FRISCO, Texas — Northwestern State’s Bryce Rivers and Eddie Godina, along with Sam Houston’s Joseph Wallace, are the Southland Football Players of the Week, the league announced Monday. Weekly awards are presented by Hercules Tires.
Rivers garners Offensive Player of the Week honors after outdueling the UIW offense in the season finale with a single-game program record 477 passing yards. He led two scoring drives in the final two minutes to outlast the Cardinals, including marching down the field to set up Godina’s game-winning field goal as time expired. Godina hit all three-field goal attempts to garner Special Teams Player of the Week.
Wallace is honored as the Defensive Player of the Week Wallace after anchoring a front line that held McNeese to just 37 yards rushing and tallying three TFL, a sack and a forced fumble in the 27-13 win that secured the program’s first conference championship since 2016. With the league AQ in hand, the Bearkats (5-0, 5-0 SLC) look to secure their first undefeated season since 2016 when they visit UIW at 11 a.m. CT Saturday.
Offensive Player of the Week: Bryce Rivers, Northwestern State – Junior – Quarterback – San Antonio, Texas
Becoming the first NSU quarterback to throw for at least 400 yards in consecutive games, Rivers set a single-game program record after completing 34-of-61 passes for 477 yards and three touchdowns. After putting the Demons on the board on the opening drive of the game, he wouldn’t find the endzone again until the first drive of the second half, connecting with Javon Antonio for a 38-yard score to tie the game at 23-all.
Rivers led two scoring drives in the final four minutes of the game, completing 5-of-7 passes for 78 yards and rushing twice for 24 yards to help set up Scooter Adams’ nine-yard go-ahead touchdown and Godina’s game-winning field goal as time expired.
Honorable Mention: Julien Gums, Nicholls; Cole Kelley, Southeastern Louisiana.
Defensive Player of the Week: Joseph Wallace, Sam Houston – Senior – Defensive Lineman – Dallas, Texas
Wallace stepped up on a day that SHSU held McNeese to just 37 yards rushing, picking up 5.0 sacks and 13.0 tackles for loss as a team. He was right in the middle of the action with a sack and three TFL of his own and was in on all three plays of an early-game goal line stand. With the Cowboys threatening to make it a one-score game in the final period, Wallace punched the ball out of Cody Orgeron’s hands at the one-yard line to ice the game.
Honorable Mention: Kevin Moore III, Nicholls; Alphonso Taylor, Southeastern Louisiana.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Eddie Godina, Northwestern State – Junior – Kicker – Whitehouse, Texas
Godina made all three field goals Saturday, including a 32-yarder as time expired to lift NSU to a 49-47 upset of No. 14 UIW. He connected on 4-of-5 extra points, with the only miss being a blocked attempt. Having to regroup from a blocked PAT on the previous drive, Godina showed he had ice in his veins, putting the game-winner through the uprights for the win.
Honorable Mention: Austin Dunlap, Southeastern Louisiana.
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school’s sports information director. Voting for one’s own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.
2021 Southland Spring Football Players of the Week
April 12 – Bryce Rivers, Northwestern State; Joseph Wallace, Sam Houston; Eddie Godina, Northwestern State
April 5 – Cody Orgeron, McNeese; Isaiah Chambers, McNeese; Scotty Roblow, Northwestern State
March 29 – Lindsey Scott Jr., Nicholls; Anthony Ruffin, Lamar; Dontaze Costly, Nicholls
March 22 – Cameron Ward, UIW; Isaiah Chambers, McNeese; Jequez Ezzard, Sam Houston
March 15 – Jequez Ezzard, Sam Houston; Jahari Kay, Sam Houston; Ferlando Jordan, Southeastern Louisiana
March 8 – Kevin Brown, UIW; Ferlando Jordan, Southeastern Louisiana; Mateo Rengifo, Southeastern Louisiana
March 1 – Eric Schmid, Sam Houston; Hayden Shaheen, Nicholls; Ce’Cori Tolds, UIW
Feb. 22 – Cody Orgeron, McNeese; Dellary Oubre, Nicholls; Jacob Abel, McNeese
