by ***PRESS RELEASE PER THE MAC***
East Division
Offensive Player of the Week: Kent State QB Dustin Crum
Kent State junior quarterback Dustin Crum (Grafton, Ohio) was efficient with 14-18 passing for 257 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another rushing touchdown, in a 35-33 loss at Toledo on Nov. 5. Crum completed 77 percent of his passes and added 40 yards rushing and the one touchdown, for four scores in the contest.
Defensive Player of the Week: Miami DB Sterling Weatherford
Miami sophomore defensive back Sterling Weatherford (Cicero, Ind.) had nine tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and two pass breakups in a 24-21 win at Ohio on Nov. 6. Weatherford’s forced fumble came inside the Miami 2-yard line, that helped keep Ohio off the scoreboard.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Miami K Sam Sloman
Miami senior kicker Sam Sloman (Roswell, Ga.) nailed a 53-yard game-winning field goal in a 24-21 win at Ohio on Nov. 6. Sloman made the biggest kick of his Miami career as the Lou Groza semifinalist drilled a 53-yard field goal with 3:48 left in the contest for the key East Division victory. Sloman added four touchbacks on five kickoffs and allowed no kick return yards for the night.
West Division
Offensive Player of the Week: Western Michigan RB LeVante Bellamy
Western Michigan senior running back LeVante Bellamy (Indianapolis, Ind.) ran for the game-winning touchdown with 1:05 remaining in a 35-31 victory over Ball State on Nov. 5. Bellamy rushed for 157 yards on 31 carries and three touchdowns, including one-yard, 16-yard and nine-yard scores, giving him 20 rushing touchdowns this season, a single-season career-high and currently the most in the nation (as of Nov. 8). Both of Bellamy’s touchdowns in the fourth quarter regained the lead for Western Michigan. Bellamy has topped the 100-yard plateau 16 times in his career and seven times this season.
Defensive Player of the Week: Toledo DE Jamal Hines
Toledo sophomore defensive end Jamal Hines (Cincinnati, Ohio) had six tackles, including one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss, in a 35-33 win over Kent State on Nov. 5.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Ball State KR Malik Dunner
Ball State senior kick returner Malik Dunner (Carpentersville, Ill.) returned the second half opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to spark a Ball State second half rally, that eventually ended in a 35-31 loss at Western Michigan on Nov. 5. The kickoff return for a touchdown was Dunner’s second career kickoff return for a touchdown (93-yard touchdown vs. UAB on Sept. 9, 2017). It was the fourth 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Ball State history. The most recent Cardinal to accomplish that feat was Dante Love against Central Michigan in 2007.
