it right back again on another kickoff, this time as
Jaylen Jackson laid the hit stick to force a fumble, recovered by
Rodrick Weaver Jr. Also on special teams,
Benjamin Omayebu covered 61 yards on three punt returns, including a long of 33 yards, punter
Adrian Guzman placed three of his four punts inside the 20-yard line, and kicker
Corbin Poston went 1-for-1 on field goals.
Tarleton State set a new record for wins in a season in its D1 era, surpassing the eight wins last season. The Texans' 6-2 conference mark is also a new program D1 best. Tarleton earned the No. 13 seed in the 2024 FCS Playoffs on Sunday, the highest seed among all UAC teams. The Texans become the first team to reach the FCS Playoffs in their first year eligible since South Dakota State did so in 2009.
Also announced Monday by the UAC, Southern Utah's Targhee Lambson was the offensive player of the week, Utah Tech's Brevin Hamblin was the defensive player of the week and Eastern Kentucky's Marcus Calwise Jr. was the freshman of the week.
2024 Tarleton State FB UAC Player of the Week Awards:
