Dunklin, Adams earn Big South weekly honors

Aaron Dunklin had breakout game last week

CHARLESTON, SC - Two Charleston Southern University football players were honored on Monday by the Big South Conference for their strong performances in Saturday's 49-42 win over West Virginia State College.

Wide receiver Aaron Dunklin was named as the conference's Offensive Player of the Week, while running back Robert Adams was tabbed as the league's Freshman of the Week.

Dunklin, a 5-11, 180-pound senior from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, caught five passes for 139 yards, including touchdown receptions of 43 and 58 yards. The outing was the best of the early season for Dunklin, a 2002 All-Conference selection. Dunklin is currently second in the league with 16 receptions and leads the league with a 17.2-yard average per catch.

Adams, a 6-2, 200-pounder from Lompac, California, rushed for a career-high 148 yards on 20 carries, scoring twice in his team's victory on Saturday. Adams, who moved from linebacker to running back in the final week of preseason drills, is CSU's leading rusher after four games with 227 yards. Adams is averaging 6.0 yards per carry and leads all Big South running backs with four rushing touchdowns.

In other football related news, freshman quarterback Collin Drafts is currently ranked 16th nationally among all I-AA quarterbacks in passing efficiency. Junior Kijana Thomas is ranked 28th nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 25.93 yards per return. Thomas had 169 returns yards in last week's win over West Virginia State.

CSU is ranked 17th nationally as a team in turnover margin, having forced 12 turnovers and commited six in four games. CSU has recovered seven fumbles, which is the 10th highest total in Division I-AA.

Three CSU linebackers are currently among the top 10 tacklers in the Big South Conference. Freshman Jonna Lee leads the Bucs with 34 total tackles and is ranked sixth in the league. Bowe Butler is ranked seventh in the league, averaging eight tackles per game, while Torri Barber is ranked 10th in the league, averaging seven tackles per game.