Randy Shepherd of Central Missouri and Cedric Houston of Missouri Western were named MIAA Football Players of the Week. Shepherd and the Mules defense shut down Ft. Hays State and Houston was huge on punt returns for the Griffons.
Shepherd helped the Mules hold Ft .Hays State to only three points, a team that averaged 33.7 per game coming in. The senior from Kansas City, Kan., picked off two passes and recovered a fumble in the game. Shepherd’s first interception came in the first quarter, and UCM turned that into the first points of the game on a field goal. His fumble recovery set up the Mules’ final points of the first half, as they made it 17-0 on a TD just before halftime. Shepherd’s final interception set up another field goal for Central Missouri as he returned it 70 yards to the FHSU 10 early in the fourth quarter.
Houston had a great day for the Griffons as he had 106 yards on three punt returns, including a 62-yard return for a touchdown. The senior from Kissimmee, Fla., also had two kickoff returns for 60 yards with a long of 55 yards to open up the second half, giving the Griffons a short field to work with. On the day, Houston finished with 187 all-purpose yards with 166 of them coming on returns.