Adams, Johnson highlight FCS players of week

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Vernon Adams is a pretty well-known name across the landscape of the FCS nation. But thanks to a stellar and record- setting performance against FBS intrastate foe Washington on Saturday, he's a bit more popular than he used to be.

Although his Eastern Washington Eagles lost to the Huskies (in a 59-52 shootout, on the road no less), Adams proved he can hang with the best, even after his team fell behind 21-0. Adams completed 31-of-46 pass attempts in the game for a career-high 475 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns against the Pac-12 competitor.

He helped his Eagles to 573 yards of offense and they took two second-half leads, though Washington was able to score consecutive fourth-quarter touchdowns to go up by 14 points late in the game.

The seven touchdown passes broke Adams' former career mark of six, which the 2013 Walter Payton Award runner-up had racked up twice previously. Now the 6- foot junior, who was not highly recruited coming out of high school, is seven scoring passes shy of the all-time Big Sky Conference record.

Adams, along with Stephen F. Austin's Gus Johnson, Eastern Kentucky's Stanley Absanon, Furman's John Croft Hollingsworth and Robert Morris' Rameses Owens highlight the national FCS players of the week for Week 2 of the college football season.

CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Vernon Adams Jr., Eastern Washington, QB, Jr., 6-0, 200, Pasadena, California

Although his Eagles lost to Washington, Adams was sensational in a record- setting performance Saturday. Adams completed 31-of-46 pass attempts for 475 yards and seven touchdowns, and added 16 yards on the ground. He also didn't turn the ball over and helped his second-ranked Eagles come back from a 21-0 deficit in the first quarter to take two fourth-quarter leads against the Huskies. The junior, who won the Big Sky Conference's offensive MVP award and was the runner-up in the Walter Payton Award voting last season, has thrown for 91 touchdown passes in his career.

Gus Johnson, Stephen F. Austin, RB, Sr., 5-10, 224, Gilmer, Texas

Johnson, like Adams, had a record-setting day in his team's win over Incarnate Word. The senior running back scampered for 252 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries and became Stephen F. Austin's all-time rushing touchdown leader in the process. The four touchdowns tied a single-game high for the Lumberjacks, and the 252 yards were the second-most in the Southland Conference team's single-game history. Johnson has 33 career rushing touchdowns as he sits alone atop the SFA list.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Stanley Absanon, Eastern Kentucky, DB, Jr., 5-11, 185, Auburndale, Florida

Absanon played an integral part in Eastern Kentucky's 17-10 victory over FBS opponent Miami (Ohio). The junior defensive back recorded six tackles and three pass breakups in the contest, but his two second-half interceptions were a big reason EKU came away with a win. Absanon picked off his first pass with 3:53 to play in the third quarter and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 10-10. With less than a minute to play in the fourth, and Miami pushing the ball downfield, Absanon intercepted his second pass near midfield and sealed the game for the Ohio Valley Conference squad, which beat an FBS opponent for the first time since the 1985 season.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

John Croft Hollingsworth, Furman, PK, Fr., 5-10, 155, Greenwood, South Carolina

Hollingsworth, a freshman, had a second consecutive week of outstanding special teams play. In Furman's 25-20 win over new Southern Conference rival Mercer, Hollingsworth connected on 4-of-5 field goal attempts, which included a 50- yarder in the fourth quarter, and added one punt for 36 yards, which was downed inside the Mercer 20-yard line. Hollingsworth also handled the kickoff duties, sending seven kickoffs up for an average of 64 yards with two touchbacks. He accounted for 13 of Furman's 25 points.

FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Rameses Owens, Robert Morris, RB, Fr., 6-2, 210, Shaker Heights, Ohio

Despite his Northeast Conference team's close loss to Big Sky opponent North Dakota, 16-13, Owens had a spectacular day rushing the football. The freshman accounted for 199 rushing yards and one touchdown on 39 carries, and added one reception for 38 yards to bring his all-purpose total to 237 yards on the day. His 199 rushing yards represent a single-game high for any RMU freshman in program history, and mark the highest total by a Colonials player in the past 62 games. Owens averaged 5.1 yards per carry.