Team of the Week

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Games of Sept. 6-8, 2012

Offense
QB Michael Bates, So., Illinois College
Bates threw for a Midwest Conference-record 580 passing yards and an Illinois College-record seven touchdowns in the Blueboys' 53-20 win over Grinnell. He also ran for a team-high 66 yards.

OL D.J. Brandel, Andrew Gutierrez, Chris Collodel, Justin LaLonde, Andrew Palacios, Chapman
Chapman racked up 615 yards of total offense, just 29 yards short of the school record, in a win against Puget Sound. The Panthers did not allow a sack and allowed just four tackles for loss. Chapman ran for 276 yards on 53 attempts for average of 5.2 yards per carry.

RB Brent Baune, Sr., Concordia-Moorhead
Baune set a Concordia single-game record for most rushing yards in the team's 38-14 win over Buena Vista, running for 258 yards on only 25 carries. He also scored on a 50-yard TD run on a fourth-and-1 situation at the start of the fourth quarter which put the game out of reach. 

RB Darius Wilson, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor
Wilson tied a UMHB single-game record with four total touchdowns in the win over Kean. He broke scoring runs of 65 and 73 yards to go with a 1-yard plunge and a 15-yard reception. Wilson totaled 205 yards on 16 touches, including averaging 13.5 yards per rush.

WR Adam Kniffin, Sr., Puget Sound
Kniffin set a school record with 272 receiving yards on 12 catches. His night included a career-long catch of 80 yards for a touchdown and he scored four touchdowns to run his total to five for the year. Kniffin leads the NCAA (FBS, FCS, D-II, D-III) in receiving yards per game with 181.5.

WR Jason Beaumont, Sr., St. John Fisher
Beaumont had just two catches but they went for 116 yards and two touchdowns in a win at Washington and Jefferson. Both of his touchdown catches came in the fourth quarter with his team trailing. This is his first season of football since high school, although he played baseball for St. John Fisher last season and tossed a complete-game win against eventual national champion Marietta in NCAA Regionals.

WR Tim Kikta, WR, Carnegie Mellon
Kikta accomplished a rare feat: making waves as a receiver for the Tartans. His 158 yards receiving, on just four catches, set a Tartan school record. Kikta's two scores came for 39 yards and 82 yards.

Defense
DE Nate Oropollo, Sr., Lycoming
Oropollo recorded four sacks and seven tackles, four solo, to help lead the Warriors to a 24-14 win over No. 22 Delaware Valley. All of his sacks came in the first half, helping the Warriors get control and take their first lead against the Aggies since 2008. 

DT Joe Everett, Sr., WPI
Everett registered a game-best 13 tackles, including seven for loss in the Engineers 28-21 loss to city rival Worcester State. His seven stops included a sack and totaled 26 yards in all. Everett, who had 10 solo and three assisted tackles, also forced a fumble. 

DT Tomy Boboy, So., Trinity (Texas)
Boboy was credited with five tackles, all of them solo, in a 31-7 win against Texas Lutheran. Four of them were tackles for loss, three sacks.

DE Rob Holtz, Sr., Wooster
Holtz was in on a career-high 2.5 sacks, marking his second week in a row with at least two sacks and the third of his career. He had one other tackle for loss in Wooster's 27-21 overtime win against St. Vincent. 

LB Bryce Jones, Jr., Lake Forest
Jones recorded eight tackles, four of them for loss and two sacks as the Foresters held Lawrence to 20 yards on 33 carries in a 20-16 win. He also forced and recovered a fumble.

LB Akwasi Brefo, Jr., Carnegie Mellon
Brefo recorded career highs of eight solo tackles and 2.0 sacks in the Tartans 37-7 victory, helping hold the Allegheny offense to 126 yards after the first quarter and 212 for the game.

LB Larry DelViscio, Sr., Gettysburg
DelViscio led a stifling defensive effort in Gettysburg's 48-7 win at Ursinus. The senior linebacker finished with a game-high 12 tackles and recovered a fumble as Gettysburg held the Bears to 177 yards, including 17 on the ground. The Bullets forced Ursinus to punt on its first eight drives.

CB Tony Tatum, Sr., Gallaudet
Tatum made two interceptions and switched over to offense and scored an acrobatic touchdown in a 47-27 stunning win for Gallaudet on the road against Catholic. Tatum's first interception happened in the second quarter, when he picked off Catholic quarterback Greg Cordivari at the Gallaudet 26. He tipped the ball into the air and while falling down he corralled it into his chest for the interception. Tatum then outjumped his coverage and the end of that same drive in the corner of the end zone to bring down the 10-yard reception to give Gallaudet a 14-7 lead. Tatum, who was rarely thrown at, made a second interception in the third quarter when he picked off Cordivari (4 INTs). He also returned a punt for 24 yards.

S Bryan Gary, Jr., Waynesburg
Gary led a Waynesburg defense that held Frostburg State, which scored 56 points in week one, to just seven in the Jackets' 21-7 win. Gary racked up a team-high 14 tackles, including 11 solo stops.

S Nick Slezak, Jr., North Central (Ill.)
The former wide receiver snagged two Redlands passes and had five tackles, two solo, as North Central forced five turnovers and limited Redlands' passing attack to 161 yards.

CB Alex Miller, Sr., Western New England
Miller had three interceptions and a fumble recovery to spark the Western New England defense in a 35-10 win over Westfield State. Two of Miller's picks gave the offense great field position at the Westfield 35 and midfield. He now leads all of NCAA football with five interceptions after two games.

Special teams
K Zach Litchfield, Jr., UW-Platteville
Litchfield was 7-for-7 point after attempts in a 52-35 win over Dubuque. He also made a 44-yard field goal - the second longest of his career - to put the Pioneers ahead 24-7.

P Jordan Rudenick, Jr., Gustavus Adolphus
Rudenick played a key role in Gustavus' season-opening 35-26 win at Simpson. In his first game as the starting punter, Rudenick recorded six punts for a total of 290 yards, averaging 48.3 yards per punt and hitting one boomer that sailed 62 yards. His role in the field position game was vital, as five of his six punts were down inside the 20-yard line with two being touched down inside the 5.

RET Austin Maranville, Jr., Chapman
Maranville ran back game's opening kickoff 100 yards for touchdown which set school record. He also rushed seven times for 35 yards.