Posted by Joey Mullins on 2007-09-17

Samford redshirt freshman running back Chris Evans was named the Ohio Valley Conference's Newcomer of the Week when the league announced its weekly honors on Sunday, September 16.

In Thursday night's 34-24 win over Presbyterian, Evans rushed 20 times for a career-high 174 yards and a touchdown. Evans sealed the win for the Bulldogs with a career-long 51-yard touchdown run with 3:46 to go in the game. For the game, Evans averaged 8.7 yards per carry.

Evans, a transfer from UAB, became the first Samford player to rush for over 100 yards since Drew Guess ran for 108 yards against Edward Waters in 2005. Evans' total was the most for a Samford player since Ray Nelson ran for 198 yards against Southeast Missouri in 2004.

In the game, Evans also returned two kicks for a total of 67 yards. Evans is the first Samford player so far this season to earn weekly honors from the OVC.

Evans and the Bulldogs will open conference play on Saturday, Sept. 22, when they play host to Southeast Missouri. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Seibert Stadium.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.