LAKE CHARLES – McNeese senior free safety Wallace Scott and senior punter Jean Breaux have been named this week's Southland Conference Players of the Week for the defense and special teams, respectively, while senior quarterback Daniel Sams has been named to the midseason watch list for the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) National Performer of the Year.
 
The Southland Conference Player of the Week Award is presented by UniversalCoin.com.
 
Also on Monday, McNeese moved up three spots to No. 12 in this week's STATS FCS Top 25 poll while it remained at No. 9 in the FCS Coaches' Poll.
 
Scott, a native of Weyanoke, came up big once again for the Cowboys in a crucial time in McNeese's 28-13 come-from-behind win at Central Arkansas that keeps the team undefeated on the season (6-0 overall, 5-0 SLC play).
 
Trailing 13-7 at the start of the fourth quarter and with UCA driving for an attempt to go ahead by two scores, Scott scooped up a botched snap by the Bears and sprinted in 45 yards for a touchdown to give the Cowboys a 14-13 lead and igniting a 21-point fourth quarter rally for McNeese.
 
He finished the game with five tackles, four of those solos. The return for a TD was his second of the season (97-yard return at SFA) that set a new McNeese single-season school record for fumbles returned for a touchdown. It's also his third TD in his career.
 
Breaux, a Scott native, did his part in helping flip the field several times for the Cowboys throughout the game with his career-high 10 punts. He averaged 45.0 yards per punt, pinned three inside the 10-yard line, and had a long bomb of 70 yards that ended on the UCA 1-yard line after a remarkable curve away from the goal line on its roll.
 
Scott has been named the league's defensive player of the week a total of three times this season, two consecutive weeks, while Breaux picks up his first honor of the year.
 
Sams is one of 32 players from the FCS named to the midseason watch list, including one of 24 quarterbacks.
 
The Slidell native is second on the team in rushing with 436 yards and has 856 yards passing. He's accountable for 11 total touchdowns on the year - six rushing and five passing.
 
He's currently ranked 3rd in the Southland Conference in total offensive yards per game (215.3), fifth in rushing (72.7), and tied for 7th in scoring (6.0).  
  
The award winner will be announced on January 13.
 
Jacksonville State (5-1) continued its reign at No. 1 in the STATS poll this week, followed by Coastal Carolina (6-0), Illinois State (5-1), James Madison (7-0), and Chattanooga (5-1) to round out the top five.
 
In the coaches' poll, Coastal Carolina is the top-ranked team followed by Jacksonville State, James Madison, Illinois State, and Chattanooga.
 
FCS Coaches' Top 25
1.  Coastal Carolina
2.  Jacksonville State
3.  James Madison
4.  Illinois State
5.  Chattanooga
6.  South Dakota State
7.  Eastern Washington
8.  North Dakota State
9.  McNeese
10. Sam Houston State
11. Fordham
12. Richmond
13. Portland State
14. Eastern Kentucky
15. Harvard
16. William & Mary
17. Youngstown State
18. Montana
19. Montana State
20. Charleston Southern
21. Indiana State
22. Villanova
23. Western Illinois
24. North Carolina A&T
25. Northern Iowa
 
STATS FCS Top 25.
1.  Jacksonville State
2.  Coastal Carolina
3.  Illinois State
4.  James Madison
5.  Chattanooga
6.  South Dakota State
7.  Eastern Washington
8.  North Dakota State
9.  Sam Houston State
10. Fordham
11. Richmond
12. McNeese
13. Eastern Kentucky
14. Portland State
15. Harvard
16. Youngstown State
17. William & Mary
18. Indiana State
19. Montana
20. Western Illinois
21. Montana State
22. Northern Iowa
23. Villanova
24. North Carolina A&T
25. Dartmouth