University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Mullens Garners Honors for Outstanding Performance
11/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss quarterback Nick Mullens (Hoover, Ala.) earned Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week, as well as being named one of the Manning Award "Stars of the Week" nod and a "Great 8" weekly performer nod by the Davey O'Brien Award Monday afternoon.
Mullens, who threw for 386 yards and five touchdowns last Saturday, earned his second C-USA weekly honor this season and the third of his career. The C-USA defensive honor went to Old Dominion senior safety Fellonte Misher and the special teams award went to Marshall senior punt returner Deandre Reaves in a vote by a panel of the league's media.
Against Rice, Mullens finished 23-of-31 in the Golden Eagles' 65-10 win. His touchdown total, all in the first half, tied a school-game record as he has now thrown 13 touchdown passes over his last three games.
Mullens' scoring throws came from 28, 50, 51, 13 and 16 yards and he has now thrown five touchdowns of 47 yards or longer in 2015. He spearheaded a 35-point second quarter outburst which is the most points ever scored by the school in one quarter.
He now has 30 touchdown passes for the year, which ties him with Austin Davis (2011) for the most in a single season by a Golden Eagle. His passing yard total marked the seventh time he has thrown for over 300 yards this season and the 11th time in his career. Mullens has thrown at least one touchdown in each of his last 12 games.
Mullens was named one of eight quarterbacks by the Manning The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, as its "Stars of the Week." Fans can now go to the Allstate Sugar Bowl Facebook page to vote for what they think was the best performance from this past weekend. When voting closes on Thursday at 11 a.m. (Central), the top vote-getter will be announced as the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week.
The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in 2004 to honor the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates' bowl performances in its balloting.
The "Great 8" quarterback performances by the Davey O'Brien Award, besides Mullens, includes Washington State's Luke Falk, Quinton Flowers of USF, Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield, Houston's Kyle Postma, Keenan Reynolds of Navy, Michigan's Jake Rudock and Deshaun Watson of Clemson. The winner of the Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Week Award, which will be one of the week's "Great 8" quarterbacks, will be announced Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. (CT).
In 1938, Davey O'Brien, who wore No. 8 as a star quarterback for TCU, became the first player ever to win the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award in the same year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955.
The Davey O'Brien Foundation was created in 1977, and the National Quarterback Award, the oldest and most prestigious college quarterback award, was first issued in 1981. Since 1977, the Foundation has given away more than $900,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life.
