|
| Aaron Anderson had two huge interceptions for Ursinus, returning one of them for a touchdown to help the Bears knock off Muhlenberg. Photo by Manning Smith for Ursinus athletics |
Presented by 
Games of Sept. 17-18, 2021
The Team of the Week, presented by Scoutware, is D3football.com's weekly honor roll, in its 23rd season of recognizing the top performance at each position from the previous week. Players are nominated by schools.
Offense
QB Jaelen Ray, Fr., Rockford
Ray went 27-of-49 for 472 yards and eight passing touchdowns for the Regents and carried the ball nine times for 56 yards. His passing touchdowns broke the Rockford University and the NACC record and was just one touchdown shy of tying the NCAA Division III record. He also broke the Rockford single-game records for passing yards (472) and total offense (528) and tied the school record for passing attempts (49).
OL Taylor Adams, Diego Rodriguez, Bailey Lee, Julien Sears, Matt Metcalf, Linfield
The offensive line played a big role in Linfield's 51-10 win against Redlands. The Wildcats finished with four rushing touchdowns, three pass touchdowns, 6.4 yards per play and 498 yards of total offense.
RB Larry Rivers, Sr., Lakeland
Rivers rushed for 204 yards and six touchdowns in just over two quarters of play as Muskies built a 50-7 halftime lead on way to 56-7 win over Wisconsin Lutheran. He set the school record for rushing TDs in a game and tied school's 53-year old record for most TDs and points in a game previously set by eventual 10-year NFL vet Pat Curran.
RB Rayshawn Graham, Sr., UW-Stout
Graham rushed for three touchdowns and 197 yards on 20 carries as UW-Stout defeated UW-Stevens Point 45-14 on the road. His career rushing day included TD runs of 2, 6 and 73 yards. Graham averaged 9.9 yards per carry, recorded no negative yardage and picked up seven first downs on the day.
WR Austin Eichstaedt, So., Carroll
Eichstaedt posted career-high numbers in catches, targets (15), yards, and touchdowns in a 34-33 win against Illinois Wesleyan. He had two catches for 49 yards on third downs and caught game-winning touchdown at the 10:33 mark in the fourth quarter. It was the Pioneers' first victory over Illinois Wesleyan since 1989.
WR Dustin Saia, So., Grinnell
Saia was a key cog in the Pioneers earning their first victory since 2018, and first MWC win since 2014, with a thrilling 35-28 overtime decision over Lawrence. Saia scored three touchdowns, the first a 16-yard pass from Grayson Woodhouse and second a 5-yard run. The most important score came on the first play of overtime, a 25-yard strike from Woodhouse that provided the game-winning points. Saia had 215 all-purpose yards, going for 125 yards on 11 receptions, rushing five times for 29 yards and returning a kickoff 61 yards.
TE Jaden O'Leary, Sr., Brevard
O'Leary brought in three catches for 44 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown pass for the first TD of his Tornado career. Brevard defeated N.C. Wesleyan 32-7.
Defense
DE Tevin Baker, So., Monmouth
Baker had three sacks for minus-17 yards on Saturday, crashing Illinois College drives as the Scots won 37-27. He finished with five tackles, all solo.
DT Ari Blemur, Sr., Lewis & Clark
Blemur had one sack and two and a half tackles for loss, the latter a career high, as Lewis & Clark beat Whittier 66-14. He led the Pioneers' defense with seven tackles, which matches his career best.
DT Reed Farrington, Fr., UW-Whitewater
Farrington recorded four tackles, including two for a loss and one sack, and was credited for one quarterback hurry to help then-No. 2 UW-Whitewater to a 39-7 victory against then-No. 25 Berry at Perkins Stadium. On second-and-4 near midfield, he sacked Gavin Gray for a loss of 5 yards, and the Vikings were forced to punt two plays later. In the second quarter, on a third-and-1 in Warhawk territory, Farrington helped stuff a run to force a fourth down. On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, he stopped another run, this time for a loss of three yards, and Berry was forced to punt three plays later.
DE Brayden Thimons, Sr., Westminster (Pa.)
Thimons registered four tackles for a loss, including two and a half sacks. Both game-highs. He also had a total of nine tackles, in Westminster's 34-12 win against Case Western Reserve.
LB Dillon Keefe, Sr., Chapman
Keefe recorded three sacks for the second week in a row, running his season total to seven sacks through the first three games. He also forced his fourth fumble of the season while sacking the George Fox quarterback. Late in the fourth quarter, he batted a pass up the air and right to a teammate for an interception. The Panthers held George Fox scoreless in the first half while allowing just 46 yards.
LB Colin Lama, Sr., Union
Lama recorded a game-high and career-high 16 tackles, including 11 solo tackles, and one tackle for a 2-yard loss in a 30-23 win against Springfield. In the first quarter, Lama recovered a fumble, which resulted in a Union field goal in the next drive. With less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter, Lama intercepted a pass on Springfield's final drive to secure the win.
LB Tim Russell, Sr., Endicott
Russell had a career-best two interceptions in Endicott's narrow defeat at the hands of Catholic, 32-29. He returned his second pick for 32 yards, ending Catholic's drive to open the second half. Russell also recorded seven tackles (four solo).
CB Aaron Anderson, Fr., Ursinus
Anderson had two huge interceptions in the Bears' 42-35 upset at No. 8 Muhlenberg. He returned his first pick 42 yards to the house to give Ursinus a 28-14 lead, then flipped the field with an interception at the goal line that he brought back 87 yards to set up the game-tying score in the fourth quarter.
S Hunter Campbell, So., Lycoming
Campbell had six tackles, half a tackle for loss and two interceptions in Lycoming's 28-8 win over King's. His tackle for loss came on King's second offensive play, ensuring a three-and-out. Campbell's first interception came early in the second quarter inside the Lycoming 19-yard line and ending a six-play drive, and the second pick came with 2:26 left at the King's 22, thwarting any chances of a King's comeback on first play of drive with score 21-8. It set up Lycoming's fourth and final touchdown of the game.
S Elijah Alt, Sr., UW-La Crosse
Alt tied for the team lead with 11 tackles at Division II Grand Valley State. He recorded an interception as well as a forced and recovered fumble. Alt's interception with 7:39 left in the first quarter resulted in UWL scoring the game-tying touchdown...On Grand Valley's next offensive play, Alt forced and recovered a fumble at the Lakers' 30-yard line with 4:28 remaining in the first quarter. One play later, UWL took a 14-7 lead on a 30-yard touchdown pass.
CB Brice Butler, Fr., Westminster (Pa.)
Butler made eight tackles (six solo), including a tackle for loss, while recording three interceptions in Saturday night's 34-12 PAC win at Case Western Reserve. Butler returned his third interception of the night 100 yards for a touchdown, giving the Titans a 27-12 advantage with 7:46 remaining in the game. His three interceptions tied a program record and is Westminster's first player to intercept three passes in a game since Don Augustine in 2000 against Bethany.
Special teams
K Jacob Laurent, So., Carroll
Laurent made field goals of 41 and 30 yards to help Carroll defeat Illinois Wesleyan 34-33. He is the first Pioneers kicker to make a field goal of 40-plus yards since 2008. He was a perfect 4-for-4 on extra points.
P Joey Annee, Sr., Wabash
Annee punted eight times, averaging a booming 48.1 yards per kick and placing three of his kicks inside the 20 in a 36-28 win against Allegheny. His first punt may well have set the tone, as Wabash was backed up on its own 7 and Annee's 71-yard kick pushed Allegheny back to its 22.
RET Talsen Smith, Fr., Merchant Marine
Smith returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of the Mariners' 56-7 road win over rival SUNY-Maritime. It was his second TD of the day, as he also hauled in a 43-yard pass for the Mariners' second score of the day early in the second quarter.
ST Keaton Adams, Sr., Willamette
Adams blocked two kicks -- a field goal and an extra point -- in Willamette's game with Lincoln (Calif.). He blocked a 39-yard field goal with 1:10 left in the first half. In the third quarter, he blocked an extra point, recovered the ball and returned it 90 yards for a defensive two-point conversion.