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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.
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