RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Oklahoma Baptist's
Luke Watkins and
Brett Karhu have been named Great American Conference Special Teams and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, on Tuesday.
The accolades come after the Bison's 23-21 win last week against Arkansas Tech. For each player, it is their first career honor.
Watkins is the first Bison freshman to ever earn a GAC Player of the Week nod since the team joined the GAC full time in 2015. Additionally, he is one of only three OBU players (K Luke Wendl, 2018; WR
Keilahn Harris, 2021) to earn the distinction of special teamer of the week.
During the matchup against the Wonder Boys, Watkins went 3-for-3 in field goals, which included the game-clinching, 43-yard kick in the fourth, and he pinned three punts inside the 20-yard line. He is the first Bison kicker to go 3-for-3 in a game since 2015. Plus, he's the only freshman in Division II with three punts inside the 20. Furthermore, the last and only other time a GAC player went 3-for-3 with a trio of punts inside the 20 came on Sept. 30, 2017. Southeastern Oklahoma State's Joel Carlos posted those totals against Northwestern Oklahoma State.
Karhu was a big factor defensively as the Bison never allowed ATU to get into a rhythm. He tallied seven tackles and a career-high three sacks. It's only the third time an OBU player has recorded that many sacks in a game since 2015.
Watkins, Karhu and the rest of the Bison will return to the field on Sept. 9 when they travel to No. 14-ranked (AFCA) Harding.
