NEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JaMario Clements, Duquesne
Running Back, Redshirt Junior, 5-11, 205 lbs., Lafayette, GA/Lafayette
Week 3 Stats: 204 rushing yards, 12 rushes, 17.0 yards per rush, 1 rushing TD
Clements’ running game helped lead Duquesne to a thrilling 28-25 win at No. 20 Youngstown State on Saturday. The victory marked the Dukes’ second against a nationally-ranked program, and the first for an NEC squad against a ranked team since Merrimack took down No. 24 Holy Cross on Sept. 11, 2021. Clements ran his way to the top of the national statistics on Saturday after he covered 204 yards, the most by an FCS running back in a single game against a Division I opponent to date this season. Ripping off a 72-yard run earlier in the contest, the Lafayette, GA native delivered the dagger for Duquesne with an impressive 75-yard touchdown trot that made it a 28-17 advantage with 100 seconds left to play in the game. Clements, a redshirt junior, is ranked second in the conference behind Robert Morris running back and 2023 NEC rushing yard titlist Tyvon Edmonds, Jr. by a slim margin, averaging 94.7 yards on the ground per game to Edmonds’ 95.3. This is his first NEC Offensive Player of the Week award, and the first for a Duquesne player this year.
NEC CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Jalen Howard, Central Connecticut
Defensive Lineman, Senior, 6-1, 265 lbs., Woodbridge, VA/Woodbridge (Villanova)
Week 3 Stats: 7.0 tackles (4 solo), 4.0 tackles-for-loss (13 yards), 2.0 sacks (10 yards)
Howard was a force to be reckoned with in Central Connecticut’s league-opening win at Saint Francis U, totaling seven tackles — including four solo stops — to go along with 2.0 sacks. In addition, the 6-foot-1 linebacker also accounted for one-quarter of his team’s 16.0 tackles-for-loss (4.0). A native of Woodbridge, VA, Howard stymied any chance of a Red Flash comeback in crunch time after he pushed Saint Francis U back nine yards with a clutch 1st-and-10 sack on their final drive of the game. With that late stop, he has now registered multiple sacks in consecutive weeks for the Blue Devils. On the season, Howard leads the NEC in tackles-for-loss (6.0), tackles-for-loss per game (2.00), total sacks (4.0) and sacks per game (1.33). He is the second Blue Devil to garner NEC Defensive Player of the Week distinction in as many weeks, joining Malachi Wright, who earned the honor after a Central Connecticut win over Lafayette.
Luke Miller, Duquesne
Linebacker, Sophomore, 6-1, 210 lbs., Pittsburgh, PA/Pine-Richland
Week 3 Stats: 14 tackles (8 solo)
Miller became the second NEC rookie to double up on a weekly award this season after he turned in a star-studded defensive performance at Youngstown State on Saturday. Also named the league’s top rookie following a big Week 3 win, he joins Saint Francis U quarterback Jeff Hoenstine, who was pegged the NEC Offensive Player of the Week and the NEC Rookie of the Week last Monday. A local product from the Steel City, Miller played an instrumental role in leading Duquesne to 28-25 upset victory at No. 20 Youngstown State. In the win over the Penguins, which also avenged last season’s loss in the opening round of the FCS Playoffs, he delivered a career-high 14 tackles, the most by an NEC player in a single game this season. Entering the contest with 9.0 total tackles against FBS opponents Toledo and Boston College, the sophomore linebacker currently ranks fifth in the circuit with 7.7 per contest. This is his first NEC Defensive Player of the Week award, and the first for a Duke this season.
NEC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Aidan Clark, Central Connecticut
Punter, Senior, 6-3, 255 lbs., Tolland, CT/Tolland
Week 3 Stats: 310 punting yards, 6 punts (84-yard long), 51.7 yards per punt, 3 50+ yard punts, 4 inside-20
Clark had himself a day at Saint Francis U on Saturday. In six boots, the veteran punter pinned the Red Flash inside their own 20-yard line four times. Highlighting the afternoon was an 84-yard boomer that tied the NEC record and set a new single-game standard for Central Connecticut. In addition, the 84-yard blast, which sent Saint Francis U back to its own three-yard line, was the longest by an FCS punter this season. On the afternoon, Clark totaled 310 punting yards and 51.7 yards per punt in the Blue Devils’ conference-opening win. In addition, the Nutmeg State native completed a 19-yard pass and he was the holder on two successful field goals and three extra points. Clark enters the week as the NEC’s leader in punting yards (840), yards per boot (44.5) and 50+ yard punts (4). This is his second career NEC Special Teams of the Week award, as he was previously honored as a sophomore on Oct. 10, 2022.
NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Luke Miller, Duquesne
Linebacker, Sophomore, 6-1, 210 lbs., Pittsburgh, PA/Pine-Richland
Week 3 Stats: 14 tackles (8 solo)
Miller, a sophomore linebacker, turned in a sensational defensive effort to help lead Duquesne to a 28-25 win at No. 20 Youngstown State for the program’s second-ever win over a nationally-ranked opponent. Prior to Saturday’s upset, the Dukes’ only other win against a ranked squad came back in 2018 by way of a 31-10 win over Towson in the opening round of the FCS Playoffs. Miller, who was also pegged the NEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week, delivered a game-high 14 tackles for the Dukes. In addition to posting a career-best effort in tackles in the big win, the local product from Pittsburgh also set the single-game standard for the NEC in the category this season. Entering the contest with 9.0 total tackles against FBS opponents Toledo and Boston College, Miller is ranked fifth in the circuit with 7.7 per contest. This is his first NEC Rookie of the Week honor, and the first for a Duquesne first-year player this season.
#NECFB PRIME PERFORMERS (Week 3)
Jayden Anderson, CCSU (LB, Sr.)
Anderson’s clutch forced fumble, which was recovered by teammate Kimal Clark for a touchdown with 1:45 left to play, led Central Connecticut to a 27-20 victory at Saint Francis U in its league opener on Saturday. On the afternoon, the senior linebacker added 2.5 tackles-for-loss and five total tackles, including three solo stops.
Aidan Clark, CCSU (P, Sr.)
Clark blasted a career-long and NEC-record tying 84-yard punt in the opening half of Central Connecticut’s 27-20 win at Saint Francis U. Landing four of six punts inside the Red Flash’s 20-yard line, the veteran covered 310 yards on the afternoon for 51.7 yards per boot. Clark was also named the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time in his career.
Jalen Howard, CCSU (DL, Sr.)
Howard accounted for one-quarter of Central Connecticut’s 16 tackles-for-loss (4.0 TFLs) and finished with seven tackles (4 solo) on Saturday to pace a defense that held Saint Francis U to just one touchdown in a 28-21 road triumph. Adding multiple sacks for the second consecutive game with 2.0, the senior defensive lineman’s 4.0 tackles-for-loss set the single-game standard in the NEC this season. Howard also earned NEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors following the Blue Devils’ league-opening win.
Tedy Afful, DUQ (WR, Sr.)
Afful bookended halftime with a pair of touchdowns to first pull Duquesne within three at the break and eventually put the Dukes in front for good with 1:21 left in the third at No. 20 Youngstown State. It marked the senior’s first multiple touchdown outing of the 2024 campaign.
JaMario Clements, DUQ (RB, R-Jr.)
The NEC Offensive Player of the Week’s running game helped lead Duquesne to the program’s second win against a nationally-ranked opponent — and the NEC’s first since 2021 — on Saturday at Youngstown State. Behind runs of 72 and 75 yards, the Georgia product compiled a career-best 204 yards, the most by an FCS player against a Division I opponent this season. Clements’ 75-yard touchdown scamper in the final minutes of the game ultimately sealed the win over the 20th-ranked squad in the nation.
Luke Miller, DUQ (LB, So.)
Miller ascended to the top of the NEC single-game rankings after he tallied 14 tackles, including eight solo stops, in Duquesne’s upset at No. 20 Youngstown State on Saturday. Entering the contest with 9.0 combined tackles against FBS opponents Toledo and Boston College, the sophomore linebacker boosted his season total to 23.0 to rank fifth in the circuit with 7.7 per contest. Miller also took home NEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week and NEC Rookie of the Week honors.
Anthony Chiccitt, RMU (QB, R-Jr.)
Chiccitt threw for a career-high five touchdowns and 307 yards— including a 63-yarder to Noah Robinson with 3:04 remaining in the second quarter — to lead Robert Morris to a 55-28 win over Mercyhurst on Saturday. It marked the first 300-plus passing yard performance by an NEC quarterback this season, while the five of scores are the most by a conference athlete since Saint Francis U’s Cole Doyle threw for a quintet of touchdowns against Merrimack on Nov. 19, 2022.
