CAA Football Weekly Awards - Nov. 11
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (November 11, 2019) – CAA Football has announced its weekly award winners for Week 11 of the 2019 season. Earning honors are James Madison senior quarterback Ben DiNucci, Villanova senior linebacker Drew Wiley, Villanova junior kick returner/defensive back Nowoola Awopetu, Maine freshman quarterback Joe Fagnano and William & Mary freshman running back Bronson Yoder.
CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week
Ben DiNucci, Sr., QB, James Madison (Wexford, Pa./Pine-Richland)
DiNucci completed 19-of-24 passes for a season-high 293 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score as No. 2 James Madison defeated No. 23 New Hampshire, 54-16. The senior, who played just over three quarters, connected on a season-best 79.2% of his throws and tallied all three TD’s in the first half as the Dukes rallied from a 10-3 deficit. The performance came against a UNH team that ranked 7
th in FCS in scoring defense (16.6 ppg).
CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week
Drew Wiley, Sr., LB, Villanova (Pennington, N.J./Hopewell Valley)
Wiley recorded five tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception as Villanova rallied past Richmond, 35-28. The senior’s interception at the VU 8-yard line stopped a drive in the third quarter and was part of a dominant second-half effort by Wildcats, who held UR to just 63 yards and no points in the final 30 minutes.
CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Nowoola Awopetu, Jr., KR/DB, Villanova (Staten Island, N.Y./Port Richmond)
Awopetu returned the opening kickoff of the game 100 yards for a touchdown in Villanova’s 35-28 victory over Richmond. He’s the first Villanova player since 2010 to return a kickoff for a touchdown and it’s the seventh play of 100 yards or longer in Wildcats’ history. Awopetu had just 61 kick return yards all season entering the game.
CAA Football Co-Rookie of the Week
Joe Fagnano, Fr., QB, Maine (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport)
Fagnano completed 20-of-29 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns as Maine picked up a 31-17 win at Elon. The freshman connected on TD throws of 60 and 88 yards in the first quarter as the Black Bears sprinted out to a commanding 28-0 advantage. Fagnano has thrown for at least 249 yards and 2 TD’s in all four of his career starts and has the three longest TD passes in school history.
CAA Football Co-Rookie of the Week
Bronson Yoder, Fr., RB/WR, William & Mary (Nappanee, Ind./Northwood)
Yoder rushed for a career-high 144 yards and a TD on only 14 carries as William & Mary beat Rhode Island, 55-19. The freshman found the end zone from 12 yards out in the second quarter and was part of a Tribe offense that piled up a school-record 462 yards on the ground. Yoder, who tied a career-high with 206 all-purpose yards, also broke the W&M record for kickoff return yards (847) in a season.