DALLAS – FIU’s
Eric Rivers and Jax State’s
Tre Stewart shared Offensive Player of the Week honors after a pair of career outings, and Jax State’s
Geimere Latimer and NM State’s
Abraham Montano also earned CUSA Player of the Week honors for week 10. The weekly awards are voted on by a panel of the league’s media.
Co-Offensive Player of the Week – Eric Rivers, FIU – Junior – WR – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Rivers hauled in 11 passes for a program-record 295 yards, which is the second-most by an FBS player this season and the third-most in a game in CUSA history. He logged a career-high three touchdowns, all of which were over 50 yards (62, 52, 51), to lead the Panthers (3-6, 2-3 CUSA) to a 34-13 victory over NM State on Tuesday night. Rivers recorded 113 of his 295 yards after the catch on his way to his third 100-yard receiving effort of the season. Through week 10, he is the CUSA leader with eight receiving touchdowns.
Co-Offensive Player of the Week – Tre Stewart, Jax State – Senior – RB – Winston-Salem, N.C.
Stewart became the first CUSA player to amass 210 rushing yards in back-to-back games since 2015 after racking up 232 yards on the ground in the Gamecocks’ (5-3, 4-0 CUSA) 31-21 win at Liberty. He found the end zone four times, becoming the first in the league to have four rushing touchdowns twice in a season since Devin Singletary in 2017. Stewart is one of three FBS players to have multiple four-touchdown performances this season. He got Jax State on the board with a 75-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and added a 28-yard score in the second quarter.
Defensive Player of the Week – Geimere Latimer, Jax State – Sophomore – CB – Fairburn, Ga.
Latimer virtually sealed Jax State’s fifth-straight win – a 31-21 triumph over Liberty – with a late interception that set the Gamecocks up for a crucial insurance score. He jumped in front of a pass with 2:42 left in the game and the Gamecocks leading by three and returned it all the way down to the one-yard line. Stewart punched it in to put Jax State up 10, ultimately snapping the Flames’ 12-game home win streak. The sophomore also added six tackles to go along with his second interception of the season.
Special Teams Player of the Week – Abraham Montano, NM State – Senior – K – Salinas, Calif.
Montano continued his impressive season as he connected on attempts from 57 and 53 yards out in the Aggies’ road tilt at FIU. The 57-yarder tied for the longest kick in program history and the fourth-longest kick in CUSA history. With his 53-yarder, Montano became the first Aggie kicker since 1978 to have two kicks of 50+ yards in a single game. He’s also the second FBS kicker this season to make two kicks of 50 yards or longer in a single game. Montano is now 12-13 on field goal attempts and is tied for 10th in the nation in field goal percentage.
2024 Winners
Offensive Players of the Week
S2 Hunter Watson, Sam Houston
S9 Keyone Jenkins, FIU
S16 Caden Veltkamp, WKU
S23 Reese Smith, Liberty
S30 Hunter Watson, Sam Houston
O7 Tyler Huff, Jax State
O14 Evan Bullock, LA Tech
O21 Caden Veltkamp, WKU
O28 Davis Bryson, Kennesaw State
N4 Eric Rivers, FIU / Tre Stewart, Jax State
Defensive Players of the Week
S2 Tayden Barnes, NM State
S9 CJ Bazile Jr., Liberty
S16 Caleb Weaver, Sam Houston
S23 Devonte’ Mathews, WKU
S30 Travion Barnes, FIU
O7 Zechariah Poyser, Jax State
O14 Travion Barnes, FIU
O21 Kale Edwards, NM State
O28 Tyler Hallum, Kennesaw State
N4 Geimere Latimer, Jax State
Special Teams Players of the Week
S2 Christian Pavon, Sam Houston
S9 Colin Karhu, Liberty
S16 Buck Buchanan, LA Tech
S23 Cole Maynard, WKU
S30 Christian Pavon, Sam Houston
O7 Jadon Cardell, Sam Houston
O14 Lucas Carneiro, WKU
O21 Omari Kelly, MTSU
O28 Austin Welch, Kennesaw State
N4 Abraham Montano, NM State