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NEC Offensive Player of the Week: Alex Gevaudan, Mercyhurst
NEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week: Armani Itote, Chicago State
NEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week: Amanuel Dickson, Robert Morris
NEC Special Teams Player of the Week: Liam Quigley, New Haven
NEC Rookie of the Week: Davon Smith., Jr., Central Connecticut
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September 28 |
September 21 |
September 14 |
September 7 |
August 31 |
Preseason Poll Release |
Streaming/TV Package Release
NEC/ATLANTIC TOMORROW'S OFFICE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alex Gevaudan, Mercyhurst
Quarterback, Junior, 6-3, 195 lbs., Pittsburgh, PA/Mount Lebanon
Week 7 Stats: 26-45 completions, 409 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions
Gevaudan was locked in on Saturday in a slugfest with two-time defending NEC champion Central Connecticut that went down to the wire. The Lakers’ field general slung it all over the yard and was in full command with a career performance that featured 409 passing yards and four touchdown throws. In addition, the Pittsburgh native became the first NEC signal caller this season to eclipse 400 passing yards in a single game in a performance that currently ranks 12th on the FCS’ single-game charts. With his team facing a 43-32 deficit in what had been a back-and-forth shootout between the two squads, Gevaudan pulled the Lakers within three on an eight-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Evans and a successful two-point pass with 1:51 left. On Mercyhurst’s final drive, he marched the Lakers down to the Blue Devils’ 28-yard line on three first-down conversions but his 3rd and 10 heave with four seconds left was picked off at the one-yard line. Gevaudan ranks second on the circuit with 226.0 passing yards per game while his 1,356 total passing yards and 12 touchdown throws are both good for third among league’s quarterbacks. Gevaudan is the first Laker this season to take home NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Offensive Player of the Week distinction.
NEC/ATLANTIC TOMORROW'S OFFICE CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Armani Itote, Chicago State
Linebacker, Senior, 6-3, 230 lbs., Mesquite, TX/Mesquite Horn (Wagner)
Week 7 Stats: 10 tackles (8 solo), 4.5 tackles-for-loss (11 yards), 3.0 sacks (9 yards)
Itote became the first player in the FCS this season to post 4.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks while finishing the game in double figures in tackles when he turned the trick at North Carolina A&T on Saturday. Coming one stop shy of his season high of 11, which was set on Opening Weekend against Roosevelt, the Lone Star State product recorded 4.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks against the Aggies. Itote’s 4.5 sacks are the fourth-most in a single game in the FCS this season while his 3.0 sacks are tied with 18 other defenders for the nation’s best performance in 2026. Among league leaders, the senior ranks seventh in tackles-for-loss per game (0.93) while his 0.43 sacks per game are also seventh. Itote is the first Cougar ever to take home NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office co-Defensive Player of the Week.
Amanuel Dickson, Robert Morris
Linebacker, Junior, 5-11, 215 lbs., Greeneville, TN/Greeneville (Chattanooga)
Week 7 Stats: 21 tackles (11 solo), 3.0 TFL (8 yards)
Nothing got past Dickson on Saturday as the Colonials’ linebacker put on a tackling clinic against New Haven inside Walton Stadium. Dickson had a career day after he posted a career-high 21 stops, the highest single-game tackle total in the FCS this season. In addition to turning in the nation’s top performance, the Greeneville, TN native broke Robert Morris’ program record in the category. Dickson also made an impact in the Colonials’ backfield, registering a career-best 3.0 tackles for a loss of eight yards while adding a quarterback hurry. Statistically speaking, Dickson is the NEC’s top tackler by a long shot, as his 11.7 stops per game are 2.8 more than the next closest competitor. He is the third different Colonial to take home NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Defensive Player of the Week distinction this season.
