Colgate players earn Patriot League honors

Published Nov. 2, 2015 12:57 p.m. ET

foxsports

(STATS) - After helping Colgate move into first place in the Patriot League with a win over Fordham, a pair of Raiders have been named conference players of the week.

Colgate (4-4, 3-0) held on for a 31-29 win over the Rams (7-2, 3-1) on Saturday - dropping Fordham five spots to 16th in the STATS FCS Top 25 - and the league took notice of the strong contributions made by quarterback Jake Melville and linebacker Kyle Diener in the surprising victory.

Melville earned offensive player of the week honors, going 17 of 26 for 241 yards and a touchdown while gaining 112 yards on 16 carries with a pair of scores against the Rams. Diener won the defensive award with 10 tackles and a sack, and he also batted down Fordham's pass attempt on a potential tying two-point conversion with no time remaining.

A Fordham player also earned one of the Patriot League's weekly awards. Freshman receiver Austin Longi was named rookie of the week after making 10 catches for 107 yards and two TDs.

Holy Cross kicker Connor Fitzgerald earned special teams honors for making a 31-yard field goal - his second of the game - with 13 seconds left to give the Crusaders a 34-33 win over Bryant on Saturday. He also punted four times for an average of 46.5 yards.