WALESKA, Ga. – Two University of Pikeville football players have been honored by the Appalachian Athletics Conference, one for the first time.
 
Quarterback Lee Kirkland has been named offensive player of the week while defensive back Timothy Butler has been honored as the defensive player of the week.
 
Butler, a 6-9, 165-pound graduate student from Plantation, Fla., is player of the week for the first time in his career. This comes after a day with two interceptions and three tackles in the win over Point on Saturday.
 
Butler first interception came on the second play of the second quarter to stop a Point drive that had moved into UPike territory. The second, with 2:43 left in the third, again came in the UPike end of the field.
 
This was the second time this season a Bear has been named defensive player of the week, following Myson Livingston's win after the victory over Faulkner on Sept. 16.
 
Kirkland is offensive player of the week for the fourth time this season and the third consecutive week.
 
On Saturday, Kirkland was 33-of-55 in the air for 432 yards and five touchdowns.
 
The 6-6, 255-pound senior from Bluffton, S.C., had touchdown passes of 76, 6, 21, 13 and 21 yards. He connected with senior receiver Diego Soto for three of those, including the 76 yarder early in the second quarter.
 
Kirkland also was named player of the week after the win over Union College. He was also named national player of the week by the NAIA after that game in which he threw for 614 passes and six touchdowns.
 
It also marks the third consecutive week that he's won the honor from the league.
 
For the season, Kirkland has 2,362 yards with 24 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
 
The Bears, 6-3 on the season and 4-1 in the AAC, will wrap up the regular season at St. Andrews. That game is scheduled for a noon kickoff.