The Atlantic 10 put up a trio of national performers this week, sweeping the I-AA national awards presented by ESPN/USA Today. Massachusetts’ Jason Peebler was named Offensive Player of the Week following his three-touchdown performance in a 30-17 win over Richmond at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Saturday. Peebler made seven catches for 143 yards, and is now second in the conference in receiving following Saturday’s performance, despite missing a pair of games due to injury.
Defensive end George Peterson of New Hampshire was named I-AA’s Defensive Player of the Week for the role he played in the Wildcats’ 20-17 triumph over James Madison on Saturday. Peterson made 10 tackles, forced one fumble, and recovered two others. He also posted four tackles for loss with 1 1/2 sacks in leading UNH to its second consecutive conference victory, the first time it turned that trick since 2000.
Maine’s Arel Gordon was the third member of the A-10 to garner national honors this week, as he hauled in the Special Teams Player of the Week Award. The freshman became the first player in Black Bear history to return both a punt (75 yards) and a kickoff (100 yards) for touchdowns. He is the only player in the A-10 to pull off that feat in one game this season, and led the Black Bears to a 77-24 victory over Morgan State.
A shift in the polls
Following this weekend’s contests, the A-10 once again boasts four teams in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25. Northeastern, which was out of the polls for three weeks, is back in after a 24-14 defeat of previously unbeaten Delaware, and moved to No. 22. With the loss, the Blue Hens fell from second to sixth in the polls, while UMass was the benefactor of the Blue Hens’ misfortune, advancing one slot to No. 3. Villanova fell the hardest this weekend, dropping all the way to 13th in the polls after a 34-32 loss to Hofstra on Saturday night.
Hempstead hurting
While Northeastern’s upset of Delaware last week was somewhat surprising, the results out of Long Island were downright astonishing. Villanova – previously with just one loss, to UMass two weeks ago – went in to Hempstead, N.Y. and collapsed in the second half, falling to the 1-8 Pride, 34-32.
Backup quarterback Marvin Burroughs was filling in once again for the injured Joe Casamento, and led the Wildcats to a 26-14 halftime lead. But Hofstra came storming back with a pair of third quarter touchdowns by Isaac Irby to take a 27-26 edge. Vemba Bukula added a touchdown run of his own with 3:11 to play and gave Hofstra an eight-point lead.
On the ensuing drive, ‘Nova coach Andy Talley went to Casamento in desperation, and the sophomore went 7 for 7 on the drive, finishing off the 76 yard offensive with a 15 yard touchdown to John Dieser with 55 seconds to go. But on the two point conversion attempt, Casamento rolled out and was sacked by junior Daniel Garay to ice the victory for the Pride.
Playoff picture
With two weeks remaining in the A-10 regular season, the Minutemen are the lone squad to control their own destiny. With a win this weekend at Delaware, the Maroon and White would clinch its 19th A-10 title and first since 1999. Should the Blue Hens come out on top, they could then clinch with a victory over Villanova the last week of the season. Otherwise, the Maroon and White would win the title with a victory over URI in the final week of the season. Villanova cannot win the A-10 title following its loss to Hofstra. All three teams are still in line for at-large bids, but ‘Nova would more than likely have to win out in order to find its way into the postseason.
