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(STATS) - Saint Francis kicker Lance Geesey says his success comes from preparation - that getting himself ready in the offseason and then during game week provides great confidence.
His coaches and teammates may have an even higher level of confidence in the best kicker in school history.
The all-Northeast Conference first-teamer set conference and school records with five field goals Saturday in an important victory at Central Connecticut State, which kept the Red Flash a half-game out of first place with two weeks remaining in the regular season. The redshirt junior also holds school records for the longest field goal (52 yards) and field goals in a season (18).
Geesey, McNeese State's Daniel Sams, Fordham's George Dawson and Harvard's Justice Shelton-Mosley were named Monday as the STATS FCS National Players of the Week for games played Nov. 6-7.
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OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK=
Daniel Sams, McNeese State, QB, R-Sr., 6-2, 198, Slidell, Louisiana.
Take away Sams' 64-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against Sam Houston State and the McNeese State signal-caller still reached the 100-yard level. But the undefeated Cowboys won't take it away because it started their climb from a 10-0 deficit toward a 27-10 victory - which clinched at least a share of the Southland championship as well as the conference's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. Sams connected with Kent Shelby for a 6-yard touchdown pass to give the Cowboys (9-0) a 14-10 lead by halftime and went on to account for 332 yards of total offense (164 rushing on 23 carries, 168 passing on 14 completions). Sams has surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in his two seasons at McNeese, a feat he also accomplished in two seasons at Kansas State before making a transfer.
Honorable Mention: Troy Mitchell, QB, Western Carolina; Trae Riek, RB, Northern Colorado; Patrick Smith, WR, Tennessee State; and Anthony Warrum, WR, Illinois State.
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DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK=
George Dawson, Fordham, LB, Jr., 6-2, 224, Bronx, New York.
Fordham's hometown product totaled 10 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in a 24-16 victory over Bucknell, but that doesn't tell the entire story. He also picked off a pass in the end zone when Bucknell was trying to take a late lead on a two-point conversion and Fordham (8-2) ahead 17-16 with 1:44 remaining. Dawson then recovered the ensuing onside kick to set up Fordham's clinching touchdown in the final seconds of the Patriot League game. His second sack of the game forced a third-quarter turnover which started a Fordham drive in Bucknell territory and led to the touchdown that broke a 10-10 tie.
Honorable Mention: Anthony Ellis, DE, Charleston Southern; Malachi Hoskins, DE, Albany; Javancy Jones, DE, Jackson State; and Christian Kuntz, LB, Duquesne.
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SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK=
Lance Geesey, Saint Francis, PK, R-Jr., 5-10, 180, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Geesey is the model of consistency on field goals, so it's no surprise he was 5 for 5 as Saint Francis beat Central Connecticut State 22-13 in a pivotal matchup of teams that had only one Northeast Conference loss. Geesey provided the Red Flash (5-3) with a 12-0 halftime lead on field goals of 46, 46, 30 and 21 yards. He added a 35-yard field goal (setting the NEC and school records with five) and an extra point in the second half and averaged 58 yards on six kickoffs with two touchbacks. Geesey is 16 for 17 on field goal attempts this season, and the all-NEC kicker is 45 for 55 (81.8 percent) in his career - one shy of the conference's all-time record for field goals made.
Honorable Mention: Brian Akialis, P, Butler; Nick Brewer, CB, Prairie View A&M; Zach Dean, DE, Murray State; Jose Depadua, KR, Bryant; and Anthony Pistelli, PK, Samford.
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FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK=
Justice Shelton-Mosley, Harvard, WR/RS, Fr., 5-10, 170, Sacramento, California.
As the games get bigger for Harvard (8-0), so, too, does Shelton-Mosley's performance. He had 270 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in a 24-16 Ivy League win at Columbia - the Crimson's FCS-best 22nd victory in a row - and not only earned the league's rookie of the week award for the second straight time but also its offensive player and co-special teams honors (the first triple weekly award winner in Ivy history). He caught eight passes for a career-high 131 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown in the second quarter. He also totaled 139 return yards, including 86 on a punt return for a touchdown to open the fourth.
Honorable Mention: Marquis Green, S, Mississippi Valley, State; Donald Liotine, RB, Stony Brook; Ahmani Martin, CB, Nicholls; and Brad Mayes, QB, Lehigh.
