Opta Analyst’s FCS football coverage includes weekly national player and team honors throughout the regular season and will lead toward the annual season-ending FCS National Awards Banquet, scheduled for Jan. 4 in Frisco, Texas.
St. Thomas’ Hope Adebayo, Villanova’s Shane Hartzell, The Citadel’s James Platte and Lindenwood’s Steve Hall have been selected as the Stats Perform FCS National Players of the Week for Week 9 college football games ending on Oct. 26.
In addition, the UIW Cardinals are the Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week.
The FCS National Awards are presented by FedEx.
FCS National Awards (Week 9)
Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week
Hope Adebayo, St. Thomas, RB, Sr., 5-8, 201, Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota
San Diego previously held three opposing teams under 100 rushing yards, but there was no stopping Adebayo, who had 18 carries for a career-high 277 yards and three touchdowns in St. Thomas’ 34-14 victory in the Pioneer Football League. He opened the scoring with a 42-yard run, and that long gain turned out to be his shortest TD as he scored from 60 yards out on the first play of the third quarter and on a 70-yarder in the fourth.
Honorable Mention: James Burns, WR, Prairie View A&M; Joshua Carter, RB, Eastern Kentucky; Camden Coleman, QB, Richmond; Christian Fredericksen, WR, Idaho State; Nate Garnett, WR, Morehead State; Nathan Lamb, QB, Western Illinois; Dwayne McGee, RB, Mercer; Darius Perrantes, QB, Duquesne; Ayden Pereira, QB, Merrimack
Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week
Shane Hartzell, Villanova, LB, Jr., 6-0, 230, Perkasie, Pennsylvania
Hartzell racked up a career-high 20 tackles – the second-most by an FCS player this season – as the Wildcats held New Hampshire without a touchdown in a 14-6, CAA Football victory. Included were eight solos and two tackles for loss, and a second-quarter sequence with four stops in a row after UNH had 1st-and-goal, with the final two from the ‘Nova 1. He also had a QB hurry on a third-down play, forcing a punt.
Honorable Mention: Ejike Adele, DL, Dartmouth; Jayden Broughton, DE, South Carolina State; Mason Chambers, LB, UIW; Jake Dalmado, LB, Nicholls; Mike DeNucci, LB, Lehigh; Tommy McCormick, LB, Idaho; JaMichael McCoy, CB, UT Martin; Bryce Norman, LB, Southeast Missouri; Dennis Shorter, S, South Dakota; Jaylon Sharpe, LB, UT Martin; David Walker, DE, Central Arkansas
Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week
James Platte, The Citadel, P, Grad, 6-0, 210, Aiken, South Carolina
Four of Platte’s five punts went for 50+ yards, including a pair of 61-yarders, while he averaged 54.6 yards overall in The Citadel’s 28-11 win over Samford in the Southern Conference. Three of the punts led to Samford beginning drives inside its 10-yard line. Platte ranks second in the FCS with a 48.4-yard average, helping the Bulldogs to a 4-5 record after they finished 0-11 last year.
Honorable Mention: Kylan Dupre, P, Nicholls; Reice Griffith, PK, Mercer; William Hughes, P, Columbia; Christopher Maron, PK, Brown; Jaylen White, KR/RB, Norfolk State; Michael Wortham, AP, Eastern Washington; Jeff Yurk, P, Elon
Stats Perform FCS National Freshman Player of the Week
Steve Hall, Lindenwood, RB, R-Fr., 5-9, 195, St. Louis
Hall carried the ball 13 times for 259 yards (a 19.9-yard average) and four touchdowns in Lindenwood’s 49-38 victory over Western Illinois in the Big South-OVC Football Association. Having already scored on a 75-yard run, he broke free for a 93-yard TD in the final two minutes to cement what had been a 42-38 lead. He also caught an 8-yard pass.
Honorable Mention: Curren Borders, RB, Sacramento State; Derek Ganter Jr., CB, Eastern Washington; Jaden Green, RB, Lehigh; Nic Lendino, LB, Valparaiso; Elijah Owens, QB, Indiana State; Tariq Thomas, RB, Bucknell
Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week
UIW (34-31 win at Southeastern Louisiana)
The 10th-ranked Cardinals (6-2, 3-0) never trailed while taking first place in the Southland Conference, winning their fifth straight game in the process. They scored twice defensively as Marcus Brown returned a fumble 22 yards for a touchdown and Mason Chambers had a 50-yard pick-six. Zach Calzada threw a touchdown pass to each of his top wide receivers, Roy Alexander and Jalen Walthall.
Honorable Mention: Holy Cross (34-28 win at Lafayette); Merrimack (51-17 win over Colgate); Stony Brook (35-13 win over No. 16 William & Mary); Tarleton State (27-17 win at Austin Peay); The Citadel (28-11 win over Samford)
Top Photo of UIW vs. Southeastern Louisiana. (UIW Athletics)
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