GSC Player of the Week Release

ROME, Ga. – For the second straight week, junior fullback B.J. McCoy showed why he has emerged as the top rusher in the Gulf South Conference – and for the second straight week he has garnered the conference's weekly honor.

After setting a new Shorter single-game record by running for 256 yards, the seventh most in league history, McCoy has repeated as the GSC Offensive Player of the Week, the first Hawk to ever accomplish the feat.

In Shorter's 37-22 conference setback to Valdosta State last Thursday night, McCoy turned in his career and team high in yards gained, those coming on 26 carries for a 9.9 yard-per-carry average. Two of those runs resulted in a pair of touchdowns – he now leads the Hawks with seven TDs – including an 81-yarder in the fourth quarter that kept the Hawks within striking distance of the Blazers, who fought off Shorter's comeback attempt with a goal-line stand and a sudden-strike touchdown in the final minutes.

The native of Villa Rica recorded the most yards in a game in the GSC since 2010 and McCoy's long scoring run tied him for eighth in the conference record book. Two weeks ago, when he rushed for 210 yards to win his first Offensive honor, McCoy ran for a 92-yard TD that was the fourth longest ever in the GSC.

McCoy's 256 yards marked the sixth time this season he has rushed for more than 100 yards and is the fifth straight for the hard-running back, who leads the conference in rushing averaging 155.1 yards a game and is ranked No. 5 nationally among Division II runners and his 8.1 yards-per-carry average is the fourth best in Division II.

Shorter is also the GSC's top rushing teams with a 299.6 yards per game average and is ranked No. 7 in the nation.

Thanks to his performance against Valdosta, McCoy became just the third Hawk in the program's 11-year history to go over the 1,000-yard barrier in a single season having gained 1,086 yards this season – No. 4 nationally – that put him into the No. 3 spot in the team's record book. Former Hawks standout A.J. Cooley, who McCoy passed with his single-game record, has top two single-season efforts gaining 1,558 yards in 2008 and 1,429 in 2009.

Additionally, McCoy is now No. 2 in all-time career yards – Cooley has the mark with 4,111 – at Shorter with 2,046 yards and his 370 career carries is the Hawks' fourth most.
Earlier this season, Shorter linebacker Zach Butts and sophomore quarterback Aaron Bryant earned GSC Player of the Week recognition.

Florida Tech defensive end J.J. Sanders – the Panthers host Shorter this Saturday night in Melbourne, Fla. – was named the GSC Defensive Player of the Week; West Alabama running back/return specialist Tyreek Hill was tabbed the Special Teams Player of the Week; and UWA quarterback Harry Satterwhite took home the Freshman of the Week honor.