CAA FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK -- NOV. 9
RICHMOND, Va. (November 9, 2009) -- CAA Football announced its Player of the Week honorees, Monday, Nov. 9. Five individuals earned honors after showcasing superb efforts in contests played in Week 10 of the 2009 season, including James Madison’s Justin Thorpe, New Hampshire’s Tom Manning, Rhode Island’s Shawn Leonard, Villanova’s Chris Whitney and William and Mary’s Jake Trantin.
CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week - Shawn Leonard, WR, Rhode Island
Leonard earns CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week honors after turning in a record-breaking receiving effort in Rhode Island’s 55-42 shootout-loss at No. 8 New Hampshire Saturday. The senior wide receiver hauled in 10 catches for 275 yards and three touchdowns, all marking career high totals for the Stoughton, Mass., native. Leonard’s 275 receiving yards rank as the third-best single-game total in school history and are the fifth-highest receiving total in CAA Football history. Leonard has now garnered 411 receiving yards (19 catches) and five touchdowns in his last three games for the Rams.
CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week - Chris Whitney, QB, Villanova
Whitney garners CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week honors after helping No. 4 Villanova knock off top-ranked Richmond 21-20 on the road Saturday. The junior completed 21-of-34 passes for 277 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in the Wildcats’ come-from-behind win. The Warminster, Pa., native is now 19-5 as a starter for the Wildcats after completing a game-winning 29-yard touchdown pass to Brandyn Harvey with 59 seconds left in Saturday’s game. Whitney, now 2-1 against Richmond in his career, helped the Wildcats end Richmond’s FCS-best 17-game win streak.
CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week - Jake Trantin, LB, William and Mary
Trantin, the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week, led No. 5 William and Mary to a 31-0 shutout win over Towson at home Saturday. The sophomore linebacker garnered a team-high eight tackles including five solo stops. The Severn, Md., native also had one stop behind the line of scrimmage and picked off a Towson pass in the second quarter. Trantin led a Tribe defense, now among the Top-3 nationally in both scoring and total defense, which limited Towson to just 201 yards of total offense and shutout an opponent for the first time since 2005.
CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week - Tom Manning, PK, New Hampshire
Manning, the CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week for the third time this season, was true on a total of nine kicks in New Hampshire’s 55-42 shootout-win over Rhode Island Saturday. The Rome, N.Y., native hit two second-half field goals helping the Wildcats outpace the Rams. The first was a 42-yarder late in the third to push New Hampshire’s lead to eight, while his second was a 47-yard boot with 5:58 left to play. The senior was also true on seven PAT attempts in the game, giving him 13 points on the day.
CAA Football Rookie of the Week - Justin Thorpe, QB, James Madison
Thorpe earned Rookie of the Week honors for the second time this season following his performance in James Madison’s 22-14 win over Maine Saturday. The Richmond, Va., native carried the ball 17 times for 83 yards and a score and also completed 9-of-13 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. The redshirt-freshman’s touchdown run of 42 yards in the second quarter marked his longest of the season. Thorpe is now JMU’s all-time freshman quarterback rushing leader with 533 yards in 2009.
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