JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The United Athletic Conference (UAC) has announced its weekly football awards for the week of Oct. 19 with Abilene Christian and Tarleton State sweeping the awards list.
Kaden Anderson earned his second consecutive Offensive Player of the Week award after leading Tarleton State to a 49-35 win over Central Arkansas to remain undefeated this season. The senior quarterback went 21-of-29 in the air for 279 yards and five touchdowns - marking a new career-high for the signal-caller.
Texan defensive back, Avian Rice, earns his first Defensive Player of the Week award after he recorded nine tackles, an interception and a quarterback hurry in Tarleton State’s win over Central Arkansas. The Fort Myers, Fla. native was one of three players in the UAC this week to record an interception and led that group with his career-high nine tackles.
Abilene Christian’s Brandon Perez claimed Specialist of the Week following a walk-off 37-yard field goal to take the 31-28 win over North Alabama. The place-kicker finished the game going 3-for-3 on field goals and a perfect 2-for-2 on PATs in the win.
Freshman running back Bryce Green earned his first Freshman of the Week honor after leading Tarleton State with 80 rushing yards on three attempts and a score. The Lilburn, Ga. native currently leads the Texans with five rushing touchdowns.
Requests for interviews should be directed to:
Claire Johnson, Senior Director, Strategic Communications & Content
Unisun Sports / claire.johnson@unisunsports.com
About the United Athletic Conference
The United Athletic Conference (UAC) was established in 2023 as a single-sport football conference through a partnership between the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and the former Western Athletic Conference. In July 2026, the ASUN and UAC formed Unisun Sports to further strengthen the conference, which now features eight football-playing member institutions: Abilene Christian University (Abilene, Texas), Austin Peay State University (Clarksville, Tenn.), the University of Central Arkansas (Conway, Ark.), Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, Ky.), the University of North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), Tarleton State University (Stephenville, Texas), the University of West Georgia (Carrollton, Ga.) and the University of West Florida (Pensacola, Fla.).