NEC/ATLANTIC TOMORROW'S OFFICE SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Liam Quigley, New Haven
Kicker/Punter, Senior, 5-8, 195 lbs., Berkeley Heights, NJ/Governor Livingston
Week 7 Stats: 14 points, 4-4 FG (21, 53, 47, 46 yards), 2-2 PAT, 354 kickoff yards, 6 kickoffs, 59.0 yards per kickoff, 2 touchbacks
Quigley helped New Haven make program history on Saturday. Enjoying a perfect kicking afternoon after splitting the uprights in all four of his field goal attempts and each of his PATs, the veteran from Berkeley Heights, NJ racked up a career-best 14 points to help lead the Chargers to their first-ever NEC victory by way of a 26-15 win at Robert Morris. Three of Quigley’s three-pointers were from at least 46 yards, including an NEC season-long 53-yarder that was kicked as time expired in the first half. That 53-yard conversion was the eighth-longest in the FCS this nation and it is the longest in an NEC game since Wagner’s Czech Piotr converted on a 54-yarder against Central Connecticut two decades ago (Oct. 21, 2006). Quigley also handled his team’s kickoff duties, averaging 59.0 yards on six attempts with two touchbacks. Making 10-of-12 field goal attempts this season, he is second in the NEC with an 83.3 percent conversion rate, while his 1.4 field goals per game lead all league kickers. This is his second NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Special Teams Player of the Week award this season.
NEC/ATLANTIC TOMORROW'S OFFICE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Davon Smith., Jr., Central Connecticut
Running Back, Sophomore, 6-0, 190 lbs., Baltimore, MD/Mervo
Week 7 Stats: 162 rushing yards, 25 rushes, 3 rushing touchdowns (go-ahead touchdown)
Smith racked up the yards once again on Saturday. Slicing Mercyhurst’s defense to the tune of 162 yards on the ground on 25 carries, the sophomore ran for a career-high three touchdowns to propel Central Connecticut to a 43-40 road win in a game that has NEC instant classic written all over it. With his team down 11 points in the second half, Smith took over to rush for three touchdowns, scoring on 36- and two-yard rushes before delivering the eventual game-winning strike — a one-yard scamper — to make it a 43-32 Central Connecticut advantage with 3:47 left to play. Smith has been a workhorse for the Blue Devils all season. He leads the NEC with five rushing touchdowns, 588 rushing yards and 7.4 rushing yards per carry, while with a league-best 98.0 rushing yards per game, he is knocking on the door of triple digits. With this week’s award, Smith has earned the honor a league-best four times this season.
#NECFB PRIME PERFORMERS (Week Seven)
Chris Jean, CCSU (DB, Sr)
Jean’s timely interception and 17-yard return at Mercyhurst with 7:18 left in the fourth quarter set the scene for the game-winning score on the ensuing drive, a one-yard touchdown run by sophomore Davon Smith, Jr. The senior defensive back added five tackles and three pass breakups in the Blue Devils’ 43-40 win.
Davon Smith., Jr., CCSU (RB, So)
Smith was a handful for Mercyhurst on Saturday as the league’s top rusher led all players in Week 7 with 162 yards on the ground and 25 carries. Reaching the end zone a career-best three times, the sophomore propelled the Blue Devils to the 43-40 victory with the go-ahead touchdown, a one-yard scamper with 3:37 left in the final quarter. Smith also took home NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Rookie of the Week accolades.
Armani Itote, CSU (LB, Sr)
Itote was a bright spot for Chicago State at North Carolina A&T on Saturday. Producing a career-high 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, the senior linebacker pushed the Aggies back a total of 11 yards after he registered career-best numbers in tackles-for-loss (4.5) and sacks (3.0). Itote was also named the NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office co-Defensive Player of the Week.
Luke Miller, DUQ (LB, Sr)
Miller anchored a stifling defensive performance that saw Duquesne limit Stonehill to seven points in a 14-7 road win on Saturday. The veteran linebacker posted double-digit tackles for the second-straight outing, and the third time this season, when he registered 12 stops to go along with 1.0 tackle-for-loss, 0.5 sack and one forced fumble.
Sam Slade, LIU (RB, Gr)
Slade added a touchdown to his résumé for the third-straight game on Saturday when he executed the halfback option with a lob to sophomore tight end Gianni Marino in the end zone to propel LIU past Wagner, 14-9, in an Empire State battle on Staten Island. The graduate running back added 121 rushing yards on 19 carries to help the Sharks improve to 3-0 in NEC play for the first time in program history.
Alex Gevaudan, MU (QB, Jr)
Gevaudan had a career day for Mercyhurst in Saturday’s hard-fought 43-40 defeat to visiting Central Connecticut. The junior quarterback converted on 26 passes for 409 passing yards and four touchdowns, the latter two being personal-best numbers. Gevaudan was also named the NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Offensive Player of the Week.
