BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh collected two of the four Patriot League football weekly awards when the League office announced honorees on Monday. Colgate and Holy Cross earned one accolade apiece.
Holy Cross senior quarterback Matthew Sluka picked up his second Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 330 yards and three touchdowns to break a Patriot League and FCS single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback.
Colgate senior defensive back Owen Goss was named Patriot League Football Defensive Player of the Week after registering two interceptions, including a 59-yard return for a touchdown in the Raiders’ 28-18 win over Georgetown.
Mountain Hawks’ sophomore defensive back Nick Peltekian claimed Patriot League Football Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a punt 57 yards for a touchdown in a 27-18 victory over Bucknell. Lehigh first-year running back Luke Yoder received Patriot League Football Rookie of the Week honors for the second time after rushing for 138 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries in a 27-18 win over Bucknell.
Bucknell senior defensive lineman Connor Carretta and sophomore kick returner/wide receiver Josh Gary, Georgetown sophomore wide receiver Nicholas Dunneman, Holy Cross fifth-year linebacker Jacob Dobbs, Lafayette sophomore running back Jamar Curtis and senior linebacker Billy Shaeffer and Lehigh senior linebacker Mike DeNucci all received honorable mentions for their performances on Saturday.
The Patriot League football players of the week are selected in a vote by League media members and each school’s football athletics communications contacts, who are not eligible to vote for their student-athletes.
LAFAYETTE AND SLUKA EARN NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Lafayette was selected as the FedEx Ground FCS National Team of the Week after defeating then-No. 11/15 Holy Cross, 38-35, on Saturday to halt the Crusaders from matching their record of 19 consecutive League victories. Leopards’ sophomore running back Jamar Curtis rushed for 229 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries to lead the way. Holy Cross senior quarterback became the sixth Patriot League football student-athlete to garner national FCS honors this season, as he was selected the FedEx Ground FCS National Offensive Player of the Week after his record-breaking performance against the Leopards.
STATS PERFORM RELEASE
2023 Patriot League Football Standings (as of Oct. 23)
| School |
PL |
PL Pct. |
Overall |
Overall Pct. |
| Lafayette |
2-0 |
1.000 |
6-1 |
.857 |
| Holy Cross |
2-1 |
.667 |
4-3 |
.571 |
| Georgetown |
2-1 |
.667 |
4-4 |
.500 |
| Fordham |
1-1 |
.500 |
5-2 |
.714 |
| Colgate |
1-1 |
.500 |
3-4 |
.429 |
| Lehigh |
1-2 |
.333 |
2-6 |
.250 |
| Bucknell |
0-3 |
.000 |
2-5 |
.286 |
ONLINE SCHEDULE |
ONLINE STATS
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Matthew Sluka, Holy Cross, Sr., QB, Locust Valley, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial
*Sluka rushed for 330 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries to break the Patriot League and NCAA DI FCS record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He also threw one touchdown pass.
*He rushed for a 29-yard touchdown in the first quarter, 70- and four-yard touchdowns in the third and threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker with 58 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
*The senior quarterback finished seven yards shy of the Holy Cross single-game rushing record and now ranks fifth among all FCS players with 900 rushing yards this season.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Owen Goss, Colgate, Sr., DB, Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central
*Goss intercepted two passes, returning one for a touchdown while making five tackles and breaking up one pass in Colgate’s 28-18 win over Georgetown.
*The senior defensive back returned an interception 59 yards for a touchdown on the Hoyas’ opening drive to give the Raiders an early 7-0 lead.
*His fourth-quarter interception came in the red zone to deny Georgetown a scoring opportunity.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, So., DB, Mahwah, N.J./Deerfield Academy
*Peltekian returned three punts for 82 yards, highlighted by a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown to give the Mountain Hawks a 20-0 lead in the second quarter.
*His punt return for a touchdown was the first by a Lehigh player since 2008.
*He recorded seven tackles and two pass breakups.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL ROOKIE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Luke Yoder, Lehigh, Fy., RB, Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake
*Yoder rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries to lead Lehigh to a 27-18 victory over Bucknell.
*The first-year running back found the end zone in the first and fourth quarters on rushes of one and two yards, respectively, to help the Mountain Hawks build a 27-3 lead.
