The University of Tennessee at Martin running back duo of Zak Wallace (Offensive Player of the Week) and Sam Franklin (Newcomer of the Week) claimed a pair of Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week honors after respective standout performances against Lindenwood.
A native of Benton, Ark., Wallace claimed his second player of the week honor of the season after a dominating night against Lindenwood in the team's league opener in which he accumulated 204 rush yards on just 11 carries. He averaged 18.5 yards per carry and tallied two rushing touchdowns in the victory. His first touchdown came in the first half to give the Skyhawk an eight-point advantage heading into halftime. Then in the third quarter he set a new program single-game record and posted the longest rush by a FCS player this season with a 97-yard touchdown.
Wallace's 200-yard performance was the first by a Skyhawk since 2014 and ranked 12th on the program's single-game yardage list. His two touchdowns also moved him into a tie for third place on the program's all-time rushing touchdown leaderboard with 22 in parts of three seasons. He currently ranks fifth nationally with six rushing touchdowns while his 430 rushing yards rank sixth.
Hailing from Little Rock, Ark., Franklin exploded for his first career touchdown and wouldn't be denied from there as he became the eighth player in UT Martin history to tally three rushing touchdowns in a game. The redshirt-freshman scored two touchdowns in the third quarter and another in the fourth while remaining efficient with 9.3 yards per carry. His touchdown runs came on three-yard, 16-yard and 21-yard scampers while becoming just the 15th FCS player this season to rush for three touchdowns or more in a single game.
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