Above photo by CJ Halloran/True To The Cru
Exactly one week after UMHB claimed the national title in a 57-24 victory over North Central (Ill.), it is time to announce True To The Cru’s Football Players of the Week presented by Crusader Football Alumni Association.
Kyle King earned the Offensive Player of the Week award, picking up 66 percent of the vote, after throwing for a program-record 436 passing yards in the victory. He completed 22 of 29 pass attempts, firing three touchdowns. He finished his first full season as UMHB’s starting quarterback with 2,682 passing yards, 35 touchdowns through the air, and just two interceptions. He added 11 rushing scores, with a total of 351 yards on the ground.
It came as no surprise that the game’s Most Outstanding Player also received our Defensive Player of the Week honor, as Mikkah Hackett earned 91 percent of the vote. The senior tallied two interceptions along with a forced fumble and fumble recovery in the win, posting 10 total tackles. Four of those tackles were solo tackles, and the linebacker also contributed with 2.0 sacks. The Alto, Texas native finished second on the team in interceptions (3), fifth in total tackles (53.0), and tied for the lead in forced fumbles (3).
On special teams, it was senior kicker Brandon Cunningham who received the weekly honor, after going 3-for-3 on field goal attempts in the victory. Cunningham connected on a 32-yarder roughly three minutes into the first quarter, which put UMHB on the board, and as time expired in the second quarter, sent a 22-yard attempt through the uprights, giving the Cru a 19-17 halftime lead. He added a 20-yarder early in the fourth quarter. The Wylie, Texas native was 6-of-7 on PATs, and finished the year 5-of-8 on field goals, with a long of 33 yards.
