BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lafayette captured two of the four Patriot League GEICO weekly football awards when the League office announced the first honors of the season on Monday. Fordham and Georgetown each received one weekly honor.  
 
Lafayette sophomore safety Saiku White claimed his first Patriot League Football GEICO Defensive Player of the Week after finishing with a career-high 12 tackles, one interception and the game-clinching goal-line tackle in a 6-0 win vs. Sacred Heart. Freshman quarterback Ryan Schuster received rookie of the week honors after scoring the game’s lone touchdown against the two-time defending NEC Champion Pioneers.
 
Fordham graduate student Tim DeMorat claimed Patriot League Football GEICO Offensive Player of the Week honors for the sixth time after accounting for six touchdowns in the Rams’ 48-31 win over Wagner on Thursday.
 
Georgetown sophomore wide receiver Brock Biestek received his first GEICO Special Teams Player of the Week accolade after blocking a punt and making four tackles on special teams in the Hoyas’ 43-12 win over Marist on Saturday.
 
Bucknell sophomore quarterback Ethan Grady and sophomore cornerback Ethan Robinson, Georgetown senior running back Joshua Stakely, Holy Cross senior free safety Walter Reynolds and junior quarterback Matthew Sluka and Lehigh senior wide receiver Jalen Burbage all received honorable mentions for their performances last week.
 
The Patriot League football players of the week are selected in a vote by League media members and each school’s sports information directors, who are not eligible to vote for their student-athletes.
 
2022 Patriot League Football Standings (as of Sept. 5)

School	Overall	Overall Pct.	PL	PL Pct.
Fordham	1-0	1.000	0-0	.000
Georgetown	1-0	1.000	0-0	.000
Holy Cross	1-0	1.000	0-0	.000
Lafayette	1-0	1.000	0-0	.000
Bucknell	0-1	.000	0-0	.000
Colgate	0-1	.000	0-0	.000
Lehigh	0-1	.000	0-0	.000

 
Patriot League Football Week Two Schedule – Saturday, Sept. 10
Colgate at Maine (FloSports) – 1 p.m.
Fordham at Monmouth (FloSports) – 1 p.m.
Bucknell at VMI (ESPN+) – 1:30 p.m.
Lafayette at Temple (ESPN+) – 2 p.m.
Lehigh at Georgetown (ESPN+) – 5 p.m.
Holy Cross at Buffalo (ESPN+) – 6 p.m.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tim DeMorat, Fordham, Gr., QB, Merritt Island, Fla./Viera
*DeMorat completed 18-of-25 passes for 386 yards and five touchdown passes to lead Fordham to a 48-31 victory over Wagner on Thursday.
*The two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year threw three of his five touchdown passes and rushed for a touchdown in the second half to erase a seven-point halftime deficit.
*The graduate student quarterback’s 72 career touchdown passes are one shy of the Fordham career record.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Saiku White, Lafayette, So., S, Atlanta, Ga./Greater Atlanta Christian School
*White recorded a career-high 12 tackles and forced a fourth-quarter fumble to lead Lafayette to a 6-0 shutout win against two-time defending NEC Champion Sacred Heart.
*The sophomore safety’s biggest play came when he stopped All-American running back Malik Grant short of the goal line on a 3rd-and-goal at the one-yard line play as time expired.
*He led a Lafayette defensive effort in holding the Pioneers to 56 rushing yards.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brock Biestek, Georgetown, So., WR, Durham, N.C./Cardinal Gibbons
*Biestek blocked a punt and made four tackles on special teams in Georgetown’s 43-12 victory over Marist on Saturday.
*The sophomore wide receiver blocked a punt early in the second quarter at the Marist 24-yard line leading to a five-play scoring drive that gave the Hoyas a 14-3 lead.
*His four tackles, all on special teams, were third on the team against the Red Foxes.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Ryan Schuster, Lafayette, Fr., QB, Macomb, Mich./Chippewa Valley
*Schuster scored the game-winning touchdown on an 18-yard run in the third quarter in Lafayette’s 6-0 victory over two-time defending NEC Champion Sacred Heart.
*He also had a 22-yard run on a long third down during the Leopards’ eventual scoring drive before his 18-yard touchdown run on 3rd-and-17.
*The Macomb, Mich. native rushed for 34 yards on seven carries in his first career start for the Leopards.
 
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Ethan Grady, Bucknell, So., QB, Manhattan Beach, Calif./St. Monica Catholic
*Grady threw for 158 yards and two touchdowns in Bucknell’s overtime loss against Towson.
 
Ethan Robinson, Bucknell, So., CB, Montgomery, N.Y./Iona Prep
*Robinson made five tackles, a half tackle for loss, two pass breakups and an interception to help the Bison hold Towson scoreless through the first half and to seven points in regulation.
 
Joshua Stakely, Georgetown, Sr., RB, Madisonville, Tenn./Sequoyah
*Stakely carried 24 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns to lead Georgetown to a 43-12 victory over Marist in their season opener. He also had three catches for 12 yards.
 
Walter Reynolds, Holy Cross, Sr., FS, Detroit, Mich./Detroit Jesuit
*Reynolds posted five tackles, 1.0 TFL, two pass breakups and an interception in the Crusaders’ 31-17 victory over Merrimack.  
 
Matthew Sluka, Holy Cross, Jr., QB, Locust Valley, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial
*Sluka completed 13-of-22 passing attempts for 242 yards and two touchdowns in addition to rushing for 102 yards and another score in Holy Cross’s 31-17 victory over Merrimack.
 
Jalen Burbage, Lehigh, Sr., WR, Lexington, Ky./Bryan Station
*Burbage posted a career-high with 106 receiving yards and tied a career-high with eight receptions against No. 5/6 Villanova. He caught a 25-yard touchdown reception late in the first half and had five kickoff returns for 102 yards.
 
Offensive Player of the Week
9.5 – Tim DeMorat, Fordham, Gr., QB
 
Defensive Player of the Week
9.5 – Saiku White, Lafayette, So., S
 
Special Teams Player of the Week
9.5 – Brock Biestek, Georgetown, So., WR
 
Rookie of the Week
9.5 – Ryan Schuster, Lafayette, Fr., QB
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athlete can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.