Boeck, Lawson earn recognition for Mocs
Chattanooga Mocs junior linebacker Ty Boeck was recently named as September’s Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Month by the league office, while Samford’s Liam Welch took the honor on the offensive side of the ball.
Boeck, a second-generation Moc and Chattanooga-area native, made 28 tackles with four for loss and two sacks. His sack at Kentucky created a turnover that halted a potential scoring drive late in the first half. It was one of six straight stops by the defense, three from turnovers, which flipped a 14-7 deficit into a 1614 fourth quarter advantage at Kroger Field before the Mocs succumbed to a 28-23 decision to the SEC co-leaders.
He ended that contest with 13 stops. It marked the seventh double-digit tackle day of his career. The 356 yards of total offense for UK was the lowest for the Wildcats against a non-conference opponent since Jan. 1, 2019 (Penn State, VRBO Citrus Bowl).
His four tackles for loss in his first three games matched his career total entering the season from 26 games over three years. Boeck’s also raised his sack total from one to three.
Lawson named Campbell Trophy semifinalist
Safety Jerrell Lawson, who now has 36 starts as a Moc, was also recently named as a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. The award is given by the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame to college football’s premier scholar-athlete.
Of the 176 semifinalists, Lawson is just one of 36 from an
FCS institution.
The Brundidge, Ala., native is a two-time college graduate who got his undergraduate and MBA degrees in his five years in the Scenic City.
Celebrating its 32nd year, the Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
The Mocs have a recent history with the award as recent semifinalists also include Derrick Craine (2016), Alex Trotter (2018) and Bryce Nunnelly (2020).
The NFF will announce 1214 finalists on Oct. 27, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments.
The finalists will travel to the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 7, where their accomplishments will be highlighted. One member of the class will be declared the winner of trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first-team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.