Wofford’s Breitenstein Heads Up CSJ National Players Of The Week

College Sports Journal

News Release

 

PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Fullback Eric Breitenstein of Wofford, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo of Eastern Illinois, defensive backs Brooklyn Fox of Eastern Kentucky and Dontavais Johnson of Coastal Carolina and defensive tackle Oceika Bakou of Albany have been selected as the College Sports Journal/Game Worn Uniforms.com national players of the week for the first week of NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision play.

 

Offensive Players

 

 

Eric Breitenstein, Wofford, Senior, Fullback, Valle Crucis, N.C.

Breitenstein rushed for 219 yards on 22 carries as Wofford defeated Gardner-Webb 34-7 Saturday night on the road. 

 

The senior back scored a 64-yard touchdown in the third quarter and added a second score from 19 yards out in the fourth. 

 

With 219 rushing yards, Breitenstein moved into second place on Wofford’s all-time rushing list. It was the fourth time in his career he topped the 200-yard plateau and the 119th time a Southern Conference player has topped the 200-yard barrier.

 

 

Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois, Junior, Quarterback, 6-3, 206, Arlington Heights, IL

 

Garoppolo completed 32-of-49 passes for a career-high 369 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-28 win over rival Southern Illinois to become just the seventh Panther quarterback to pass for five or more touchdowns in a game. 

 

Garoppolo threw touchdowns passes to four different receivers and the touchdowns went for 2, 14, 50, 11 and 31 yards. 

 

The five touchdowns moved him into fifth in EIU history (39) while the 369 passing yards were the 15th-best, single-game effort in school history.

 

 

Defensive Players

 

Dontavais Johnson, Coastal Carolina, Defensive Back, Senior, 5-10, 175, West Palm Beach, Florida

 

Johnson had three interceptions and a pass break-up in Coastal Carolina’s season-opening win over North Carolina A&T.  

 

With no career picks and just three pass break-ups in this first three years at Coastal, Johnson tied the school record for interceptions in a single-game.  

 

After Coastal went up 7-0 and the Aggies at midfield, Johnson picked off his first career pass, which eventually led to a CCU score. 

 

In the second quarter, Johnson recorded his second interception that led to a Chanticleer field goal and 17-0 advantage.  

 

His pass break-up forced a NCA&T field goal, while his final pick came in the fourth quarter on the Aggies’ final drive.

 

 

Brooklyn Fox, Eastern Kentucky, Defensive Back, Senior, 6-4, 215, Tulsa, Oklahoma 

 

Fox intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble in Eastern Kentucky’s season-opening loss at FBS opponent Purdue. The senior’s first interception came on the Boilermakers first drive of the game, picking off a pass at EKU’s own 34-yard line. 

 

Fox also picked off a pass at the EKU 30-yard line in the second quarter, returning it 46 yards to the Purdue 24-yard line. The fumble recovery came early in the fourth quarter, setting the Colonels up at the Purdue 20-yard line. 

 

Fox was the first EKU player to tally three turnovers in a game since 2009 (Patrick McClellan).

 

 

Special Teams

 

Oceika Bakou, Albany, Defensive Tackle, Senior, 6-0, 250, Rochester, N.Y.

 

Bakou blocked two punts resulting directly in eight points against Colgate. The second blocked punt resulted in a TD which game the Danes a lead they wouldn't relinquish in their 40-23 victory over the Raiders.

 

The veteran defensive tackle blocked punts on back-to-back Colgate possessions in the second quarter, turning the tide in a game that Albany initially trailed by a 10-0 margin. 

 

Both of the stuffs resulted in immediate points for the Great Danes. First, with Colgate holding a 10-7 lead and punting from its own 23, Bakou swatted a ball that wound up making its way out of the back of the end zone for a safety with 8:19 remaining in the second quarter. 

 

About five minutes later Bakou got his hands on another Colgate’s punt attempt, allowing Kyle Jordan to scoop it up and run 19 yards for a touchdown that put Albany ahead for good. In fewer than six minutes, Bakou matched the entire punt block total of Albany’s 2011 season.

 

 

About College Sports Journal

 

College Sports Journal is selecting weekly national players 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.

 

About GameWornUniforms.com

 

GameWornUniforms.com is the foremost dealer of game-worn uniforms, jerseys and equipment in the world. 

Parent company Pro-Am Sports has been in business for over 30 years and currently has the world's largest inventory of game-used merchandise from the NBA, NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball, the minor leagues and colleges — including one of the few places customers can find Football Championship Subdivision merchandise. 

Every player identified item comes with a GameWornUniforms.com letter of authenticity.