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UT Martin quarterback Derek Carr, Colgate quarterback Gavin McCarney, Missouri
State Safety Caleb Schaffitzel, Northern Colorado wide receiver/return
specialist Dominic Gunn, Valparaiso running back Jake Huston and Appalachian
State receiver Sean Price have been named The Sports Network FCS National
Players of the Week 10 for games ending Nov. 3.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Derek Carr, UT Martin, Senior, 6-1, 191, QB, McKenzie, Tenn.
Carr picked up his second Sports Network FCS Player of the Week selection
after throwing for seven touchdowns against Jacksonville State. The senior
completed 28-of-43 passes for 402 yards and no interceptions in a 49-47
victory, which kept the Skyhawks in a first-place tie in the Ohio Valley
Conference. In a Week 7 victory versus Murray State, Carr also threw for seven
touchdowns without an interception. Against JSU, he totaled four touchdown
strikes in the first quarter and one in every other quarter of play, including
his last to Jeremy Butler with 5:31 left in regulation, which would prove to be
the game-winning score. Carr finished the contest as the Skyhawks' all-time
leader in total offense (7,767 yards) and third in OVC history for touchdown
passes (62) and fifth in career passing yards (7,730).
Gavin McCarney, Colgate, Junior, 6-2, 205, QB, Jefferson Township, N.J.
McCarney should consider running for some type of office at his school after
rewriting the record books again, individually and as the leader of a prolific
Colgate offense. In a 65-41 dismantling of Lafayette, he set school single-
game records for total offense in a game (512 yards) and rushing yards by a
quarterback with 288. His 1,010 rushing yards this season and 12 consecutive
games with a touchdown pass also are new school records. McCarney scored three
times on the ground and completed 13-of-17 passes for 224 yards and two
touchdowns. His rushing performance is second in school and Patriot League
history, trailing only former Colgate running back Nate Eachus' 291-yard game
versus Cornell in 2010. Through nine games this season, McCarney has scored 18
rushing touchdowns and thrown for 14 touchdowns. He also earned Sports Network
FCS Player of the Week honors in Week 8.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Caleb Schaffitzel, Missouri State, Sophomore, 6-0, 214, S, Fair Grove, Mo.
Schaffitzel spearheaded an impressive defense effort versus North Dakota State
in a 21-17 defeat. He intercepted NDSU quarterback Brock Jensen two times, the
first on the MSU goal line which he returned 100 yards for a touchdown, giving
his team an early 7-0 lead. He became the fifth player in Missouri Valley
Football Conference history - and second this year - to record a 100-yard
interception return for a touchdown. In the second quarter, he intercepted
Jensen again for 27 yards, making it two straight games that he has recorded
multiple interceptions, and it was his fifth interception in the last three
games. The sophomore also added 10 tackles and one tackle for a loss, while
Missouri State's defense held the No. 1-ranked Bison to just 84 yards of
offense and five first downs in the second half. Schaffitzel has reached
double-digit tackles five times this season and his 105 total tackles through
10 games makes him just the second MSU player since 2005 to reach the 100-
tackle plateau.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dominic Gunn, Northern Colorado, Senior, 5-11, 170, WR/RS, Aurora, Colo.
Gunn helped Northern Colorado earn its first road win since the 2010 regular-
season finale with an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third
quarter, sparking a come-from-behind 32-28 victory at Portland State. The
senior totaled five punt returns for 107 yards. Although he only had one
kickoff return for 11 yards, he became one of just five players in Big Sky
Conference history with over 2,000 career kickoff returns. Gunn's 83-yard
touchdown return tied for the fifth-longest mark in school history with
current coach Earnest Collins Jr. Similarly, he needs 117 punt return yards
to break Collins' single-season program record of 497. The senior added three
special tackles and 182 all-purpose yards in Northern Colorado's third win of
the season.
CO-FRESHMEN OF THE WEEK
Jake Huston, Valparaiso, R-Freshman, RB Blanchard, Mich.
Valparaiso picked up its first win of the season in large part because of
Huston's monster outing. The redshirt freshman had one of the top offensive
performances in program history in a 41-21 victory over Campbell. He carried
the ball 28 times for 248 yards and three touchdowns, caught three passes for
52 yards and added three punt returns for 23 yards to finish with 323 all-
purpose yards. It was the best total yardage mark by a Pioneer Football League
running back this season as well as the second-highest single-game rushing
total in Crusaders history. Huston scored three consecutive touchdowns in the
second half, lifting Valpo from a 21-13 deficit to a 34-21 lead. Through nine
games this season, he has rushed for 629 yards, good for third in the PFL.
Sean Price, Appalachian State, R-Freshman, 6-5, 210, WR, Reston, Va.
Price proved again why he is one of the most dangerous freshman playmakers in
the FCS. In a 31-28 victory at Georgia Southern, he caught seven passes for 231
yards and one touchdown. Price set new Appalachian State freshman records for
receiving yards in a game and 100-yard receiving games in a season (five). He
averaged 33 yards per reception, and his 231-yard effort is the highest among
FCS freshmen this year and the second-best performance among Southern
Conference wide receivers this season. In only eight games, Price has 58
receptions for 914 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Sports Network