The Louisiana Sports Writers Association released their first edition of the 2023 Player of the Week awards, with all three players leading their teams to victory.
Tulane’s Michael Pratt threw for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns in a critical win over South Alabama, while Louisiana defensive lineman Jordan Lawson had two sacks in his first game since 2021 for the Cajuns, and then Southside product and ULM punter Braxton Guilbeau helped flip field position and set the Warhawks up with a win over Army.
Lawson, a sophomore defensive lineman from Brandon, Mississippi, had six tackles on the night in a 38-13 win over in-state school Northwestern State to open the 2023 campaign. Lawson also registered 2.5 tackles for loss (-9 yards) and two sacks (-8 yards). Lawson helped the Cajuns force 11 punts and just 77 yards rushing on the night and sacked Demons quarterback Tyler Vander Waal five times in the contest.
Guilbeau was excellent for Terry Bowden and ULM Saturday afternoon in a 17-13 win over Army. Saturday was Guilbeau’s first career start and he averaged 41.3 yards per punt on six punts while downing two inside the 20-yard line. His punt of 59 yards in the third quarter, a career-long, was downed at the 4-yard line. The former Southside punter had multiple punts that flipped field position and positioned the Warhawks to pick up a big win in their season opener.