September 29, 2015
FOOTBALL: MARSHALL, Texas (9/29/2015) - Gaining another four awards is the East Texas Baptist University football team. This week they swept the American Southwest Conference player of the week awards and Tyler Bates was named the D3football.com Wide Receiver of the Week. Last week, ETBU had two ASC players of the week and one D3football.com player of the week.
Earning awards this week were Tyler Bates (offense), C.J. Johnson (defense), and Dominic Haggerty (special teams) from the ASC while Bates made the D3football.com team of the week.
Bates had a career night catching 10 balls from Josh Warbington for 274 yards and two touchdowns. The 274 yards is second all-time in program history for yards caught in a game as he was just three yards from breaking the record. He now leads the NCAA Division III in touchdown receptions at nine.
Johnson had a big night on defense with 10 tackles as five were solo. Haggerty had two returns for 118 yards and one touchdown. His kickoff touchdown run of 92-yards put ETBU back up 34-27 right after Louisiana College tied the game. The kickoff is also the third longest in program history.
Below are write ups of what each player did nominated for their award.
BATES
Tyler Bates had another stellar night with 10 catches for 274 yards (career-high) and two touchdowns. He averaged 27.4 yards per catch and had an 80-yard reception for a touchdown in the first quarter with 9:51 to go for a 6-0 lead. His other touchdown catch came in the fourth quarter to put ETBU back in front 27-24 on a 78-yard touchdown pass. He has now caught two or more touchdowns in three straight games and has nine TDs on the year to lead NCAA Division III. His second touchdown catch was a momentum shift to put ETBU back in front by three, 27-24 with 13:09 left in the game.
JOHNSON
Johnson led the defense in the fourth quarter to stop a potent LC offense. He posted 10 overall tackles with 5 solo, 5 assisted, with two sacks for -10 yards and one break up. At the beginning of the 4th quarter, he had a sack on a 2nd goal from the 2-yard line that helped stop LC to eventually just a field goal that tied the game at 27 instead of getting in the endzone to take the lead.
HAGGERTY
Haggerty returned a key kickoff for a touchdown from 92 yards to put ETBU 34-27 with 10:05 left in the game after LC had just tied the game up at 27 on a field goal. The 92-yard return is third all-time in distance for ETBU. He recorded two kickoff returns for 118 yards averaging 59 yards per return.