ATLANTA — The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its Football Players of the Week on Tuesday, Nov. 10, recognizing student-athletes for outstanding performances in games played last week.
Juan Gainous (
Kentucky State),
Cameron Watts (
Albany State),
Ethan Piel (
Allen) and
Ethan Nation (
Benedict) were recognized.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – JUAN GAINOUS, KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY
Quarterback | Jr. | Orlando, Fla.
Gainous delivered a dominant performance in Kentucky State's 34-10 victory over Morehouse, completing 21 of 31 passes for 405 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. The junior quarterback connected with five different receivers for touchdowns, including scoring passes of 54 and 11 yards to Cam Tucker in the first quarter. Gainous added 20 rushing yards, finishing with 425 yards of total offense as the Thorobreds closed the regular season with an 8-2 overall record and a 7-1 mark in SIAC play.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – CAMERON WATTS, ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY
Defensive Back | Sr. | Tyrone, Ga.
Watts delivered an electrifying performance in Albany State's 49-0 victory over Fort Valley State in the 36th Fountain City Classic, scoring two touchdowns in the game's opening 47 seconds. The senior returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown before intercepting a pass on Fort Valley State's third offensive play and returning it 53 yards for another score. Watts finished with four tackles and two interceptions totaling 88 return yards, including a second pick that set up another Albany State touchdown. His performance earned him Fountain City Classic Most Valuable Player honors as the Golden Rams secured their fourth consecutive victory in the rivalry.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – ETHAN PIEL, ALLEN UNIVERSITY
Kicker | Fr. | Piedmont, S.C.
Piel delivered the decisive points in Allen's 31-28 road victory over Edward Waters, connecting on a 32-yard field goal with 7:15 remaining in the fourth quarter to break a 28-28 tie. The freshman kicker also converted all four of his extra-point attempts, accounting for seven points in the victory. His fourth-quarter field goal proved to be the game-winner as the Yellow Jackets held off Edward Waters to close the regular season with a conference victory.
NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK – ETHAN NATION, BENEDICT COLLEGE
Defensive Back | Sr. | Roswell, Ga.
Nation played a pivotal role in Benedict's 45-38 victory over Central State, recording two interceptions, three tackles, a half-tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries. The senior defensive back intercepted a pass late in the first quarter and returned it three yards to the Central State 37-yard line, setting up a Benedict touchdown that extended the Tigers' lead to 17-0. Nation added another interception late in the second quarter, helping Benedict maintain control of the contest. His defensive contributions helped the Tigers secure the No. 1 seed and the right to host the 2026 SIAC Football Championship.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is an NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) headquartered in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and eight women's sports and is a proud member of NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.