WALESKA, Ga. – Coming off a 62-35 win over Union Commonwealth University, the University of Pikeville had two players pick up player of the week honors in the AAC.
 
Lee Kirkland has been named Offensive Player of the Week while Clayton Hutto was named Special Teams Player of the Week. They joined Point (Ga.) University's Cortez Thomas, who was the Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Hutto is a 6-0, 164-pound freshman from Thomasville, Ga. With 1:39 to play in the third quarter on Saturday night, he blocked a Union punt, picked it up at the three-yard line and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown.
 
A cornerback by trade, Hutto scored the first points of the season for the Bears from a non-offensive player. On the season, he has 27 tackles, 20 of them solos. He also has an interception, a forced fumble and five pass break-ups.
 
For Kirkland, it's the fourth time this season he's been named Offensive Player of the Week and the eighth time since UPike entered the conference at the start of the 2023 season.
 
On Saturday, the 6-6, 265-pound graduate student was 31-of-47 for 322 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 37 yards and two more scores. He threw touchdown passes of 49, 6, 36 and 22 yards, while running for scores covering 14 and 1 yards.
 
His 31 completions gave him 219 for the season, which tied his own school record that he set last year. The Bears have three more regular-season games remaining this season.
 
Kirkland, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, now has 2,312 passing yards and 21 touchdowns this season.
 
UPike is now 3-4 on the season but more importantly 3-0 in the conference with three more league games to play. On Saturday evening, the Bears will host Bluefield (Va.) University at the W.C. Hambley Athletics Conference at 7 p.m.