Harris, Avery Named SLC Players Of The Week
10/10/2016 11:02:00 AM | Football
FRISCO, Texas – Sam Houston State picked up a pair of honors from the Southland Conference on Monday as officials announced that running back Corey Avery and kick returner Jaylen Harris each were named league players of the week.
Avery was named the Southland's Offensive Player of the Week while Harris was the league's Special Teams Player of the Week following SHSU's 63-48 road win over Incarnate Word on Saturday. It is the second straight week the Kats have taken the Southland's offensive honor, and the fourth overall weekly award of the year.
The Sam Houston running set a new career high with 212 yards on the ground and four touchdowns in the Bearkats' 63-48 win at Incarnate Word. The junior averaged 12.5 yards per carry for the game, going for 107 yards on eight carries in the first half and 105 yards on nine carries in the second two quarters.
Two of his scores came in grand fashion with a 54-yard burst in the opening half and a 56-yard run on the final play of the third quarter. He now sits in 13th place all-time at SHSU in rushing with 1,956 yards and will enter next week's game against ACU needing just 44 more yards to reach 2,000 for his career.
Meanwhile, Harris entered the weekend leading the Southland in kick return average and did nothing to diminish that on Saturday. He opened up the game with a 54-yard return and later added a 53-yard return a quarter later.
The Cardinals did not kick to him in the third quarter, but did again in the fourth and he broke off another return for 43 yards and would have turned in an even better average for the night, but intentionally ran out of bounds for no gain on his final return after the Cardinals had scored in the game's final minute.
The duo will be back in action with the rest of the Bearkats when they host Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon at Bowers Stadium.
