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NEC Offensive Player of the Week: Carson Camp, Duquesne
NEC Defensive Player of the Week: Chris Jean, Central Connecticut
NEC Special Teams Player of the Week: Domenic Scalese, Stonehill
NEC Rookie of the Week: Davon Smith, Jr., Central Connecticut
Previous NEC Releases: October 26 |
October 19 |
October 12 |
October 5 |
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
Carson Camp, Duquesne
Quarterback, Graduate Student, 6-2, 200 lbs., Bloomington, IL/Normal Community West (Southeastern Louisiana)
Week 9 Stats: 16-23 completions, 291 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 37 rushing yards, 9 rushes, 3 rushing touchdowns
Camp put on a six-touchdown showcase to power Duquesne to a dominant 41-14 NEC victory at New Haven and in the process, he earned NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Offensive Player of the Week distinction for the first time in his career. The Dukes’ signal caller had a hand in all six of his team’s touchdowns, tossing three scoring strikes while adding a career-high three rushing touchdowns. Posting an efficient 69.6 pass completion percentage after going 16-of-23 for 291 yards, Camp rushed for another 37 yards on nine carries to deliver a performance that kept the Dukes alive in the NEC regular season title chase. With the win, Duquesne improved to 3-1 in conference play, a mark that is tied for second in the rankings with LIU and Stonehill. Camp now has 10 passing touchdowns on the season while his seven rushing scores lead the Dukes.
NEC/ATLANTIC TOMORROW'S OFFICE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chris Jean, Central Connecticut
Defensive Back, Senior, 5-10, 190 lbs., Rochester, NY/Rochester
Week 9 Stats: 3 tackles (2 solo), 1 pick-6 (27-yard return), 1 quarterback hurry
Jean delivered an impactful performance in a pivotal NEC matchup against Robert Morris on Saturday to earn his first NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Defensive Player of the Week honor of 2026. The Blue Devils’ defensive back recorded three tackles and a quarterback hurry, but his biggest play came midway through the first quarter when he jumped a pass and returned it 27 yards for a pick-six to extend Central Connecticut’s lead to 21-0. The Blue Devils went on to defeat the Colonials by a 49-14 final to improve to 4-0 in conference play. Jean, the FCS’ active leader in passes defended with 40 on his career, is the third Blue Devil to earn the league’s defensive weekly award. In addition, his five career honors are tied for the fourth-most in NEC annals.
NEC/ATLANTIC TOMORROW'S OFFICE SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Domenic Scalese, Stonehill
Kicker, Junior, 6-0, 185 lbs., Peabody, MA/Peabody Veterans Memorial
Week 9 Stats: 2-2 FG (40, 34 yards), 3-3 PAT
Scalese is the second Skyhawk in as many weeks to take home NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Special Teams Player of the Week distinction. The junior kicker’s right foot helped the Skyhawks score a pivotal 34-28 win over Mercyhurst at W.B. Mason Stadium on Saturday. With the triumph, Stonehill moved to 3-1 in NEC play, a mark that is tied with LIU and Duquesne for second place. Scalese answered a second-quarter Lakers’ touchdown and put the Skyhawks on the board with a season-long 40-yard field goal at the 10:10 mark of that stanza. With 55 seconds to go before intermission, he converted on a 34-yarder to make it a 7-6 deficit headed into the halftime break. Those field goals put momentum in the hands of Stonehill out of intermission as the Skyhawks went on to tack 21 more unanswered points to their count to take a 27-7 lead. In addition to his perfect 2-of-2 clip on field goals, Scalese was perfect in each of his three PATs.
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 9 Stats: 96 rushing yards, 15 rushes, 2 rushing touchdowns, 37 receiving yards, 4 receptions, 1 touchdown reception
Smith, Jr. continues to blaze a trail in the NEC, earning NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Rookie of the Week honors for a league-leading fifth time this season after he powered Central Connecticut to a commanding 49-14 win over Robert Morris at Arute Field on Saturday. The Blue Devils’ standout rookie running back found the end zone three times, recording two rushing touchdowns and adding his first career touchdown catch, against the Colonials. His first two scores — a three-yard catch in the end zone and a one-yard scamper over the goal line — helped Central Connecticut build a comfortable 28-0 cushion. Smith totaled 133 all-purpose yards, rushing for 96 yards on 16 carries while adding 37 yards on four catches. The Baltimore product is the NEC’s leading rusher as he enters Week 10 with 765 yards on the ground and nine rushing scores. His five NEC Rookie of the Week awards are tied for the fifth-most in NEC annals, and they are the most since current NFL running back Julius Chestnut racked up five in his first season at Sacred Heart in 2018.
#NECFB PRIME PERFORMERS (Week Nine)
Brett Griffis, CCSU (QB, 5th-Yr)
Griffis’ career day in rushing coupled with his sixth-straight game with at least three touchdowns helped the Blue Devils power past Robert Morris by a 49-14 final at Arute Field on Saturday. Covering 117 yards on the ground with two rushing scores on 10 carries, the fifth-year quarterback posted a 76.9 pass completion percentage (10-of-13) after he threw for 120 yards and one touchdown.
