Lamar's Harrington races to FCS national honors again

Oct 12, 2015 - 6:38 PM (STATS) - To underscore Lamar running back Kade Harrington's game-breaking ability, consider he had touchdown runs of 80 and 62 yards against Abilene Christian this past Saturday night.

But also consider that in taking those two long carries out of the mix, the Lamar junior still averaged 7.9 yards on his other 26 carries. It all totaled up to a Southland Conference record for rushing yards in a game with 347. For the season, the top rusher in the FCS is averaging 166.6 yards per game on 8.7 yards per carry.

Harrington, Northern Iowa's Brett McMakin, Coastal Carolina's Ryan Granger and South Dakota State's Taryn Christion have been named the STATS FCS National Players of the Week for games played Oct. 8-10.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Kade Harrington, Lamar, RB, Jr., 5-9, 190, Kingswood, Texas

Harrington was the national co-offensive player of the week on Sept. 21 for his big performance against Sam Houston State. He's back after a 44-28 win against Abilene Christian, when he set Lamar and Southland Conference records with 347 rushing yards. He scored on touchdowns of 80 and 62 yards to average 12.4 yards on 28 carries, and he caught three passes for 18 yards. Harrington's 365 all-purpose yards set the school record and he moved into a tie for the Cardinals' all-time scoring record with 198 points.

Honorable Mention: Tyrell Maxwell, QB, Gardner-Webb, and Kyle Nolan, QB, Georgetown

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Brett McMakin, Northern Iowa, R-Jr., 6-4, 232, Jr., Overland Park, Kansas

Northern Iowa dropped a pulsating, 31-28 heartbreaker to four-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State, but McMakin had the biggest performance in the top 10 showdown of Missouri Valley Football Conference teams. He racked up a game-high 13 tackles, including seven solos, with 3 1/2 tackles for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles and an interception, which came early in the third quarter when NDSU was on UNI's 10-yard line.

Honorable Mention: James Rentz, LB, Sacred Heart

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Ryan Granger, Coastal Carolina, PK, R-Jr., 5-11, 175, North Charleston, South Carolina

Take that, De'Angelo Henderson. In the Big South Conference game that Henderson tied the FCS record for consecutive games with a touchdown, Granger scored from 4 yards out on a fake field goal and was 3 for 3 kicking field goals as Coastal beat Presbyterian 24-17. On the first play of the second quarter, he took a pitch from holder Tyler Keane and made it just inside the pylon, giving the Chanticleers the lead for good. He was responsible for all 12 CCU points in the first half, adding 38- and 47-yard (a season long) field goals. He made a 22-yard field goal and his only PAT attempt in the second half.

Honorable Mention: Grant Senne, PK, Brown, and Deion Holliman, RS, Missouri State

FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Taryn Christion, South Dakota State, QB, Fr., 6-2, 200, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Starting in place of an injured Zach Lujan, Christion delivered in his college debut, accounting for 320 yards of total offense and two total touchdowns to help South Dakota State beat Indiana State 24-7 in a Top 25 matchup within the Missouri Valley Conference. He opened the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and threw a 34-yard score to Jake Wieneke before the end of the first half. Christion completed 15 of 24 attempts for 221 yards and carried the ball 16 times for 99 yards.

Honorable Mention: John Santiago, RB, North Dakota