I-A College Football News
Foster and Santos highlight FCS players of the week
Sep 17, 2007, 20:46 GMT
Philadelphia, PA - Georgia Southern quarterback Jayson Foster, New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos, Austin Peay linebacker Daniel Becker and North Dakota State punter Mike Dragosavich were selected as national FCS players of the week by The Sports Network.
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Jayson Foster, Georgia Southern, Senior, Quarterback, 5-9, 164, Canton, Ga.
Foster set a school record with six rushing touchdowns Saturday in Georgia Southern's 42-34 victory at Coastal Carolina. Foster ran 28 times for 253 yards, an average of 9.0 yards per carry. He also became only the second Eagle player to ever run for 200 yards in consecutive games, joining fullback Adrian Peterson, who pulled off the feat in 1998 against The Citadel (231) and East Tennessee State (209). Foster had 232 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries for a remarkable 21-yards per carry average in the opening game of the season against Division II West Georgia. Foster currently leads the NCAA in rushing with an average of 242 yards per game and a 12.4 average per carry. He also has nine TDs this season as Georgia Southern is off to its first 2-0 start since 2001.
Ricky Santos, New Hampshire, Senior, Quarterback, 6-2, 215, Bellingham, Mass.
Santos sparked New Hampshire to a 48-35 victory over former FCS powerhouse Marshall Saturday on the road. Santos completed 23-of-33 passes for 289 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in the Wildcats' win. The All-American quarterback threw three TD strikes and rushed 13 times for 45 yards and another touchdown to pile up 334 yards of total offense. It was the third time Santos had led the Wildcats to an upset of an FBS opponent. New Hampshire beat Rutgers in 2004 (35-24) and Northwestern in 2006 (34-17) with Santos as the starting quarterback.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Daniel Becker, Austin Peay, Sophomore, Linebacker, 6-3, 241, Brentwood, Tenn.
Becker recorded a career-high 19 tackles, including 13 solo stops to help the unheralded Governors take Tennessee State to overtime. Though Austin Peay lost 33-32 in overtime, Becker put them in position for a possible upset by forcing one fumble, recovering another fumble and having one tackle for a three-yard loss to lead the Governors' defense. His 19 tackles were the second most in FCS this season, trailing only Matt Loucks of Fordham, who had 26 last week. Becker is tied for fifth in solo tackles in FCS this season with 21 in three games and is 14th in total tackles with 35.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mike Dragosavich, North Dakota State, Senior, Punter, 6-5, 200, Oak Lawn, Ill.
Dragosavich played a key role in North Dakota State's 41-38 victory over Sam Houston State. The All-American punter kicked only three times, but he helped the Bison win the field position battle in a tight win over then-16th-ranked Sam Houston State. Dragosavich averaged 51.3 yards on his three punts, hitting one kick of 70 yards and having another downed at the Bearkats' two-yard line. Dragosavich is the career leader among FCS punters, coming into his senior season with an average of 44.4 yards per punt.
© 2007 The Sports Network
