CAA Football Weekly Awards - Oct. 7
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (October 7, 2024) – CAA Football has announced its weekly award winners for Week 6 of the 2024 season. Richmond junior running back Zach Palmer-Smith and Bryant senior wide receiver Landon Ruggieri shared Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Villanova graduate linebacker Brendan Bell received Defensive Player of the Week accolades. New Hampshire kicker Nick Mazzie was chosen as the Special Teams Player of the Week and Villanova freshman running back David Avit repeated as the Rookie of the Week.
CAA Football Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Zach Palmer-Smith, Jr., RB, Richmond (Delran, N.J./Delran)
Palmer-Smith rushed for a career-high 200 yards and a TD on 25 carries (8.0 ypc) in Richmond’s 20-17 victory over North Carolina A&T. The 200-yard outing was the first for a UR back since 2015 and the 8
th-best in FCS this season. Palmer-Smith’s 8-yard TD run in the 3
rd quarter proved to be the game-winner as he topped 150 yards on the ground for the third straight contest.
CAA Football Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Landon Ruggieri, Sr., WR, Bryant (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland)
Ruggieri made 10 receptions for a career-high 190 yards and 3 TD’s in Bryant’s 42-35 win at Brown. The senior had TD grabs of 18 and 38 yards before catching a game-winning 30-yarder with 1:45 to go. Ruggieri is the only player in FCS with a pair of three-TD receiving games in 2024 and the 190 yards are the 7
th-most in FCS this season.
CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week
Brendan Bell, Gr., LB, Villanova (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge)
Bell recorded a career-high 15 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack in Villanova’s 42-24 win at Stony Brook. The grad linebacker made 10 stops in the first half and had the most tackles by a CAA player this season. Bell led a VU defense that pitched a shutout over the final 25 minutes as the Wildcats rallied from a 10-point deficit.
CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Nick Mazzie, PK, New Hampshire (Boxford, Mass./Central Catholic)
Mazzie was 3-for-3 on field goals, including a career-long 52-yarder, in New Hampshire’s setback at Harvard. The 52-yard FG was the longest for a UNH kicker since 2009 and the 11
th-best in FCS in 2024. He also made FG’s from 29 and 43 yards and was 2-for-2 on extra points.
CAA Football Rookie of the Week
David Avit, Fr., RB, Villanova (Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill)
Avit repeats as Rookie of the Week after rushing for a career-high 183 yards and 4 TD’s on 13 carries in Villanova’s 42-24 win at Stony Brook. He had a pair of 1-yard scoring runs before breaking loose for TD’s of 59 and 72 yards in the second half to erase a 10-point deficit. The 183 yards were the most ever for a VU freshman.