Courtesy of the Patriot League
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Colgate junior running back Nate Eachus set the Patriot League single-game rushing record with 291 yards against Cornell on Saturday, and reaped the benefit Monday when he was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week.
He was joined as an award winner by three players from teams who earned their first win of the season on Saturday. Lafayette junior defensive back Brandon Ellis was named Defensive Player of the Week while his teammate, freshman running back Pat Mputu, claimed the Rookie of the Week award. Bucknell sophomore punter Ryan Gutowski earned the Special Teams Player of the Week honor.
Eachus carried 25 times for 291 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-3 win over Cornell. He broke the previous Patriot League mark of 282 yards set by Bucknell's Jabu Powell in 2000, and also took down the school record of 280 yards set by Jamaal Branch in 2003 versus Holy Cross.
Ellis and Mputu each played a role in Lafayette's 28-21 win over Stony Brook. Ellis made a career-high 16 tackles and broke up two passes, while Mputu carried 23 times for 102 yards on the afternoon. Gutowski punted five times for a career-high 44.3 average in Bucknell's 24-21 win over Georgetown, with a 60-yard boot in the fourth quarter that set up the Bison's game-winning touchdown.
Patriot League Football Weekly Awards (Oct. 16)
Offensive Player of the Week
Nate Eachus, RB, Colgate Jr., RB, 5-10, 216 (Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area)
Eachus set the Patriot League single-game rushing record with 291 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries in a 44-3 rout of Cornell on Saturday. He averaged 11.6 yards per carry and scored on a career-long 66-yard run and a 63-yard touchdown. He carried only three times in the fourth quarter and sat out the final 11 minutes of the game as Colgate held a comfortable lead. He broke the Patriot League record of 282 yards set by Bucknell's Jabu Powell against Cornell in 2000, and also eclipsed the Colgate mark of 280 yards set by Jamaal Branch in 2003 against Holy Cross. Eachus has rushed for 200 yards or more six times in his career, and leads the nation with 169.3 yards per game this year, nearly 14 yards per game ahead of his closest competitor. Eachus has 1,016 yards and 12 touchdowns for the season. He earns the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week award for the second time in the past three games.
Defensive Player of the Week
Brandon Ellis, DB, Lafayette Jr., 5-9, 185 (Jeffersonville, Pa./Norristown)
Ellis led Lafayette to its first victory of the season by recording a career-high 16 tackles and breaking up two passes in a 28-21 triumph over Stony Brook on Saturday. The Leopards held the nation's 20th-ranked rushing offense to 159 yards on the ground, 57 below its average of 216 per game coming into the afternoon. Nine of Ellis' tackles were solo stops. He wins the Defensive Player of the Week award for the first time.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Ryan Gutowski, P, Bucknell So., 5-9, 190 (Owings Mills, Md./Calvert Hall)
Gutowski punted five times for a single-game career-high average of 44.8 yards to help Bucknell get past Georgetown, 24-21, on Saturday for its first victory of the year in its Patriot League opener. Gutowski booted a 60-yard punt in the fourth quarter that pinned Georgetown at its 10 yard line with the Bison trailing 21-17, and set up a game-winning interception return for a touchdown on the next play. He earns the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week award for the first time.
Rookie of the Week
Pat Mputu, RB, Lafayette Fr., 5-10, 185 (Orlando, Fla./Winter Park)
Mputu had a breakout performance in Lafayette's 28-21 win over Stony Brook on Saturday, rushing for 102 yards on 23 carries for his first-career 100-yard outing. He racked up 48 yards on a scoring drive that gave Lafayette a 20-14 lead late in the fourth quarter. Mputu was making his second start of the year as he has been pressed into action due to injuries to Lafayette's top three tailbacks. He receives his first Rookie of the Week award.