By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin football duo of Zak Wallace and Shaun Lewis combined to claim three Ohio Valley Conference weekly honors after dominating performances against Western Illinois in the season opener.
Wallace grabbed his second OVC Offensive Player of the Week selection of his career while Lewis snagged both OVC Defensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week honors following his Skyhawk debut.
Hailing from Benton, Ark., Wallace picked up right where he left off last season following a campaign in which he ranked sixth in the nation with 15 rushing touchdowns by adding three in the opening game of 2022. Wallace eclipsed the 100-yard rushing plateau for the fourth time in his career after tallying 20 carries for 139 yards and averaging 7.9 yards per carry. It marked the second three-touchdown performance for the sophomore tailback in his career – scoring on rushes of six, four and 38 yards – while becoming the 14th player in program history to accomplish the feat. With the big day, he now ranks seventh in program history with 21 career touchdowns.
Playing in his first game in a Skyhawk uniform, Lewis lived up to his selection to the OVC Newcomer to Watch team after tallying three tackles and a pair of interceptions in the win over Western Illinois. A graduate transfer from Houston, Lewis’s interceptions came in the second and fourth quarters while marking the first multi-interception contest by a Skyhawk since the spring 2020-21 season against Tennessee Tech. He is one of eight players nationally with multiple interceptions this season.
UT Martin and its player of the week performers will hit the road for its next contest, traveling to No. 5 Missouri State on Thursday, Sept. 8. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information