Jax Leatherwood Named Tri-Star CFB Player of the Week After Five-Touchdown Comeback
Tennessee Tech quarterback Jax Leatherwood (No. 12) delivers a pass during the Golden Eagles’ 42–38 comeback victory over Wofford. (Photo Courtesy of @TNTechFootball via X/Twitter)
Wofford Seizes Control
Tennessee Tech quarterback Jax Leatherwood is the Tri-Star Network’s College Football Player of the Week following his performance in the Golden Eagles’ 42-38 comeback victory over Wofford.
Leatherwood completed 38 of his 48 passes for 427 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 8.9 yards per attempt.
Wofford struck early, taking a 7-0 lead on the opening drive. Tennessee Tech didn’t respond until the end of the first quarter, when Leatherwood connected with running back Qua Ashley for a four-yard touchdown pass.
The second quarter brought more adversity. Tech’s opening possession was brought to a halt when Leatherwood threw just his second interception of the season. It wasn’t all bad though, Leatherwood did pick up his second touchdown later in the quarter connecting with wide receiver Ivan Hoyt from 10 yards out.
Leatherwood Leads the Comeback
The Golden Eagles went into halftime trailing 28-14, their largest deficit of the season.
Momentum shifted immediately after halftime as Qua Ashley returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, bringing Tech within one score.
Great players are at their best under pressure, and Leatherwood delivered when his team needed him most.
Tech entered the fourth quarter trailing 35-21. It was then that Leatherwood and the Golden Eagles rattled off three consecutive touchdown scoring drives.
The first of these drives covered 43 yards in seven plays before Leatherwood found wide receiver Eric Weatherly for a 24-yard touchdown, once again cutting the deficit to seven.
The next possession was slower and more methodical, relying heavily on short passes. Tennessee Tech marched 69 yards in 14 plays before Leatherwood checked the ball down to running back M.J. Flowers, who took it eight yards for the tying touchdown with fewer than three and a half minutes remaining.
Wofford answered by draining nearly two minutes off the clock during a six-play drive that ended with a field goal, giving the Terriers a 38-35 advantage.
Time is a non-issue when you have an athlete like Tre’ Holloway on kick return.
Holloway returned the kick for 66 yards to Wofford’s 30-yard line, immediately placing the Golden Eagles within striking distance. Three plays and 30 seconds later, Leatherwood connected with Weatherly again for a 15-yard touchdown pass.
Tennessee Tech’s defense finished the job by forcing a turnover on downs after four plays.
A Career Night Keeps Tech Undefeated
Leatherwood faced more adversity than he had at any other point this season and never flinched. He received plenty of help, particularly from Tennessee Tech’s special teams, but the Golden Eagles do not complete the comeback without Leatherwood behind center.
The senior quarterback established career highs in both passing yards and touchdowns, preserving Tech’s position atop the Southern Conference and keeping the Golden Eagles undefeated.
Leatherwood did not rely on one dominant target to reach those numbers. Ten Golden Eagles recorded at least 20 receiving yards, while four different players caught touchdown passes. Eric Weatherly was the only player to reach the end zone twice.
For throwing for 427 yards and five touchdowns while directing a fourth-quarter comeback against Wofford, Jax Leatherwood is the Tri-Star Network’s CFB Player of the Week.