Northwest Missouri State junior quarterback Blake Bolles and sophomore cornerback E.J. Hawkins have been named the MIAA offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively, for the period ended Oct. 4. Both played key roles in the Bearcats’ 49-35 win against 12th-ranked Missouri Western Saturday in St. Joseph.
Bolles tied a program record by throwing five touchdown passes against the Griffons. He’s the fifth Northwest quarterback to throw for five scores in a game. Bolles passed for 295 yards and completed 23-of-33 attempts. His performance included a 61-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Shaw in the first quarter and a 50-yard strike to Jake Soy in the third.
Hawkins accounted for two of the seven turnovers the Bearcat defense forced Saturday. He forced and recovered a fumble in the first quarter and intercepted quarterback Drew Newhart on the Northwest 13-yard line in the fourth. Hawkins finished with four tackles and was part of a defense that held the Griffons to minus-two yards rushing in the second half. In addition, Griffon wide out Cedric Houston was limited to a season-low 25 yards receiving.
Bolles and Hawkins are first-time recipients of the MIAA’s Player of the Week honor and are the first offensive and defensive selections for the Bearcats this season.
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