OKLAHOMA CITY – After stunning the college football world by beating NCAA Division I Northwestern State on Thursday night, the (RV) Louisiana Christian University football team swept the Sooner Athletic Conference's weekly football honors the SAC office announced on Monday.
Datlan Cunningham was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Week with
Ernest Mitchell named the Defensive Player of the Week and
Obadiah Butler named the Special Teams Player of the Week.
Cunningham, a redshirt junior running back from Alexandria, La., earned the honor after rushing for 117 yards on 14 carries, an 8.4 yard per carry average, and two scores in the 42-37 win over the Demons Thursday in Natchitoches. He scored Louisiana Christian's first touchdown of 2026 on a two-yard plunge in the first quarter and then broke loose on a 37-yard scoring scamper on the first drive of the third quarter. Facing a third-and-13 with a chance to secure the improbable victory, the ball was handed to Cunningham who busted loose for a 16-yard gain before hopping out of bounds when he saw he had secured the game-ending first down. He also made a pair of catches and had two receiving yards in the contest. This is Cunningham's second career SAC Offensive Player of the Week award.
Mitchell, a redshirt freshman cornerback from Darrow, La., was in on two of the biggest defensive plays in Thursday's win. Late in the second quarter with NSU leading 27-14 and threatening to add more, the ball was forced loose and Mitchell hopped on it in the end zone for a touchback, ending the threat. That was the first of two straight Demon drives that got into the LCU red zone but end with a turnover right before the half, keeping the Wildcats in the game heading to the break. After Cunningham's 37-yard jaunt to start the third quarter which got the Wildcats back within a score, Mitchell read a slow-developing screen pass, jumped the route, intercepted the ball, and took it back 42 yards for a score to give LCU the lead again, 28-27, and spur the comeback win. He also made a pair of solo tackles in the victory. This is Mitchell's first career SAC Player of the Week award.
Butler, a senior running back from Crowley, La., returned two kickoffs in the first quarter of Thursday's game against Northwestern State. The first he 13 yards, the second he took back 65 yards to the Demon 25-yard line, setting up a Wildcat touchdown which gave LCU a 14-13 lead. NSU would not give him another opportunity to return a kick in the contest. His two returns averaged 39 yards per return. This is Butler's first career SAC Special Teams Player of the Week award.
Cunningham, Mitchell, Butler, and the rest of the Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 SAC) come home for the first time this season as Langston comes to Pineville on Saturday to open the conference portion of the schedule for both teams. Kickoff of Saturday's contest against the Lions (0-0, 0-0 SAC) is set for 6 p.m. at Wildcat Field and will be televised on 446Sports.
