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ASUs Hills Named SBC, CFPA Defensive Player of the Week

JONESBORO, Ark.- Arkansas State junior defensive back Adrian Hills (Oroville, Calif.) has been named as the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week and the College Football Performance Awards National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in A-State's 37-16 victory over Florida Atlantic Oct. 23.
Hills recorded a career-high two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, over the final 10 minutes of the Red Wolves' 37-16 comeback victory over the Owls. With the score tied 16-16, Hills gave ASU its first lead since the opening quarter and increased the Red Wolves' momentum when he took his first interception 37 yards for a score with 9:23 left in the game.
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Two FAU possessions later, Hills recorded his second interception at the Owl's 40-yard line and returned it to the 34 to set up ASU's last touchdown that gave it a 21-point cushion with just over seven minutes left in the game. He added a tackle in the game and was part of ASU's defense that limited FAU to 319 total yards, the second fewest allowed by the Red Wolves' this season.
Hill joins teammate M.D. Jennings as the only two players in the Sun Belt Conference to record multiple interceptions in a game this season, and he is one of seven players in the league to return a pick for a touchdown.
Hills' Sun Belt honor brings Arkansas State's season total to six of the league's weekly awards. In addition to Hills' selection, sophomore quarterback Ryan Aplin has earned the honor three times, while senior safety M.D. Jennings and senior linebacker Javon McKinnon have both been named the league's Defensive Player of the Week once.
Hills is also the second ASU player to be honored by the CFPA this season. Junior punter Neely Sullivent was named CFPA honorable mention Punter of the Week following his efforts in the Red Wolves game at Indiana Oct. 16. The College Football Performance Awards performers of the week are selected exclusively based upon objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams.
The Red Wolves will be back in action Nov. 2 when they host the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State in a 6:00 p.m. game that will be televised nationally by ESPN2. Tickets for the MTSU game and the Nov. 13 home finale against Western Kentucky are on sale and may be ordered by contacting the ASU Box Office at 870-972-ASU1 or 1-888-ASU-FANS or by visiting AStateRedWolves.com.
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