RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Not once, not twice, but three times has Mulerider Football's General
Judd Barton been named the Great American Conference's Offensive Player of the Week after the junior quarterback's elite performance in the 14
th Murphy USA Classic against then ranked Henderson State.
The league has voted the Alexandria, Louisiana native the Offensive Player of the Week for back-to-back weeks, making Barton the first quarterback in the program's history to win the honor in back-to-back weeks. He is just the second Mulerider to claim back-to-back offensive honors in the GAC (Tylor Sykora & Mark Johnson | Week 4-5 2012).
The junior was a threat through the air for the Blue and Gold as he completed 17 of his 22 passing attempts for 163, but the reason for Barton's success in the air came on the ground. His legs kept the Reddies' defense on their heels as the general rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries. His longest rush of the day was a house call for 59 yards to the crib. On those 11 carries, Barton averaged a very impressive 11.0 yards per carry.
Barton continues to flex as one of the league's premiere quarterbacks with his nine passing touchdowns (2
nd GAC), 1,374 passing yards (2
nd GAC), 13.7 points responsible for per game (2
nd GAC), and 96 points responsible for overall (1
st GAC). As mentioned, the Bayou State native's legs have been deadly for defenses as number 10 has rushed for seven touchdowns (6
th GAC | 27
th nationally), 359 yards (13
th GAC), and 51.3 rushing yards per game (13
th GAC).
The Mulerider's three-time winning conference Offensive Player of the Week will face the reigning national champions, the #7/8 Harding Bisons, on the road in Searcy, Arkansas.
