Samford quarterback Michael Hiers earned a national award and Southern Conference honors for his performance during the Bulldogs' 55-45 win over East Tennessee State last Saturday. Samford kicker Zach Williams was honored as the Southern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.

Hiers, a 6-foot-1, 211-pound junior from Briarwood Christian High in Birmingham, was selected as the National Offensive Player of the week by Stat Performs and was honored as the Southern Conference’s top offensive player this week. It was the second time this season that Hiers was honored as the player of the week by the Southern Conference.

Hiers passed for 442 yards, connecting on 45 of 51 passes, with four touchdowns. He also rushed for 50 yards and a score. He had consecutive completion streaks of 15, 14 and 11 and connected with 11 different receivers in the game. His 45 completions are the most by a NCAA Division I quarterback this season.

Williams, a University of North Texas transfer, accounted for 13 points in the win. He made field goal attempts of 42 and 32 yards and was 7-for-7 on extra points.

Samford, the 13th-ranked team FCS team in the nation, plays at The Citadel on Saturday.

To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email steve.irvine@1819news.com.

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