MACOMB, Ill. - A trio of Western Illinois offensive
players were noted Honorable Mention by the College Football Performance Awards
for their work following Saturday's 35-21 win against Jacksonville. Senior tight
end Aaron Muhammad (River Oaks,
Texas/Arlington Heights/Tyler College), junior running back Caulton Ray (Southfield, MI/Brother
Rice) and junior quarterback Josh Hudson
(Yuba City, CA/River Valley/Coll. of the Siskiyous) helped the Leathernecks
(1-1 overall) to their first win of the season.
All three earned the accolade for the first time in their
career.
Muhammad caught a career-high three passes for 20 yards
with a touchdown. His 2-yard reception in the second quarter was the second TD
catch of his career.
Ray's 118 yards on 18 carries more than doubled the
rushing total Jacksonville finished with (56). It was his fifth career 100-yard
rushing game. He stands 39th nationally averaging 83 yards per game.
In his first start as a Leatherneck, Hudson completed his
first eight passes and finished 14-of-20 for 215 yards and three TDs (to three
different receivers). This year Hudson has completed 21-of-32 passes for 351
yards and four TDs. His 199.01 passing efficiency rating leads all NCAA
Division I FCS quarterbacks. Hudson ranks second in the MVFC and 57th
nationally with 175.5 passing yards per game.
The Fighting Leathernecks travel to Missouri on Saturday
(Sept. 17) for a 6 p.m. scheduled kickoff. The game can be seen on pay-per view,
www.MUTigers.com for more information, or
can be heard on the Leatherneck Sports Network (88.3 WIUS-FM and 102.7 WJEQ-FM
in Macomb or www.GoLeathernecks.com).
