Robertson, Lally Named Week Three CSJ Freshmen Of The Week
College Sports Journal
News Release
PHILADELPHIA, PA. — John Robertson of Villanova and T.J. Lally of South Dakota State have been named as the College Sports Journal co-freshmen of the week for the third week of the Football Championship Subdivision season.
Robertson, making just his second career start at quarterback, piled up 234 yards of total offense in Villanova's 31-10 Colonial Athletic Association victory over Rhode Island last Saturday at home.
Robertson, who started the season as Villanova's Wildcat quarterback against Temple and moved into the starting lineup for the second game of the season against Fordham, completed 14-of-27 passes for 171 yards and rushed 11 times for 63 yards and one touchdown — a one-yard scoring run in the third period that gave Villanova the lead for good at 14-10.
Trailing 10-7 at halftime, Robertson led a punishing Wildcat ground game that helped Villanova turn the game into a blowout.
Robertson is now 2-0 as the team's starting quarterback and has been named as the CAA freshman of the week twice. After three games he ranks third on the team in rushing with 187 yards on 40 carries (4.7 yards per carry).
The redshirt freshman from Paramus, N.J. also owns a team-high tying three rushing scores. Robertson has completed 31-of-61 for 384 yards and one touchdown.
Lally turned in a spectacular day for the South Dakota State defense in a tough 12-8 victory over UC-Davis Saturday at home, coming up with four solo sacks and 10 solo tackles.
The redshirt freshman from Chicago also recovered a fumble on the final offensive play of the game by UC Davis to seal the win.
Lally's four sacks were the most by an FCS player thus far this season and the most in a single game in the Division I era for South Dakota State. His sacks resulted in 31 yards of losses.
Led by the play of Lally, the Aggies never got past the Jackrabbits' 25-yard line during the game and were held without a touchdown.
Other candidates considered included:
Kade Bell, quarterback, Jacksonville vs Webber International
Nick Bruno, kicker, Stephen F. Austin vs Montana State
Terrance Bryant, punt returner, Jacksonville vs Webber International
Zach Cimaglia, kicker, North Carolina A&T vs Virginia-Lynchburg
Carlton Heard, wide receiver, Gardner-Webb vs Samford
Casey Jahn, running back, Northern Arizona vs Fort Lewis
Spearman Robinson, wide receiver, Western Carolina vs Wofford
Stephen Shaw, punter, Montana vs Liberty
DeShaun Summer, defensive back, Morgan State
Chris Sullens, punter, Missouri State vs Murray State
Michael Weimer, quarterback, Western Carolina vs Wofford
Josh Woodrum, quarterback, Liberty vs Montana
College Sports Journal is selecting weekly freshmen of the week for the first time this season, but it is not the first time that the people behind the selections have chosen players of the week at the FCS level.
The weekly selections are made by a panel of FCS experts that include the co-owners of College Sports Journal, David Coulson and Chuck Burton.
Coulson is a 35-year veteran of covering college football at every level from Division I to the junior college ranks, including 20 years as the leading written voice of FCS. He authored an award-winning, coffee-table book on Appalachian State's run to the 2005 national championship, entitled "Magic on the Mountain."
A 1980 graduate of Fresno State, Coulson also spent two years as sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times, three seasons running the FCS awards program as the executive director of The Sports Network and was one of the pioneers of College Sporting News in 2001.
Burton cut his teeth in FCS as a student at Lehigh. After graduating, he began the popular blog, Lehigh Sports Nation, covering the Mountain Hawks and the Patriot League in depth.
Burton also spent nearly a decade writing a successful FCS column for College Sporting News before beginning the College Sports Journal web site with Coulson last year.
College Sports Journal also publishes preseason and postseason All-America teams for FCS, national awards honoring offensive and defensive players of the year, a lineman of the year and a special teams player of the year and released the first All-FCS Freshman squad last season, besides its work covering other NCAA sports.
This season, College Sports Journal will also publish weekly freshmen of the week, leading up to the release of the freshman of the year and All-FCS Freshman team in January.