*He recorded his second 100-yard game in the last three weeks, while he became the first Lehigh RB with more than 30 carries in a game since Dom Bragalone carried 32 times against Lafayette in 2018.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Connor Carretta, Bucknell, Sr., DT, Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep
*Carretta recorded a career-high 12 tackles, including seven solo stops, and 2.0 tackles for loss of eight yards in Bucknell’s loss vs. Lehigh.
Josh Gary, Bucknell, So., WR/KR, Upper Marlboro, Md./St. John’s College
*Gary returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Bucknell’s loss vs. Lafayette. The kickoff return for a touchdown was the first of Gary’s career and the longest in the Patriot League this season.
Nicholas Dunneman, Georgetown, So., WR, Montclair, N.J./Seton Hall Prep
*Dunneman caught 15 passes for 205 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown reception in Georgetown’s loss vs. Colgate. His 15 receptions finished one shy of a Patriot League single-game record while his 205 receiving yards is a single-game high in the League this season.
Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th, LB, Macomb, Mich./De La Salle Collegiate
*Dobbs made 14 tackles, 1.5 TFLs and a half sack in Holy Cross’s loss vs. Lafayette. The fifth-year linebacker leads the FCS with 14.4 tackles per game this season.
Jamar Curtis, Lafayette, So., RB, Waldorf, Md./St. John’s College
*Curtis rushed for a career-high 229 yards on 30 carries and two touchdowns to lead Lafayette to a 38-35 victory over No. 11/15 Holy Cross.
*The sophomore running back scored the first touchdown of the game on a one-yard carry in the first quarter, then scored the Leopards’ final touchdown on a 41-yard run with 2:18 remaining in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
*His 229-yard rushing performance was the first 200-yard game by a Leopard since 2014 and the sixth game with more than 100 yards of his career.
Billy Shaeffer, Lafayette, Sr., LB, Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood
*Shaeffer made seven tackles, 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks to help Lafayette limit Holy Cross to 85 passing yards on their way to a 38-35 victory.
Mike DeNucci, Lehigh, Sr., LB, Denville, N.J./Pope John XXIII Regional
*DeNucci led Lehigh’s defense with nine tackles and 1.0 TFL while blocking a field goal in a 27-18 win at Bucknell. He helped the Mountain Hawks’ defense hold the Bison without an offensive touchdown until late in the fourth quarter.
Offensive Player of the Week
9.4 – Jordan Fuller, Holy Cross, Jr., RB
9.11 – C.J. Montes, Fordham, So., QB
9.18 – Matthew Sluka, Holy Cross, Sr., QB
9.25 – Dean DeNobile, Lafayette, So., QB
10.2 – Dean DeNobile, Lafayette, So., QB
10.9 – Jordan Fuller, Holy Cross, Jr., RB
10.16 – Tyler Knoop, Georgetown, Gr., QB
10.23 – Matthew Sluka, Holy Cross, Sr., QB
Defensive Player of the Week
9.4 – Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th, LB
9.11 – James Conway, Fordham, Jr., LB
9.18 – Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross 5th, LB
9.25 – Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th, LB
10.2 – Billy Shaeffer, Lafayette, Sr., LB
10.9 – Billy Shaeffer, Lafayette, Sr., LB
10.16 – Matt Jaworski, Fordham, Jr. DL
10.23 – Owen Goss, Colgate, Sr., DB
Special Teams Players of the Week
9.4 – Nicholas Dunneman, Georgetown, So., WR/PR
9.11 – Brandon Peskin, Fordham, Sr., PK
9.18 – Jack Simonetta, Lafayette, Fr., PK
9.25 – Aneesh Vyas, Bucknell, Jr., DL
10.2 – Troy Bruce, Lafayette, Fr., RB
10.9 – Brandon Peskin, Fordham, Sr., PK
10.16 – Jacob Jaworski, Colgate, Sr., PK
10.23 – Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, So., DB
Rookie of the Week
9.4 – Michael Vaughn, Lafayette, Fr., DL
9.11- Andrew Osmun, Fordham, Fr., DB
9.18 – Jaylon Joseph, Lafayette, Fr., DL
9.25 – Eli Thompson, Holy Cross, Fr., CB
10.2 – Isaiah Grimes, Georgetown, Fr., TE
10.9 – Luke Yoder, Lehigh, Fy., RB
10.16 – Zeraun Daniel, Georgetown, Fr., DB
10.23 – Luke Yoder, Lehigh, Fy., RB
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes 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.