Sept. 2, 2003

Spartanburg, SC - The Southern Conference today named its football players of the week for games played on Thursday, Aug. 28 and Saturday, August 30. The Citadel running back Ern Mills was named the Offensive Player of the Week, Furman free safety Cam Newton was named the Defensive Player of the Week, and Elon fullback Chad Nkang was named the Freshman of the Week.

Mills, a 5-11, 185-pound junior from Greer, SC (Eastside HS) rushed for a career-high 189 yards and two touchdowns in leading The Citadel to a 64-10 win over Charleston Southern on Saturday. The 189 yards is the 16th-best rushing performance in Citadel history and also surpassed Mills' season total of 145 yards last season. Mills rushed for touchdowns of seven and 90 yards, the 90-yarder being the third-longest rush in school history.

Newton, a 6-1, 196-pound junior free safety from Bennettsville, SC , helped the Paladins to a 24-7 league victory over Elon on Saturday. Newton recorded five tackles including four solos, forced a fumble and made an interception in the victory. The forced fumble stopped an Elon drive at the Furman two in the first quarter. Furman's defense held the Phoenix to just one first down and 56 yards of total offense in the second half.

Nkang, a 6-1, 220-pound freshman fullback from Hyattsville, MD (Northwestern HS) started his first college football game against Furman on Saturday and responded with 57 yards rushing on five carries, an 11.4 yards per carryaverage. In addition, Nkang scored Elon's lone touchdown on a 32-yard run early in the second quarter that tied the game at seven.

Also receiving strong consideration for offensive player of the week were Furman quarterback Bo Moore who threw for 221 yards and two scores against Elon; Western Carolina quarterback Brian Gaither who notched career-highs in both passing attempts and completions against North Carolina State; and East Tennessee State running back Gaven Varner who had a career-high 165 yards on 37 carries against Eastern Michigan. Receiving consideration for Defensive player of the Week were ETSU linebacker Scott Brumett who had a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown against EMU and The Citadel defensive end James Wilson who posted a career-high six tackles and a sack for a safety against Charleston Southern. Also considered for Freshman of the Week were WCU corner back Bruce Lee who made 10 stops against North Carolina State; Elon's Dwayne Ijames who had seven tackles against Furman, and ETSU quarterback Carl Meadows who threw for 120 yards and a score against Eastern Michigan.

The Bulldogs will travel to Delaware to face the Fightin' Blue Hens on Saturday, September 6, at 7:00 pm.