Franklin III Earns GLVC Defensive Player of the Week Honors
Freshman cornerback James Franklin III has been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference/Athletic Solutions Defensive Player of the Week.
Franklin earned the recognition following a historic performance in Truman's 48-3 victory over Lincoln at Stokes Stadium, recording two interceptions and returning both for touchdowns.
The Chicago, Illinois, native made history by becoming the first player in Truman program history, according to available records, to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a single game.
Franklin's first interception came with 7:08 remaining in the second quarter. He returned the ball 37 yards for a touchdown, extending Truman's lead to 20-3. Just one minute later, Franklin intercepted another Lincoln pass and returned it 39 yards for his second touchdown of the afternoon. The back-to-back defensive scores pushed the Bulldogs' advantage to 27-3 and gave Truman 14 points in a span of just 60 seconds.
Franklin finished the afternoon with three solo tackles, two interceptions and 76 interception return yards. Both interceptions were returned for touchdowns, accounting for two of Truman's six touchdowns in the victory.
The award marks the first career GLVC Defensive Player of the Week honor for Franklin and the second consecutive week a Truman defensive back has received the recognition.
Franklin earned the recognition following a historic performance in Truman's 48-3 victory over Lincoln at Stokes Stadium, recording two interceptions and returning both for touchdowns.
The Chicago, Illinois, native made history by becoming the first player in Truman program history, according to available records, to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a single game.
Franklin's first interception came with 7:08 remaining in the second quarter. He returned the ball 37 yards for a touchdown, extending Truman's lead to 20-3. Just one minute later, Franklin intercepted another Lincoln pass and returned it 39 yards for his second touchdown of the afternoon. The back-to-back defensive scores pushed the Bulldogs' advantage to 27-3 and gave Truman 14 points in a span of just 60 seconds.
Franklin finished the afternoon with three solo tackles, two interceptions and 76 interception return yards. Both interceptions were returned for touchdowns, accounting for two of Truman's six touchdowns in the victory.
The award marks the first career GLVC Defensive Player of the Week honor for Franklin and the second consecutive week a Truman defensive back has received the recognition.