Amare Lattimore, MU (WR, Jr)
Lattimore had a career day in a slugfest with NEC foe Central Connecticut on Saturday. Entering the afternoon with 121 receiving yards on the season, the junior wide receiver doubled that yardage against the Blue Devils after he hauled in eight passes for a career-high 131 receiving yards and two touchdown catches.
Irv Briggs, NHVN (DL, Sr)
Briggs was a key cog for a New Haven defense that limited Robert Morris to five rushing yards on Saturday. Racking up seven tackles while pushing the Colonials’ offense back a total of nine yards on 3.0 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sack, the veteran defensive lineman helped lead the Chargers to the program’s first-ever NEC victory by way of the 26-15 final.
Liam Quigley, NHVN (K/P, Sr)
Quigley racked up a career-high 14 points for a New Haven special teams’ unit that contributed 20 points to the Chargers’ first-ever NEC win, a 26-15 triumph at Robert Morris on Saturday. The senior kicker, who also averaged 59.0 yards per kickoff with two touchbacks, went 2-for-2 on PATs and 4-for-4 on field goal attempts, including an NEC season-long 53-yarder. Quigley was also pegged the NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Special Teams Player of the Week.
Jaqai Carter, RMU (WR, R-So)
For the second time in three games, Carter eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards in Saturday’s NEC tilt against New Haven. The redshirt sophomore, who tops the NEC charts in receptions (35), receiving yards (509), receiving yards per game (72.7) and touchdown catches (6), hauled in nine balls for 141 yards and a touchdown, including a career-long 55-yard ball that was good for a six points in the fourth quarter.
Amanuel Dickson, RMU (LB, Jr)
Dickson, the league’s leading tackler with 82 total stops and 11.7 tackles per game, was on a rampage in Robert Morris’ home tilt against NEC opponent New Haven on Saturday. The junior linebacker put together a career day and posted the highest single-game tackle total in the FCS this season when he made 21 stops, including 11 solo tackles, while adding 3.0 tackles-for-loss. Dickson also took home NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office co-Defensive Player of the Week recognition.
Shamar Williams, WAG (DB, Sr)
Business was booming for Williams, as the senior defensive back bested his previous career-best tackle total of 10 by delivering 16 in a hard-fought 14-9 defeat to LIU on Saturday. With eight tackles going down as solo stops, the Long Branch, NJ native who leads the Seahawks in tackles (6.7 per game), added 1.0 tackle-for-loss.
#NECFB SLATE ROUTES (AROUND THE LEAGUE IN 9 SENTENCES):
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: For the second time in as many seasons, Central Connecticut is off to a 2-0 start to NEC play with wins over Wagner (45-14) and Mercyhurst (43-40).
CHICAGO STATE: With multiple touchdown throws in four games, including two in Saturday’s outing at North Carolina A&T, rookie quarterback Ashton Pannell is second in the NEC in the category with 13.
DUQUESNE: Duquesne’s 14 points in Saturday’s victory at Stonehill marked the fewest points scored by the Dukes in a win against an NEC squad since a 14-0 decision at Wagner on Nov. 8, 2008.
LIU: Opening the league slate with wins against Mercyhurst and Duquesne, LIU improved to 3-0 for the first time in program history with Saturday’s 14-9 win at Wagner.
MERCYHURST: Mercyhurst put up 40 points against Central Connecticut on Saturday, marking the most scored by the Lakers in an NEC game in program history.
NEW HAVEN: Forcing three three-and-outs, New Haven’s defense was running on all cylinders Saturday at Robert Morris, producing a season-best four turnovers on two forced fumbles and two picks.
ROBERT MORRIS: For a league-leading third time this season, Robert Morris quarterback Carson Haggard registered at least one touchdown throw and a touchdown rush in the same game vs. New Haven.
STONEHILL: Stonehill’s defense has limited opponents to just 21 combined points — 10.5 per game — in each of the Skyhawks’ past two outings vs. Sacred Heart (W, 28-7) and Duquesne (L, 7-14).
WAGNER: Recording a safety on Saturday vs. LIU, Wagner’s defense has put points on the board in each of their three NEC games in 2026 and six of their past seven vs. NEC competitors, dating back to 2025.
#NECFB EXTRA POINTS: