Mason Perkins named ASC West Football Offensive Player of the Week

SEGUIN, Texas -- Texas Lutheran senior receiver Mason Perkins (Burleson/Arlington Martin) has been named the American Southwest Conference West Division Offensive Player of the Week.

Perkins caught a career-best 10 passes for a career-high 205 yards in the Bulldogs' 39-38 come-from-behind road win over Howard Payne on Saturday.

At Brownwood's Gordon Wood Stadium, two of Perkins' catches resulted in touchdowns, and both scoring grabs came in the second half. Each touchdown catch brought TLU even with HPU on the scoreboard.

Perkins' first TD grab came with 9:20 to play in the third quarter. Sophomore quarterback Seth Cosme (Angleton/Angleton) hit Perkins for a 32-yard scoring play. That TD and extra-point tied the game at 21. The touchdown came one play after TLU recovered a Yellow Jackets' fumble.

With 12:47 to play in the game, Cosme again found Perkins for a tying touchdown. The scoring play covered 49 yards and capped a 5-play, 75-yard drive.

TLU (1-0, 1-0 ASC West) hosts McMurry (1-0, 1-0 ASC West) at 6 p.m. Saturday in Bulldog Stadium.

No fans will be allowed in Bulldog Stadium due to current on-campus COVID-19 restrictions.

The game will have a free webcast, free live stats, a KWED AM 1580 radio broadcast, and KWED's audio-only webcast at seguintoday.com. Links to the webcasts and live stats can be found on tlubulldogs.com.

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Games: February 6, 2021
 
EAST DIVISION OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tommy Bowden, QB, So., Mary Hardin-Baylor
Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore quarterback Tommy Bowden (Brownwood, Texas) ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more in the Cru's 41-0 victory at Belhaven. Bowden recorded 10 carries for 86 yards and was 11-of-23 passing for 104 yards – combining for 266 yards of total offense.

EAST DIVISION DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Justice Henson, LB, Sr., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist senior linebacker Justice Henson (Shreveport, La.) recorded a game-securing touchdown with 9:08 left on a 37-yard interception return, sealing the Tigers' 28-17 victory at Southwestern. He also posted nine tackles, four solo, and helped with a goal line stand with three minutes left in the game.

EAST DIVISION SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Wil Herbst, K/P, Jr., Southwestern
Southwestern junior kicker/punter Wil Herbst (Boerne, Texas) punted three times for a 50.3 yard average, including a long of 65 and two inside the 20 in a 28-17 loss to East Texas Baptist. He was also 2-for-2 on extra point attempts and made a 25-yard field goal early in the first quarter.

WEST DIVISION OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Mason Perkins, WR, Sr., Texas Lutheran
Texas Lutheran senior wide receiver Mason Perkins (Burleson, Texas) set new career-highs with 10 catches for 205 yards to go with a pair of touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 39-38 win at Howard Payne. His TD receptions were for 32 and 49 yards, which tied the game on each score. Perkins' 49-yarder tied the game at 31-31 with 12:47 to play.

WEST DIVISION DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Colton Strickland, DL, Fr., McMurry
McMurry freshman defensive lineman Colton Strickland (Hawley, Texas) led the War Hawks with eight tackles, five solo, and had 3.5 tackles for a loss of 19 yards, including 1.5 sacks in their 17-14 win at Sul Ross State. His solo sack was on a 4th & 4 play, which led to a turnover on downs.

WEST DIVISION SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Blake Phipps, K, Sr., Howard Payne
Howard Payne senior kicker Blake Phipps (Dripping Springs, Texas) connected on seven kickoffs for a 58.6 yard average and four touchbacks in the Yellow Jacket's one-point loss to Texas Lutheran. He also blasted a 42-yard field goal in the second quarter and 5-for-5 on extra point chances.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES
Offensive
McMurry freshman wide receiver Kristopher Martin (El Paso, Texas) had five catches for 100 yards and caught a 2-point conversion in his collegiate debut. He landed his conversion catch with one foot in the corner after a jump ball to seal the McMurry 17-14 win at Sul Ross State.

Sul Ross State sophomore running back Ozias Wright (Killeen, Texas) rushed for 104 yards on 22 carries for an average of 4.7 in the Lobos' 17-14 loss to McMurry.

Howard Payne senior wide receiver Jake Parker (Whitehouse, Texas) led the Yellow Jackets with 11 catches for 195 yards and one touchdown in a 39-39 loss to Texas Lutheran.

East Texas Baptist junior quarterback Aaron Brown (Gilmer, Texas) went 17-of-26 for 160 yards and two touchdowns in his first start as a Tiger, a 28-17 win at Southwestern. He also rushed for 46 yards on 11 carries.

Defensive
Texas Lutheran senior safety James Bell (Houston, Texas) posted nine tackles, seven solo, two for a loss and recovered a fumble in the Bulldogs' 39-38 win at Howard Payne.

Sul Ross State freshman linebacker Quincy Blair (Missouri City, Texas) led the Lobos with seven tackles, .5 for a loss and forced a fumble in a 17-14 loss to McMurry.