Fox, Griffith Stake Claim To SoCon Weekly Awards

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A convincing 38-0 victory over The Citadel on Saturday afternoon in Charleston, S.C., bore additional fruit for 23^rd-ranked Mercer on Monday afternoon when sophomore linebacker Julian Fox was crowned Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week, while junior kicker Reice Griffith was lauded with the league's Special Teams Player of the Week honor.

The announcement marked the first league weekly honors of the season for the nationally-ranked Bears (2-1, 2-0 SoCon) who will pack up their show and head to Johnson City, Tenn., on Saturday to take on SoCon rival East Tennessee State (2-2, 0-0). Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium.

Fox, a native of Cordele, logged a career-high eight tackles on Saturday against the Bulldogs, while also matching a team-best with five solo stops (Drew Clare). He also stepped in front of a fourth-quarter pass from quarterback Quentin Hayes in the fourth quarter to put an end to a drive by The Citadel that had crossed midfield.

Griffith, who picked up his first career SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week accolade last season, scored eight points on a perfect 6-fof-6 kicking day on Saturday, including a school record-tying and career-long 51-yard field goal that gave MU a 10-0 lead late in the first quarter. His kickoff duties were stellar as well as he finished the day with a 57.3 yard average on seven kickoffs, including four that results in touchbacks.

Fox, Griffith Stake Claim To SoCon Weekly Awards

Players Mentioned

Drew Clare

Julian Fox

Reice Griffith

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