BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lafayette, Holy Cross, Georgetown and Colgate split the four Patriot League football weekly awards when the League office announced honorees on Monday.
Lafayette sophomore running back Jamar Curtis picked up his first Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 204 yards, and a touchdown on 31 carries to lead the Leopards to a 24-16 win over Fordham.
Holy Cross junior linebacker Frankie Monte claimed Patriot League Football Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording a career-high 13 tackles in a 17-14 loss against FBS opponent Army West Point.
Georgetown sophomore linebacker Naiteitei Mose was named Patriot League Football Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a Bucknell onside kick attempt 46 yards for a touchdown in the Hoyas’ 50-47 overtime win over the Bison.
Colgate first-year quarterback Jake Stearney received Patriot League Football Rookie of the Week honors for the second-consecutive week after throwing for a career-high 360 yards and three touchdowns on 28-of-34 passing to lead the Raiders to a 37-21 win over Lehigh.
Bucknell senior defensive lineman Tyler Alston and junior running back Rushawn Baker, Colgate fifth-year linebacker Tyler Flick and sophomore wide receiver Treyvhon Saunders, Georgetown senior linebacker David Ealey III and sophomore wide receiver Jimmy Kibble, Holy Cross senior quarterback Matthew Sluka and Lafayette senior linebacker Billy Shaeffer 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 Nov. 13)
| School |
PL |
PL Pct. |
Overall |
Overall Pct. |
| Lafayette |
4-1 |
.800 |
8-2 |
.800 |
| Holy Cross |
4-1 |
.800 |
6-4 |
.600 |
| Colgate |
3-2 |
.600 |
5-5 |
.500 |
| Georgetown |
3-2 |
.600 |
5-5 |
.500 |
| Fordham |
2-3 |
.400 |
6-4 |
.600 |
| Lehigh |
1-4 |
.200 |
2-8 |
.200 |
| Bucknell |
1-5 |
.167 |
3-7 |
.300 |
ONLINE SCHEDULE |
ONLINE STATS
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jamar Curtis, Lafayette, So., RB, Waldorf, Md./St. John’s College
*Curtis rushed for 204 yards and one touchdown on a career-high 31 carries to lead Lafayette to a 24-16 victory over Fordham.
*His 72-yard run in the fourth quarter, Lafayette’s longest play from scrimmage in 2023, helped set up Curtis’s three-yard touchdown run to stretch the Leopards’ lead to 24-10 in the fourth quarter.
*He posted his second 200-yard rushing performance of the season and 12th in program history while eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards this season, the first Lafayette back to accomplish the feat since 2014.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Frankie Monte, Holy Cross, Jr., LB, Ramsey, N.J./St. Joseph Regional
*Monte made a career-high 13 tackles as part of a Holy Cross defense that held Army West Point to 269 total yards and 11 first downs in a 17-14 loss to the FBS opponent.
*The junior linebacker made an impact play, stopping a Black Knights’ ballcarrier at the goal line on a fourth and goal to force a turnover on downs.
*Monte recorded the first double-digit tackles performance of his career.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Naiteitei Mose, Georgetown, So., LB, Euless, Texas/Trinity
*Mose scooped up Bucknell’s onside kick attempt and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter in Georgetown’s 50-47 overtime victory over the Bison.
*The sophomore linebacker’s touchdown return put the Hoyas in front 30-15 at the 13:03 mark in the third quarter.
*His kickoff return for a touchdown was the Hoyas’ first of the season.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL ROOKIE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jake Stearney, Colgate, Fy., QB, Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy
*In his first collegiate start, Stearney completed 28-of-34 for 360 yards and three touchdowns to lead Colgate to a 37-21 victory over Lehigh to improve to 3-2 in League play.
*His touchdown passes of 55, 25 and 21 yards came in the third quarter. His 55-yard touchdown pass to Treyvhon Saunders was the longest score through the air for the Raiders this season.
*The Chicago, Ill. native tied the program record for passing yards by a first-year quarterback, good for the 11th-highest single-game passing yardage total in program history.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Tyler Alston, Bucknell, Sr., DL, Downingtown, Pa./Archbishop Carroll
*Alston recorded six tackles, 2.5 TFLs and two sacks in Bucknell’s overtime loss against Georgetown. His two sacks were a single-game high for Alston this season.
Rushawn Baker, Bucknell, Jr., RB, Victor, N.Y./Victor
*Baker rushed for 97 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries in a 50-47 overtime loss vs. Georgetown. His 38-yard touchdown run at the end of the third quarter started a 29-0 run for the Bison to help force overtime.
Tyler Flick, Colgate, 5th-year, LB, Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central
*Flick finished with eight tackles and 2.0 TFLs in Colgate’s 37-21 victory over Lehigh. He also forced a fumble in the third quarter, creating a turnover for the Raiders’ defense in his second straight game.
Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, So., WR, Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley
*Saunders recorded his fourth 100-receiving yardage performance of the season, registering eight catches for 132 yards and a touchdown in a 37-21 victory over Lehigh. His 55-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter was the longest of his career and the longest touchdown pass of the season for the Raiders.
David Ealey III, Georgetown, Sr., LB, Miami, Fla./Miami Palmetto
*Ealey recorded 10 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, one sack and an interception in Georgetown’s 50-47 overtime victory over Bucknell. His first-quarter interception in Bucknell territory led to a Hoyas’ touchdown to take a 14-0 lead. The senior linebacker also forced a fumble that GU recovered at their five-yard line, which led to a 95-yard GU touchdown on the following play.
Jimmy Kibble, Georgetown, So., WR, Leesburg, Va./Loudon County
*Kibble caught eight passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns, including a 95-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. His 25-yard touchdown reception with 1:45 remaining in regulation tied the score at 44, sending it to overtime in the Hoyas’ eventual 50-47 win.
Matthew Sluka, Holy Cross, Sr., QB, Locust Valley, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial
*Sluka rushed for 171 yards on 37 carries and passed for 156 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 17-14 loss against FBS opponent Army West Point. Sluka also eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season, marking the second consecutive season he has reached the milestone.
Billy Shaeffer, Lafayette, Sr., LB, Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood
*Shaeffer finished with a team-high eight tackles to go with a half TFL and a pass breakup to help the Leopards’ defense hold Fordham to 16 points in a 24-16 win.
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
10.30 – Ralph Rucker, Bucknell, Jr., QB
11.6 – Jordan Fuller, Holy Cross, Jr., RB
11.13 – Jamar Curtis, Lafayette, So., 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
10.16 – Matt Jaworski, Fordham, Jr. DL
10.23 – Owen Goss, Colgate, Sr., DB
10.30 – Saiku White, Lafayette, Jr., DB
11.6 – Christian Sweeney, Colgate, Sr. LB
11.13 – Frankie Monte, Holy Cross, Jr., 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
10.16 – Jacob Jaworski, Colgate, Sr., PK
10.23 – Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, So., DB
10.30 – Owen Goss, Colgate, Sr., DB
11.6 – Brandon Peskin, Fordham, Sr., PK
11.13 – Naiteitei Mose, Georgetown, So., LB
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
10.30 – Troy Bruce, Lafayette, Fr., RB
11.6 – Jake Stearney, Colgate, Fy., QB
11.13 – Jake Stearney, Colgate, Fy., QB
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.