BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Fordham claimed all four of the Patriot League football weekly awards when the League office announced the honorees on Monday. The Rams recorded their first win over an FBS opponent since 2015 in a 40-37 victory over Buffalo on Saturday.
Rams’ sophomore quarterback C.J. Montes threw for 309 yards and five touchdowns in the win against the Bulls to capture Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Week honors. Fordham junior linebacker James Conway made 13 tackles to earn Patriot League Football Defensive Player of the Week.
Senior placekicker Brandon Peskin connected on both of his field-goal attempts and went 4-for-5 on PATs to collect Patriot League Football Special Teams Player of the Week while Freshman defensive back Andrew Osmun picked up rookie of the week honors after making six tackles in the win.
Bucknell senior wide receiver Damian Harris and junior linebacker Brad Jamison, Colgate sophomore wide receiver Treyvhon Saunders, Georgetown graduate student running back Joshua Stakely, Holy Cross fifth-year linebacker Jacob Dobbs and senior quarterback Matthew Sluka, Lehigh senior punter Ben Banks-Altekruse and 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.
2023 Patriot League Football Standings (as of Sept. 11)
| School |
PL |
PL Pct. |
Overall |
Overall Pct. |
| Georgetown |
0-0 |
.000 |
2-0 |
1.000 |
| Fordham |
0-0 |
.000 |
2-1 |
.667 |
| Bucknell |
0-0 |
.000 |
1-1 |
.500 |
| Holy Cross |
0-0 |
.000 |
1-1 |
.500 |
| Lafayette |
0-0 |
.000 |
1-1 |
.500 |
| Lehigh |
0-0 |
.000 |
1-1 |
.500 |
| Colgate |
0-0 |
.000 |
0-2 |
.000 |
ONLINE SCHEDULE |
ONLINE STATS
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
C.J. Montes, Fordham, So., QB, Pasadena, Calif./Paraclete
*Montes completed 23-of-36 passes for 309 yards and five touchdown passes to lead Fordham to a 40-37 victory over Buffalo for their first win over an FBS opponent since defeating Army West Point in 2015.
*The sophomore quarterback threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, leading a game-winning drive that resulted in a 15-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver MJ Wright with 2:32 remaining in the game.
*He threw for more than 300 yards and five touchdown passes for the second straight week.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
James Conway, Fordham, Jr., LB, Omaha, Neb./Millard West
*Conway recorded 13 total tackles, 12 solo, in Fordham’s 40-37 victory over FBS opponent Buffalo.
*The junior linebacker recovered a fumble on a muffed punt to give the Rams the ball at the Buffalo 11-yard-line, which led to a touchdown three plays later.
*He recorded 13 tackles for the second straight week and is third in the League with 10.0 tackles per game.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brandon Peskin, Fordham, Sr., PK, Melville, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East
*Peskin connected on a pair of field goals and went 4-of-5 on PATs in Fordham’s 40-37 victory over Buffalo.
*The senior placekicker booted a career-long 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining in the first half. He also hit from 38 yards.
*He also kicked off eight times for 374 yards, an average of 46.0 yards per kick.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL ROOKIE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Andrew Osmun, Fordham, Fr., DB, Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove Area
*Osmun made a career-high six tackles, four solo, in Fordham’s 40-37 victory against Buffalo on Saturday.
*His four solo tackles were third on the team
*The freshman defensive back helped the Rams’ defense limit the Bulls to 97 net rushing yards in their first victory over an FBS opponent since defeating Army West Point in 2015.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Damian Harris, Bucknell, Sr., WR, Durham, N.C./Hill Side
*Harris finished with a career-high eight receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown to lead Bucknell to a 21-13 victory over VMI. Harris caught an 18-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to give the Bison an early lead.
Brad Jamison, Bucknell, Jr., LB, Upper Township, N.J./Ocean City
*Jamison made a career-high 12 tackles and one of Bucknell’s six sacks in the 21-13 victory over VMI. The Bison limited the Keydets to 295 yards of total offense.
Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, So., WR, Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley
*Saunders caught a career-high six passes for 132 yards and a 23-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Michael Brescia in a loss at Villanova.
Joshua Stakely, Georgetown, Gr., RB, Madisonville, Tenn./Sequoyah
*Stakely rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries to help Georgetown control time of possession in a 27-10 victory over Sacred Heart in a weather-shortened game. He also had two catches for eight yards.
Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th, LB, Macomb, Mich./De La Salle Collegiate
*Dobbs recorded a game-high 13 tackles and a quarterback hurry in Holy Cross’s 31-28 loss against ACC opponent Boston College. Dobbs and the Crusaders held the Eagles to seven second-half points to nearly upset the Power-Five opponent.
Matthew Sluka, Holy Cross, Sr., QB, Locust Valley, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial
*Sluka rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns and completed 10-of-15 passes for 130 yards in Holy Cross’s near upset of Boston College.
Ben Banks-Altekruse, Lehigh, Sr., P, Berkeley, Calif./Saint Mary’s College
*Banks-Altekruse averaged 41.4 yards on 10 punts with a long of 55 in the Mountain Hawks’ 14-12 victory over Merrimack. He placed three punts inside the Warriors’ 20-yard line to help tilt the field position in the victory.
Mike DeNucci, Lehigh, Sr., LB, Denville, N.J./Pope John XXIII Regional
*DeNucci finished with a game-high 10 tackles, 2.0 TFLs and one sack in Lehigh’s 14-12 victory over Merrimack. The senior linebacker had a key sack in the fourth quarter to push the Warriors out of field-goal range to preserve the victory.
Offensive Player of the Week
9.4 – Jordan Fuller, Holy Cross, Jr., RB
9.11 – C.J. Montes, Fordham, So., QB
Defensive Player of the Week
9.4 – Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross, 5th, LB
9.11 – James Conway, Fordham, Jr., LB
Special Teams Players of the Week
9.4 – Nicholas Dunneman, Georgetown, So., WR/PR
9.11 – Brandon Peskin, Fordham, Sr., PK
Rookie of the Week
9.4 – Michael Vaughn, Lafayette, Fr., DL
9.11- Andrew Osmun, Fordham, Fr., DB
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.