Tyvon Edmonds, Jr., RMU (RB, Sr.)
Edmonds, an All-NEC Preseason team selection, ran for a season- and game-high 133 yards and a touchdown to lead Robert Morris past Mercyhurst, 55-28, on Saturday. The league’s top running back (286 rushing yards, 95.3 rushing yards per game) helped the Colonials amass the second-highest point total in a game in program history with his fourth-quarter score.
DeMarcus McElroy, SFU (RB, R-So.)
McElroy racked up his first career 100-yard rushing game on Saturday when he ran for 124 yards on nine carries in Saint Francis U’s conference opener against Central Connecticut. The redshirt sophomore registered a 97-yard touchdown run, marking the longest scamper by an FCS player since Valparaiso’s Aaron Dawson ran for 99 yards against Butler on Oct. 15, 2022 and the fourth-longest touchdown run in NEC history.
Jaylen Bonelli, WC (WR, So.)
Bonelli caught for 100-plus yards for the second time this season after he tallied 117 yards on seven receptions to lead Wagner to the program’s largest margin of victory since 2018 with a 30-7 win at Delaware State. The reigning NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year made it at least one touchdown in each of his three appearances this season after he hauled in a 40-yard pass from graduate student Jake Cady in the third quarter.
Jake Cady, WC (QB, Gr.)
Cady turned heads in his first-ever Wagner start at QB, going 18-of-26 for 202 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a convincing win at Delaware State. Adding a touchdown rush in the final quarter to provide the final score of 30-7, the graduate transfer from Assumption has five touchdown throws and owns a league-leading 182.2 efficiency rating in two appearances this season.
Rickey Spruill, WC (RB, Sr.)
Spruill torched the field by running for a career-high 143 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries in Wagner’s convincing 30-7 road win at Delaware State on Saturday. His personal-best 60-yard touchdown scamper on his team’s first play from scrimmage on the day gave the Seahawks the early edge in the wire-to-wire triumph.
AROUND THE NEC IN 8 SENTENCES
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT has strung together back-to-back wins for the first time since 2021 and is off to the program’s best start (2-1) since the Blue Devils won three straight contests to open the 2019 campaign.
DUQUESNE came away with the NEC’s first upset of a nationally-ranked opponent since 2021 when the Dukes upset #20 Youngstown State, their first FCS opponent of the season, by a 28-25 final.
LIU’s two setbacks to FCS opponents — then-ranked #16 UAlbany and Lehigh — have been decided by six points or fewer and in each of those games, the Sharks had a chance to put the go-ahead score on the scoreboard in their final possession.
MERCYHURST graduate student Cameron Barmore, who lead the circuit with 237 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns, is the only NEC receiver to have multiple touchdown catches in each of his three games this season.
ROBERT MORRIS, which scored touchdowns on eight of its 11 possessions in a 55-28 win over visting Mercyhurst on Saturday, put up the second-most points in program history and the most points by an NEC squad since Saint Francis U had 57 against LIU on Oct. 15, 2022.
SAINT FRANCIS U’s defense, which has conceded the fewest touchdowns amongst all NEC teams (7), enters Week 4 ranked first in the conference in points conceded per game (20.7).
STONEHILL senior Ashur Carraha is averaging the most rushing yards by an NEC quarterback with 70.5 per game (5th overall in the NEC).
WAGNER sophomore wide receiver Jaylen Bonelli, the reigning NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year, accounts for one-third of Wagner’s 12 scores and has at least one touchdown catch in each of his three games this season.
2024 NEC FOOTBALL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS:
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 2: Ludovick Choquette (LIU)
Sept. 9: Jeff Hoenstine (Saint Francis U)
Sept. 16: JaMario Clements (Duquesne)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 2: Tyris Harvey (Robert Morris) & Paul Tangelo (Saint Francis U)
Sept. 9: Malachi Wright (Central Connecticut)
Sept. 16: Jalen Howard (Central Connecticut) & Luke Miller (Duquesne)
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 2: Jack Barnum (Central Connecticut)
Sept. 9: Mac Plummer (Saint Francis U)
Sept. 16: Aidan Clark (Central Connecticut)
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sept. 2: Taveon Wheeler (LIU)
Sept. 9: Jeff Hoenstine (Saint Francis U)
Sept. 16: Luke Miller (Duquesne)
