BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Holy Cross, Lafayette, Fordham and Lehigh split the four Patriot League football weekly awards when the League office announced honorees on Monday.
Holy Cross junior running back Jordan Fuller picked up his second Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Week, rushing for a career-high 147 yards and scoring four touchdowns in the Crusaders’ 55-27 victory over Bucknell. Holy Cross has won 18 consecutive Patriot League contests, one shy of the League record set by the Crusaders between 1988-1992.
Lafayette senior linebacker Billy Shaeffer collected his second straight Patriot League Football Defensive Player of the Week after finishing with 10 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss (TFLs), 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble in the Leopards’ 12-9 victory over Princeton.
Fordham senior placekicker Brandon Peskin earned Patriot League Football Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season after connecting on a career-long 45-yard field goal with time expiring in the Rams’ 38-35 comeback win over Lehigh.
Lehigh first-year running back Luke Yoder received Patriot League Football Rookie of the Week, rushing for 103 yards on 14 carries against Fordham.
Bucknell sophomore wide receiver Derrick Anderson Jr. and senior linebacker Blake Leake, Fordham junior running back Julius Loughridge, Georgetown graduate student running back Joshua Stakely and senior linebacker David Ealey III, Holy Cross fifth-year linebacker Jacob Dobbs and Lehigh sophomore quarterback Brayten Silbor 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.
2023 Patriot League Football Standings (as of Oct. 9)
| School |
PL |
PL Pct. |
Overall |
Overall Pct. |
| Holy Cross |
2-0 |
1.000 |
4-2 |
.667 |
| Lafayette |
1-0 |
1.000 |
5-1 |
.833 |
| Georgetown |
1-0 |
1.000 |
3-3 |
.500 |
| Fordham |
1-1 |
.500 |
4-2 |
.667 |
| Colgate |
0-1 |
.000 |
1-4 |
.200 |
| Lehigh |
0-1 |
.000 |
1-5 |
.167 |
| Bucknell |
0-2 |
.000 |
1-4 |
.200 |
ONLINE SCHEDULE |
ONLINE STATS
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jordan Fuller, Holy Cross, Jr., RB, North Hampton, N.H./Governor’s Academy (Mass.)
*Fuller rushed for a career-high 147 yards on 18 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead No. 12 Holy Cross to a 55-27 victory over Bucknell to win their 18th straight Patriot League contest.
*His four-touchdown performance was his second of the season, making him the second Crusader in history to have two four-touchdown performances in a single season, joining Joe Segretti (1988).
*The junior running back leads the FCS with 13 rushing touchdowns and 14 total touchdowns.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Billy Shaeffer, Lafayette, Sr., LB, Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood
*Shaeffer registered 10 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble in the Leopards' 12-9 victory over Princeton.
*The senior linebacker helped Lafayette's defense hold the Tigers to three rushing yards, holding them scoreless for the final three quarters of the game.
*He finished with multiple sacks for the second straight game. He leads the Patriot League with 5.5 sacks and 10.0 TFLs.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brandon Peskin, Fordham, Sr., PK, Melville, N.Y./Half Hallow Hills East
*Peskin connected on a career-long 45-yard field goal as time expired to lift Fordham to a 38-35 comeback win over Lehigh.
*He finished 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts and 3-for-3 on PATs in the Rams’ win over the Mountain Hawks.
*The senior placekicker also booted a 42-yard field goal with 1:54 remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 35.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL ROOKIE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Luke Yoder, Lehigh, Fy., RB, Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake
*Yoder recorded the first 100-yard game of his collegiate career, rushing for 103 yards on 14 carries in a 38-35 loss at Fordham.
*He had a 51-yard carry that set up a Mountain Hawks’ touchdown, giving the team a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.
*The Palm Harbor, Fla. native keyed a Lehigh ground game that produced a season-high 133 rushing yards.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Derrick Anderson Jr., Bucknell, So., WR, Fort Washington, Md./Episcopal (Va.)
Anderson posted career highs in receptions (6), receiving yards (115) and touchdowns (2) to lead Bucknell’s offense in a loss against No. 12 Holy Cross.
Blake Leake, Bucknell, Sr., LB, Culpepper, Va./Eastern View
*Leake recorded a season-high 13 tackles, including nine solo stops, against No. 12 Holy Cross. He produced his third straight game with double-digit tackles.
Julius Loughridge, Fordham, Jr., RB, Houston, Texas/Mayde Creek
*Loughridge rushed for a career-high 170 yards on 28 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead Fordham to a 38-35 victory over Lehigh. The junior running back averaged 6.1 yards per carry and caught four passes for 50 yards.
Joshua Stakely, Georgetown, Gr., RB, Madisonville, Tenn./Sequoyah
*Stakely scored three touchdowns against Penn, including two in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. He finished with 55 rushing yards and 27 receiving yards against the Quakers.
David Ealey III, Georgetown, Sr., LB, Miami, Fla./Miami Palmetto
*Ealey finished with 11 tackles and 1.5 TFLs in Georgetown’s loss against Penn.
Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th, LB, Macomb, Mich./De La Salle Collegiate
*Dobbs registered 12 tackles, 2.0 TFLs and a strip sack in the Crusaders’ 55-27 victory over Bucknell. The fifth-year linebacker leads the FCS with 87 total tackles through Week Six.
Brayten Silbor, Lehigh, So., QB, Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral
*Silbor completed 19-of-30 passes for 257 yards and three touchdown passes while rushing for two more in Lehigh’s 38-35 loss at Fordham. His three touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns were both career highs.
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
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
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
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
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.