Click HERE for PDF Release

NEC Offensive Player of the Week: Darius Perrantes, Duquesne
NEC Defensive Player of the Week: Justin Reilly, Wagner
NEC Special Teams Player of the Week: Jack Barnum, Central Connecticut
NEC Rookie of the Week: Jeff Hoenstine, Saint Francis U

Previous NEC Releases: September 30 | September 23 | September 16 | September 9 | September 2 | Preseason Poll Release | TV Package Release

NEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Darius Perrantes, Duquesne
Quarterback, Senior, 6-0, 220 lbs., Los Angeles, CA/St. Francis (Rhode Island)
Week 6 Stats: 15-23, 65.2 completion percentage, 211 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception, 5 rushes, 24 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown
Duquesne’s defense of its 2023 NEC football title got off to an impressive start on Saturday thanks to the arm of senior Darius Perrantes. The veteran signal caller had himself a career day against LIU, accounting for all but one of the Dukes’ seven touchdowns in the convincing 47-21 win over their league foes. Going 15-of-23 for 211 passing yards, five touchdown throws and one pick, Perrantes also carried the ball five times to the tune of 24 yards and one touchdown. The six scores tied the NEC’s record for most touchdowns accounted for in a single game, while his five touchdown passes were tied for the most by an NEC quarterback against a Division I opponent this season. He got off to a hot start in the contest, completing 7-of-9 passes with a pair of touchdown throws and a rushing score to put Duquesne out in front, 19-0, after the first quarter. A native of Los Angeles, Perrantes is third in the NEC in touchdown passes (8), while his 143.5 passing yards per game are good for fifth. This is his fourth career NEC Offensive Player of the Week award, and the first for the Duke this season. 

NEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Justin Reilly, Wagner
Defensive Back, Graduate Student, 6-1, 200 lbs., Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan
Week 6 Stats: 12 tackles (10 solo), 1.0 tackles-for-loss (10 yards), 1.0 sack (10 yards)
Reilly was the catalyst of a Wagner defense that held Stonehill to one touchdown and a season-low 192 yards on Saturday. The veteran from Manalapan, NJ totaled a season-high 12 tackles, including a career-best 10 solo stops, and had one sack for a loss of 10 yards in the convincing 28-7 road win. Most impressively, Reilly and the Seahawks held the NEC’s top rushing team well below their season average of 225.0 yards per game after limiting the Skyhawks to a season-low 52 yards on the ground in the triumph. The 6-foot-1 defensive back enters the week ranked eighth in the NEC in tackles per game (6.7), while his 2.0 sacks this season are good for 13th overall. He is the first Seahawk to garner NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors in2024. 

NEC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jack Barnum, Central Connecticut
Kicker, Senior, 6-2, 200 lbs., Southington, CT/Southington
Week 6 Stats: 10 points, 3-3 FG (32, 38, 42 yards), 1-1 PAT, 6 kickoffs, 343 kickoff yards, 57.0 yards per kickoff, 3 touchbacks
Barnum’s right foot kept Central Connecticut in the game in the Blue Devils’ first-ever meeting with the in-state foe Yale. The senior drilled each of his three field goals and converted on his lone PAT to finish with a season-best 10-point outing on Saturday. Tying up the game with an early 32-yarder, Barnum sparked a 12-0 run that put the Blue Devils up, 22-17, with field goals on consecutive Central Connecticut possessions from 38 and 42 yards inside the final four minutes of the third quarter. In addition, he handled his team’s kickoff duties and averaged 57.0 yards per kick with touchbacks on three of his six attempts. This season, Barnum has drained 8-of-10 field goals to rank 24th in the nation with a .800 conversion rate. He also leads the conference in points by a wide margin, averaging 3.4 more than the next closest competitor with 7.4 per game. The Blue Devils have had a stranglehold on the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week award, and that is due largely in part to Barnum. The Southington, CT product has nabbed the honor three times (Sept. 2, Sept. 23, Oct. 7) while Aidan Clark earned the distinction on Sept. 16 to push Central Connecticut’s award count to four this season. 

NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Jeff Hoenstine, Saint Francis U
Quarterback, Redshirt Freshman, 5-10, 190 lbs., Martinsburg, PA/Central Martinsburg
Week 6 Stats: 10-18, 55.6 completion percentage, 117 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 3 rushes, 25 rushing yards 
Hoenstine returned from an injury that he suffered during Saint Francis U’s NEC opener against Central Connecticut and he did not skip a beat on Saturday at Delaware State. The first-year signal caller completed 10-of-18 passes and threw for 117 passing yards, a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions to propel the Red Flash to a triumphant come-from-behind win against the Hornets. Breaking open a scoreless deadlock with a seven-yard throw to redshirt sophomore running back DeMarcus McElroy late in the first quarter, Hoenstine orchestrated a dramatic comeback that saw Saint Francis U erase an 11-point deficit over the final 5:38 and seal the win. The Keystone State product hit redshirt senior Gavin Thomson with a one-yard touchdown pass and a two-point conversion to spark a game-ending 22-0 run that was capped by back-to-back touchdown rushes by sophomore Markell Holman. With this week’s honor, Hoenstine becomes the first player to repeat as NEC Rookie of the Week having previously earned the award on September 9.

 
#NECFB PRIME PERFORMERS (Week 6)

Jack Barnum, CCSU (K, Sr.)
Barnum contributed 10 points to Central Connecticut’s hard-fought 23-22 setback at Nutmeg State foe Yale on Saturday. Averaging 57.0 yards with touchbacks in three of six kickoffs, the veteran went 1-of-1 on PATs and was perfect in his three field goal attempts from 32, 38 and 42 yards out. Barnum also earned NEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
 
Elijah Howard, CCSU (RB, Jr.)
Howard finished with 108 rushing yards in a one-point setback at Yale on Saturday, marking the second time this season the junior ran for 100-plus yards. He added 68 yards on five catches to finish the contest with 215 all-purpose yards, the third-most by an NEC player in a game this season. 
 
Brady Olson, CCSU (QB, Jr.)
Olson had 17 completions for a season-best 288 passing yards in Saturday’s 23-22 defeat at Yale. Tying up the game at 10-all with a 49-yard touchdown throw to redshirt freshman Jamir Robinson, the junior capped a 16-0 run and gave the Blue Devils their first lead of the day at 22-17 on a 19-yard pass to graduate student Isaac Boston. 
JaMario Clements, DUQ (RB, R-Jr.)
Clements racked up 147 yards on a career-best 20 carries in Duquesne’s NEC-opening win over LIU on Saturday for his second game above the century mark this season. All but 13 of his yards came in the first half in a stretch that saw the Dukes take a commanding 33-7 lead in the eventual 47-21 victory. 
 
Darius Perrantes, DUQ (QB, Sr.)
Perrantes had a hand in six of the Dukes’ seven touchdowns to lead his team to a commanding 47-21 victory over visiting LIU on Saturday. Throwing five touchdowns and rushing for one more, the senior tied the NEC record for most scores accounted for in a single game with six. Perrantes also earned NEC Offensive Player of the Week accolades.  
 
Michael Love, LIU (WR, Sr.)
Love caught for the second-most yards in a game by an NEC player this season in LIU’s conference-opening defeat at defending champion and preseason favorite Duquesne on Saturday. The senior had a game- and career-high 139 yards on six catches.
 
Adam Urena, MU (QB, Sr.)
Urena racked up 305 yards in the air and threw for six touchdowns to help pilot Mercyhurst to a commanding 55-0 win over visiting Buffalo State on Saturday. The six scores marked the best performance by an NEC signal caller this season, while his 305 passing yards were the second-most by a conference player in 2024. 
 
Markell Holman, SFU (RB, So.)
Holman piloted a triumphant comeback that saw Saint Francis U rally from an 11-point deficit over the final 5:38 of the game to score a 28-17 win at Delaware State on Saturday. After the Red Flash cut into their disadvantage on a Gavin Thomson touchdown reception and two-point conversion, the sophomore running back scored on 30-yard and 55-yard rushes to seal the victory.
 
Jake Cady, WC (QB, Gr.)
Cady sparked a first-half offense that gave Wagner a 14-point lead at the break with three touchdown passes during that stretch. The graduate student opened up the scoring with a season-long 77-yard touchdown throw to Jeremiah Colclough that gave the Seahawks a lead they would not relinquish with 8:52 left in the first.
 
Justin Reilly, WC (DB, Gr.)
Reilly was Wagner’s leading tackler on Saturday in the Seahawks’ win at Stonehill. The graduate student had 12 stops, including 10 solo tackles and 1.0 sack, to pace a defense that limited the Skyhawks to 52 rushing yards and one touchdown. Reilly also took home the NEC Defensive Player of the Week award for the first time this season.
 
Rickey Spruill, WC (RB, Sr.)
For the second time this season, Spruill rushed for 100-or-more yards after he recorded 103 in Wagner’s first NEC win of the season, a 28-7 triumph at Stonehill. The senior running back caught a 24-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter before he solidified the victory with a 48-yard scamper in the final stanza.

 
AROUND THE NEC IN 8 SENTENCES

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT leads the FCS in fumble recoveries this season with eight. 

DUQUESNE running back JaMario Clements has ascended to the top of the NEC statistics with 493 yards on the ground and 98.6 rushing yards per game.

LIU looks for its first win of the season on Saturday when the Sharks play host to Stonehill.

MERCYHURST quarterback Adam Urena, who has thrown 17 touchdowns and just one interception, is second in the nation in touchdown passes.

ROBERT MORRIS boasts the league’s top receiver in Noah Robinson, who has hauled in three touchdowns and an NEC-leading 78.4 yards per game.

SAINT FRANCIS U has held each of its four opponents to 126 rushing yards and is conceding just 96.6 yards per game on the ground to rank 11th in the nation.    

STONEHILL came up short in its NEC opener for the first time since joining the conference in 2022.

WAGNER delivered another stellar defensive outing against Stonehill, holding an opponent to just seven points on a touchdown and a PAT for the second time this year. 

 
2024 NEC FOOTBALL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 2: Ludovick Choquette (LIU) 
Sept. 9: Jeff Hoenstine (Saint Francis U)
Sept. 16: JaMario Clements (Duquesne)
Sept. 23: Jarel Washington (Stonehill)
Sept. 30: Adam Urena (Mercyhurst)
Oct. 7: Darius Perrantes (Duquesne)
Oct. 14: 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 2: Tyris Harvey (Robert Morris) & Paul Tangelo (Saint Francis U)
Sept. 9: Malachi Wright (Central Connecticut)
Sept. 16: Jalen Howard (Central Connecticut) & Luke Miller (Duquesne)
Sept. 23: Kimal Clark (Central Connecticut)
Sept. 30: Keon Freeman (Robert Morris)
Oct. 7: Justin Reilly (Wagner)
Oct. 14: 

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 2: Jack Barnum (Central Connecticut)
Sept. 9: Mac Plummer (Saint Francis U)
Sept. 16: Aidan Clark (Central Connecticut)
Sept. 23: Jack Barnum (Central Connecticut)
Sept. 30: Joshua Brown (Wagner)
Oct. 7: Jack Barnum (Central Connecticut)
Oct. 14: 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sept. 2: Taveon Wheeler (LIU)
Sept. 9: Jeff Hoenstine (Saint Francis U)
Sept. 16: Luke Miller (Duquesne)
Sept. 23: Charles Battaglia (Stonehill)
Sept. 30: None Awarded
Oct. 7: Jeff Hoenstine (Saint Francis U)
Oct. 14: