Sept. 27, 2010

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Southern Pigskin.com has named Samford freshman wide receiver Kelsey Pope its Southern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Saturday's SoCon opener against top-ranked Appalachian State.

In the game, Pope returned four kickoffs for 128 yards (32.0 ypr.), including a long return of 66 yards. Pope also caught four passes for 38 yards in the game.

For the season, Pope leads the SoCon and is tied for fifth in the nation in kickoff return average at 33.4 yards per return. Pope is also second on the Samford team in receiving with 15 catches for 170 yards through the first four games of the season.

Pope and the Bulldogs will play at 21st-ranked Elon Saturday afternoon. The game is scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. (CT) kickoff from Rhodes Stadium in Elon, N.C.