Top Performers Honored As CSJ Players Of The Week, Top Freshmen
College Sports Journal
News Release
PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Linebacker Dorian Bell of Duquesne, wide receiver Greg Hardin of North Dakota, running back Rob Holloman of Central Connecticut State, defensive back Laquan Lambert of Lehigh and quarterback Gavin McCarney of Colgate, have been selected as the College Sports Journal/ GameWornUniforms.com national players of the week for the eighth week of NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision play.
Quarterback Sean Goldrich of New Hampshire and Jermaine Hough of Jacksonville State have been named as the College Sports Journal freshmen of the week for the eighth week of the Football Championship Subdivision season.
Here are the conference and team write-ups for each of the players of the week and freshmen of the week:
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
Greg Hardin, North Dakota, Junior, Wide Receiver, 5-11, 170, Bellevue, Nebraska
Hardin set a Big Sky single-game record with 333 receiving yards in North Dakota ’s 40-34 victory Montana. Hardin caught 12 passes, three for touchdowns.
His final catch resulted in the game-winning touchdown with 12 seconds left. The 333 receiving yards eclipsed the previous Big Sky record of 315.
The 333 yards ranks fourth all-time in FCS history. Hardin finished the game with 420 all-purpose yards, the second-most ever in Big Sky history, and tied for the 10th most in FCS history.
Hardin’s 333 receiving yards are the most in any Division I game this season season, as are his 420 all-purpose yards. Hardin’s touchdowns went for 39, 43 and 32 yards. His longest catch went for 81 yards.
Gavin McCarney, Colgate, Quarterback, Junior, 6-2, 205, Jefferson Township, N.J.
McCarney had a stellar effort with 510 yards of total offense in a 57-36 win over Georgetown, claiming the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week award after going 22-of-28 for 377 yards and three touchdowns through the air and rushing for 133 yards and two scores.
McCarney had another outstanding performance as the Colgate offense continued to shine in a 57-36 win over Georgetown on Saturday.
He completed 22-of-28 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns and also ran 15 times for 133 yards and two scores to rack up 510 of Colgate’s school-record 707 yards on offense.
McCarney is into the top five nationally in passing efficiency, scoring and points responsible for per game, and ranks 12th in the FCS in total offense.
He is named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
Dorian Bell, Duquesne, Junior, Linebacker, 6-1, 234, Monroeville, PA.
Bell’s 14 tackles and four sacks spearheaded Duquesne’s stifling defensive effort against Sacred Heart in a 35-3 victory.
The linebacker, who is in his second season with the Dukes after transferring from Ohio State, was a difference maker in the 35-3 victory, logging five tackles for a loss and limiting the ball carrier to two yards or fewer on four other stops.
Leading the way for a Duquesne defense that limited its opponent to 215 yards, Bell single-handedly stunted two Sacred Heart possessions, one with an interception and the other by forcing a fumble. Bell picked off a first-down pass on Sacred Heart’s opening drive of the game.
In the fourth quarter, his sack of Tim Little jarred the ball loose and was recovered by teammate Reggie Eiland at the Pioneers’ 46-yard line.
Bell paces the Northeast Conference in tackles per game (11.3) and forced fumbles (three).
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS
Rob Holloman, Central Connecticut State, Sophomore., Running Back, 5-7, 170, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Hollomon accounted for the longest kickoff return in the last eight seasons of NEC play on his way to an unbelievable 377 yards of all-purpose running in Central Connecticut State's 37-31 setback at Robert Morris.
The sophomore running back took a third-quarter kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.
The 96-yard return topped the 95-yard return CCSU’s Josue Paul produced in 2009 and was one yard shy of the NEC-record 97-yard returns Sal Davis (Stony Brook) and Shon Brownlee (Stony Brook) had in 2004 and 2002, respectively.
Hollomon’s end-zone sprint came right after Robert Morris extended its lead to 23-14 on a 27-yard touchdown pass with 3:14 remaining in the third quarter.
Hollomon returned a total of two kickoffs for 112 yards and also gained a yard on his lone punt return attempt. The Kent State transfer gained 208 yards rushing — the most of any FCS rusher during the week — and 56 yards receiving.
Laquan Lambert, Lehigh, Freshman, Defensive Back, 6-1, 180, Chichester, Pa.
Lambert had a pair of blocked punts, one which he returned 60 yards for a touchdown, as Lehigh made key special teams plays in a 42-19 win over Bucknell on Saturday.
Lambert’s blocked punt and touchdown return gave Lehigh a 7-0 lead, and his second blocked punt set the Mountain Hawks up at the Bucknell 15 for a touchdown that made it 21-6 in the second quarter.
Lehigh blocked four kicks overall in the game, tying a Patriot League record.
Lambert earns the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week award for the first time.
FRESHMEN OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Sean Goldrich, New Hampshire, Quarterback, Redshirt Freshman,
Goldrich made the most of his first start in six weeks, with the redshirt freshman returning from injury to help New Hampshire recapture the coveted Brice-Cowell Musket with a 28-21 road win over Maine.
Despite the day's steady downpour, Goldrich threw for four touchdowns and just shy of 300 yards as the Wildcats reeled off 28 unanswered points to pick up the rivalry win in the 100th all-time meeting between the two squads.
It is the second time Goldrich has garnered the honor in three career starts.
The redshirt freshman completed 18-of-39 passes for a career-high 283 yards and four touchdowns in the Wildcats’ victory.
Goldrich added eight carries for 13 yards, including a team-long 12-yard rush.
Goldrich completed passes to seven different receivers and threw a pair of TD tosses to tight end Harold Spears, highlighted by a 79-yard connection with 9:09 remaining in the second quarter with UNH trailing 14-0. That jumpstarted a 28-point run that featured a 22-yard scoring pass to R.J. Harris, a five-yarder to Chris Setian and a six-yard hookup with Spears. Goldrich, who also connected with Setian for a two-point conversion, accounted for 26 of the 28 Wildcat points.
For the season, Goldrich is 43 of 76 (56.6 percent) for 521 yards with six TDs and two interceptions.
DEFENSE
Jermaine Hough, Jacksonville State, Freshman, Defensive Back, 5-9, 163, Lovejoy, Georgia
Hough had two interceptions as Jacksonville State handed No. 17 Tennessee State its first loss of the season on Saturday, 31-28 in overtime.
The true freshman also added three tackles as JSU improved to 3-2 in Ohio Valley Conference games this season.
Hough intercepted TSU’s Michael German on the third play of the game, which led to a Gamecocks touchdown nine plays later as the team took an early 7-0 lead.
In the fourth quarter, one play after JSU had fumbled at its own 40-yard line, Hough intercepted his second pass of the day, returning it 14 yards.
