INDIANAPOLIS – Truman State freshman cornerback James Franklin III has been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference/Athletic Solutions Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday.
Franklin earned the recognition following a historic performance in Truman's 48-3 victory over Lincoln on Saturday 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 Bulldog defense limited Lincoln to just three points and 239 total yards, including 63 rushing yards. Truman also recorded five sacks, 13 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries while holding the Blue Tigers scoreless over the final three quarters.
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. Junior DJ Richmond earned the award on Oct. 26 following his 98-yard interception return for a touchdown against Southwest Baptist.
Franklin is a freshman majoring in Business Administration and has helped the Bulldogs remain in contention for the GLVC Championship. Truman improved to 5-4 overall and 5-1 in conference play following Saturday's victory, remaining tied for first place in the league standings.
The Bulldogs will travel to William Jewell next Saturday for a pivotal conference matchup against the Cardinals, with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. in Liberty, Missouri.
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