Take a 👀 at our WEEK 9⃣ Award Winners🎖️ ☑️ Chris Parson Austin Peay Football ✅ Joshua Dye Southern Utah Football ☑️ David Hoage West Georgia Football ✅ Tommy Holden West Georgia Football ☑️ Montreze Smith Jr. Austin Peay Football 🔗 | tinyurl.com/UAC-FB-POW-W9 #UACFootball🏈

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This week’s student-athletes of the week... 🥁 Joshua powered the T-Bird’s offense against the team down south, rushing for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. He averaged 8.5 yards per attempt and broke free for a 92-yard touchdown - the longest for the Thunderbirds

Southern Utah RB 𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐡 𝐃𝐲𝐞 might be the most SLEPT-ON running back in the COUNTRY. A red-shirt sophomore sitting 3rd nationally in rushing (1,166 yds, 18 TDs, 7.0 YPC), and his story is just getting started. A thread. 🧵

Before he was torching defenses in the UAC, Josh was at UTEP, sharing a locker room (and life) with his twin brother 𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐡, who now plays DB at SUU. The two have been side by side since birth, and they still don’t plan to go anywhere without the other.

Josh’s road wasn’t the typical “blue chip → breakout” arc. At 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐇𝐒 (𝐀𝐙) he rushed for 1,499 yards and 17 TDS, clear D1 talent, but freak injuries and a stacked RB room slowed his senior year. Everyone who watched him knew what he could do.

UTEP was the first stop. SUU became the restart. After transferring this offseason, Josh has exploded, averaging 𝟕.𝟎 𝐲𝐩𝐜 with five multi-TD games. He’s been named Player of the Game in five of eight contests and twice the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week.

When you watch Josh run, the burst stands out first, but it’s the control that makes him special. He doesn’t just hit holes fast; he tricks defenders into making them. Patient, creative, decisive. Every cut has purpose. The kind of back that makes a line look better than it is.

When he opens up? Forget it. Legit track-level acceleration. Probably a 4.4 guy who looks 4.3 in pads. His 92-yard TD vs Utah Tech says it all: saw one crease, hit it, and was 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞. Untouched, stride perfect, game over.

Josh, after that game: “Every team wants to stack the box..which is fine. We keep it going until it’s time to hit the busses.” That’s not just talk. He thrives against loaded boxes, regularly turning 2-yard looks into 6-yard runs. His efficiency under pressure is next-level.

He’s a complete back. Compact 5’11”, 205 with thick legs and a low center of gravity. Finishes runs, drives piles, but also makes linebackers miss in space. Great hands out of the backfield, a willing pass protector, and relentless motor. Every rep, full effort.

About that 92-yarder, he laughed: “I always ask Josiah if I look fast enough… I’m used to him chasing me. I know he’ll be honest with me, and next time, I’ll make it look better than that last rep.” That brotherhood? It’s the heartbeat of everything they do.

Josiah’s working his way back from a foot injury, carving out snaps on special teams and pushing toward starting DB reps again soon. Ask anyone around the program. When one twin rises, the other follows. Their energy and bond set the tone for SUU’s locker room.

I’ve known the Dye twins since high school. Back then, I’d wake up for school and see them outside. 5AM, running sprints before class. Rain, cold, dust, whatever. They were different. Nothing about this breakout surprises me. It was never 𝐢𝐟, only 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧.

Now, the buzz is building. Coaches and scouts are taking notice, because what Josh is doing at SUU 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬. If he hits the portal, expect FBS programs to line up fast. But don’t expect him to go anywhere without Josiah. That’s a package deal.

Joshua Dye isn’t an underdog. He’s just 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝. If you see a familiar name tearing up FBS defenses next season, don’t be surprised. He’s been built for that stage all along. #FCSFootball #CFB #SouthernUtah #SUUFB Southern Utah Football Joshua Dye

The inevitable ⚡️: 17 🎩: 7 📺: ESPN

Tonight’s #RaiseTheHammer athlete of the game 💯 #WeChase ⚡️ #TBirdNation ⚡️ #RaiseTheHammer

Tonight’s #PlayoftheGame 🔋 #WeChase ⚡️ #TBirdNation ⚡️ #RaiseTheHammer

In case you didn’t know, Joshua Dye did it again yesterday. 34/155/1td for the kid. Workhorse. 😮‍💨🐎