Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Blankenship named C-USA Defensive POW
10/29/2018 3:00:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO – Not a surprise to anyone, Conference USA announced its Player of the Week winners today and Middle Tennessee's Reed Blankenship earned the defensive award for his play at ODU on Saturday. It was Blankenship's first honor from C-USA.
Blankenship turned in his best game as a Blue Raider in leading Middle Tennessee to a 51-17 victory against the Monarchs. The sophomore from Athens, AL, had a career-high 17 tackles (9 solo), one sack, three tackles for loss and a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.
His 100-yard INT return proved to be a 14-point swing and a game-changer just before halftime. Trailing 24-10, ODU was yards away from moving to within one score and getting the ball coming out to start the second half. However, Blankenship's interception and 100-yard return staked the Blue Raiders to a 31-10 halftime lead.
The 100-yard return equaled the longest in Middle Tennessee and C-USA history and garnered the No. 2 spot on ESPN's Plays of the Day list.
Overall, this was the 75th conference player of the week winner under Head Coach Rick Stockstill with 26 coming from C-USA and 49 from the Sun Belt. A total of 25 have been on offense, 29 on defense and 21 on special teams.
Blankenship turned in his best game as a Blue Raider in leading Middle Tennessee to a 51-17 victory against the Monarchs. The sophomore from Athens, AL, had a career-high 17 tackles (9 solo), one sack, three tackles for loss and a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.
His 100-yard INT return proved to be a 14-point swing and a game-changer just before halftime. Trailing 24-10, ODU was yards away from moving to within one score and getting the ball coming out to start the second half. However, Blankenship's interception and 100-yard return staked the Blue Raiders to a 31-10 halftime lead.
The 100-yard return equaled the longest in Middle Tennessee and C-USA history and garnered the No. 2 spot on ESPN's Plays of the Day list.
Overall, this was the 75th conference player of the week winner under Head Coach Rick Stockstill with 26 coming from C-USA and 49 from the Sun Belt. A total of 25 have been on offense, 29 on defense and 21 on special teams.
Players Mentioned
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