ST. GEORGE — Blake Barney may have to get a new trophy case.
The Dixie State freshman quarterback and former Dixie High MVP and state champion was named as the Division II national player of the week by D2football.com after rushing for 291 yards and three touchdowns last weekend in the Red Storm’s 48-25 victory over South Dakota School of Mines.
The national award comes on the heels of the player of the week honors handed out by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Barney’s 291 rushing yards is a an all-time Dixie State record in the Division II era of the school.
Barney, who played at Dixie High, has shared time at quarterback this season for the Storm, though his huge game may have solidified his spot in the starting line-up.
As a Flyer, Barney won the 2012 state 3A championship. He passed for 2,805 yards and 27 touchdowns and rushed for another 1,321 yards and 19 touchdowns that season and led Dixie over Spanish Fork in the championship game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
He originally signed to play at Weber State University, but changed his mind after serving a two-year LDS Mission. His head coach at Dixie High, Blaine Monkres, took the offensive coordinator job at Dixie State while Barney was on his mission.
Last Saturday, Barney accounted for 384 of DSU’s school-record 682 yards of total offense as he also passed for 93 yards and a fourth touchdown. He also rattled off a career-best 70-yard run in the Red Storm’s opening drive to set up his first touchdown of the day against SDSM.
Barney led the DSU offense to a school and GNAC record 589 yards rushing on a school and conference record 67 attempts. DSU also broke a school D-II record for yards per carry at 8.8, and tied a school record with six rushing touchdowns set earlier this year vs. Central Washington.
Dixie State returns to action Saturday when No. 13 Humboldt State visits Hansen Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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