Chris Jean, CCSU (DB, Sr)
The FCS’ active leader in passes defended added another one to his impressive résumé when he returned his second interception of the season 27 yards for a Blue Devils’ touchdown on Saturday. The senior defensive back, who leads the conference with nine passes defended, added three tackles and a quarterback hurry in the two-time defending champion’s 49-14 win over Robert Morris. Jean was also named the NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Defensive Player of the Week.
Davon Smith, Jr., CCSU (RB, So)
Smith continued to torch the field for Central Connecticut, as his 180 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns helped lead the Blue Devils to a 49-14 win against Robert Morris. The sophomore running back racked up 96 rushing yards, two rushing scores, 37 receiving yards and one touchdown catch. Smith also took home NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Rookie of the Week distinction.
Carson Camp, DUQ (QB, Gr)
Camp accounted for all six of Duquesne’s touchdowns on Saturday, registering three through the air while adding three more on the ground to propel the Dukes to a commanding 41-14 win at New Haven on Saturday. The graduate signal caller, who recorded a season-high 291 passing yards and with his three rushing scores, leads the squad with seven this year. Camp was also named the NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Offensive Player of the Week.
Luke Miller, DUQ (LB, Sr)
For the fourth time in as many games, Miller led Duquesne in tackles in Saturday’s 41-14 road win at New Haven. The senior linebacker had seven tackles, including six solo stops, while adding 0.5 tackles-for-loss and two pass breakups for a Dukes defense that has limited each of their past five opponents to 21 points or fewer.
Ryan Petras, DUQ (WR, So)
Petras caught for a career-best 153 yards, the most by a receiver in an NEC game this season, in Duquesne’s 41-14 win at New Haven on Saturday. The sophomore wide receiver set the tone and put the Dukes up by an early 14-0 count with two of his three touchdown catches coming one minute apart in the first quarter.
Ethen Knox, MU (RB, Jr)
Knox had a career day for the Lakers in a comeback bid that came up just short at Stonehill on Saturday. Hauling in 10 catches for 113 yards and a touchdown, the junior running back added 31 rushing yards on nine carries.
Zacchaeus Dixon, MU (DL, Sr)
Dixon had a stellar outing at Stonehill on Saturday, racking up seven tackles, including five solo stops. The senior defensive lineman pushed the Skyhawks back a total of 15 yards on the afternoon with 2.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.0 sack.
Ricky Encarnacion, NHVN (LB, Sr)
Encarnacion posted a game-high nine tackles for New Haven against Duquesne on Saturday. Finishing with five solo stops, the senior linebacker stuffed the stat sheet with a quarterback hurry and an interception that he returned for 28 yards.
Aidan Garrett, STO (RB, So)
Garrett found the end zone twice, including a 43-yard run that put his team up by a 34-14 count with 5:00 to go in the fourth, in Stonehill’s 34-28 win over Mercyhurst on Saturday. The sophomore running back racked up a career-high 113 rushing yards on 20 attempts to help the Skyhawks improve their NEC record to 3-1.
Jordan Irvine, STO (DB, 5th-Yr)
Irvine intercepted a pass and posted five tackles in Stonehill’s 34-28 home win over Mercyhurst. His pick with 11:59 left in the fourth stopped a Lakers’ scoring threat near midfield.
#NECFB SLATE ROUTES (AROUND THE LEAGUE IN 9 SENTENCES):
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: For the second straight season, two-time defending NEC champion Central Connecticut is off to a 4-0 start to NEC play with wins over Wagner, Mercyhurst, New Haven and Robert Morris.
CHICAGO STATE: Senior running back Tre’ Hartwell rushed for four touchdowns in Chicago State’s 80-17 victory over visiting Fort Lauderdale on Saturday.
DUQUESNE: Duquesne’s offense has put up 40-or-more points in each of their past two NEC contests, scoring 52 in a win over Wagner on Oct. 24 and 41 in Saturday’s win at New Haven.
LIU: LIU’s rushing offense ranks second against NEC competitors with 180.0 yards per game, while the Sharks’ defense is also second after limiting league foes to 73.3 rushing yards per contest.
MERCYHURST: Sophomore Alex Gevaudan leads the NEC in conference play with 104 completions, 183 attempts, 1,287 passing yards, 321.8 passing yards per game and 12 passing touchdowns.
NEW HAVEN: Ranking second in the conference with 1.17 tackles per game, senior defensive lineman Irv Briggs tops the NEC charts with 7.0 sacks, three more than the next closest competitor.
ROBERT MORRIS: Combining for 177 total tackles, junior linebacker Amanuel Dickson (10.8 tackles per game) and sophomore linemate Jake Lopinto (8.9) rank one-two in the NEC statistics in the category.
STONEHILL: Stonehill’s 3-1 start to conference play is the program’s best since the Skyhawks joined the NEC for the 2022 campaign.
WAGNER: With three interceptions, including a pair of pick-sixes, junior defensive back Julio Tatis tops the NEC charts with 125 interception return yards this season.
#NECFB EXTRA POINTS: