CSJ Announces Players of the Week/Freshmen of the Week 10

UT Martin QB Derek Carr

College Sports Journal 

Press Release

 

PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Quarterback Derek Carr of Tennessee-Martin, running back/kick returner Arthur Goforth of North Carolina Central, linebacker Na’a Moeakiola of Montana State, quarterback Gavin McCarney of Colgate, safety Troy Sanders, and safety Caleb Schaffitzel of Missouri State 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. 

 

Wide receiver Sean Price of Appalachian State and linebacker T.J. Lally of South Dakota 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

 

Derek Carr, Tennessee-Martin, Senior, Quarterback, 6-1, 191, McKenzie, Tennessee 

 

Carr became the first player in Division I (FBS or FCS) this year to throw for seven touchdowns twice, as the senior tossed seven touchdown passes in UT Martin’s 49-47 victory over Jacksonville State. 

 

The win pushed the Skyhawks to 5-1 in OVC play, which ties them for first place with two weeks to play. 

 

Carr completed 28-of-43 passes for 402 yards and the seven touchdowns without an interception. 

 

Earlier this season, Carr threw for seven touchdowns in a win over Murray State, a game where he also did not throw an interception. 

 

Five of his seven touchdown passes went to senior Quentin Sims who tied the OVC record for touchdown catches in a game. 

 

Carr threw four touchdowns in the first quarter alone as the Skyhawks jumped out to a 28-7 lead. 

 

He added one touchdown pass in each the second and third quarters and tossed his final score to Jeremy Butler with 5:31 to play. That strike proved to be the game-winning score. 

 

In the process Carr became UT Martin’s all-time leader in total offense (7,767), a mark that now ranks seventh in OVC history. 

 

He also moved into third place in OVC history for touchdown passes (62) and fifth in career passing yards (7,730). Carr currently ranks fifth nationally in points responsible for (16.67/game), 10th in total passing yards (2,578), 10th in passing yards/game (286.44) and 11th in passing efficiency (151.63).

 

 

Gavin McCarney, Colgate, Senior, Quarterback, 6-2, 205, Jefferson Township, N.J.

 

McCarney led Colgate to a record-setting offensive day in a 65-41 win over Lafayette, and nearly broke the Patriot League single-game rushing mark by carrying 19 times for 288 yards and three touchdowns. 

 

It was second in Patriot League history only to a 291-yard rushing day by Colgate’s Nate Eachus in 2010. 

 

McCarney also completed 13-of-17 passes for 224 yards and a score to amass a school-record 512 yards of total offense, which stands second in Patriot League history. 

 

Colgate set school and Patriot League records with 531 rushing yards and 755 yards of total offense, and the 65-point total was the second-best mark in League history. 

 

McCarney leads the nation with 12.2 points per game, making him the only quarterback in the top 70 on the list. 

 

He was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the third time in Colgate’s last five games.

 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER

 

Na’a Moeakiola, Montana State, Junior, Linebacker, 5-11, 217, Euless, Texas

 

Moeakiola, tallied a team-high nine tackles — including five for loss — with a sack in No. 3 Montana State’s 20-17 road win over Sacramento State . 

 

The five tackles for loss are the most by a Big Sky player this season. 

 

His sack helped forced the Hornets to attempt a 53-yard field goal, which was no good. 

 

He played a major role in an MSU’s defensive effort that forced four turnovers and held Sac State to 82 rushing yards.

 

Troy Sanders, Appalachian State, Senior, Strong Safety, 6-0, 214, Chester, S.C.

 

With Appalachian State holding a three-point lead with 53 seconds left in the game and Georgia Southern driving inside Mountaineer territory, Sanders intercepted a Jerick McKinnon pass at the ASU 21-yard line to clinch the win. 

 

Sanders also tied for the game high with 10 tackles, including six solo stops.  

 

The senior safety was credited with two tackles for loss, resulting in minus-6 yards. 

 

Defensively, Sanders capped a terrific day by making a victory-clinching interception at the Mountaineers’ 21 yard line with 53 seconds remaining in the heart-stopping triumph at Georgia Southern.

 

In addition to recording Appalachian’s biggest takeaway of the season, Sanders also tallied a game-high-tying 10 tackles, including a game-best two for loss. 

 

Six of his 10 tackles came on Georgia Southern’s final five possessions, during which the Mountaineers’ limited the Eagles to just three first downs and no points.

 

Caleb Schaffitzel, Missouri State, Sophomore, Safety, 6-0, 214, Fair Grove, Missouri

 

Schaffitzel snagged two interceptions, broke two MSU records and tallied 10 total tackles in Missouri State's near-upset of No. 1 North Dakota State on Saturday. 

 

The sophomore strong safety halted an NDSU drive late in the first quarter with a goal-line interception he returned 100 yards for the game's first score, making him just the fifth player in MVFC history — and second this year — to record a 100-yard interception return. 

 

It was the longest interception return in Missouri State history. Later, in the second quarter, he grabbed another pick, and returned it 27 yards to complete his second multiple-interception game in as many weeks and fifth pick in three games.  

 

He shattered the MSU single-season record for interception return yardage (216) and moved into second place on the Bears' career chart for interception yardage. 

 

The remarkable effort by Schaffitzel also marked his fifth double-figure tackle game of the season and pushed him over 100 tackles on the season. 

 

He is just the second MSU player since 2005 to hit triple digits in season tackles.

 

 

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS

 

Arthur Goforth, North Carolina Central, Senior, Running Back/Kick Returner, 5-8, 171, Columbia, S.C.

 

NCCU senior running back and return specialist Arthur Goforth started the special teams highlights with a dazzling 92-yard punt return for a touchdown, the longest in school history, to give the Eagles a 17-10 lead in the third quarter.  

 

Goforth, who ranks second in the conference in all-purpose yards, added to his total with 225 all-purpose yards on Saturday. 

 

The electrifying senior amassed a team-best 61 rushing yards, 15 receiving yards, 57 kickoff return yards and 92 yards on the recording-breaking punt return. 

 

Goforth now has six career special teams touchdowns with three kickoff return scores and three punt return visits to the end zone.

 

 

FRESHMEN OF THE WEEK

 

OFFENSE

 

Sean Price, Appalachian State, Wide Receiver, 6-5, 210, Reston, Virginia

 

Freshman wideout Sean Price caught seven passes for 231 yards and one touchdown as Appalachian State knocked off top-ranked Georgia Southern, 31-28.  

 

Trailing 21-10 midway through the second quarter, Price scored his eighth touchdown of the season on a 56-yard catch and run to pull the Mountaineers to within four points (21-17).  

 

His longest catch of the day was a 67-yard reception on third-and-29 from inside the Mountaineers’ 1-yard line.  

 

Price set a new Appalachian State record with his fifth 100-yard receiving game as a freshman.

 

The 231 receiving yards were an Appalachian State freshman record, tied for fourth overall in Appalachian State history, the second-highest receiving output in the Southern Conference this season, the 13th-highest receiving output in NCAA Division I FCS this season, the most by an FCS freshman this season (surpassing the 142 yards he compiled the previous week at Western Carolina), a Paulson Stadium record and the most ever surrendered by Georgia Southern.

 

Despite playing just eight games this season, the Jerry Rice Award candidate (FCS Freshman of the Year) owns seven Appalachian State freshman records with 58 receptions, 914 receiving yards, eight touchdown catches, five 100-yard receiving games, three-straight 100-yard receiving games and single-game marks of 10 receptions and 231 receiving yards. 

 

He leads all FCS freshman in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches and ranks among the top 11 nationally overall in all three categories.

 

DEFENSE

 

T.J. Lally, South Dakota State, Linebacker, 6-0, 225, Chicago, Illinois

 

Lally tied for the team lead with 10 tackles, notching three tackles for loss with two sacks, and forced a fumble in South Dakota State’s 16-12 come-from-behind victory at Southern Illinois. 

 

Lally’s forced fumble early in the fourth quarter set up a field goal that pulled the Jackrabbits to within 10-9.