Football

FB: September 16 Players of the Week

DALLAS – WKU quarterback Caden Veltkamp, Sam Houston safety Caleb Weaver and LA Tech placekicker Buck Buchanan earned CUSA Player of the Week honors for week three. The weekly awards are voted on by a panel of the league’s media.
 
Offensive Player of the Week – Caden Veltkamp, WKU – RS Soph. – QB – Bowling Green, Ky.
Veltkamp came off the bench to replace injured starting quarterback TJ Finley and had a massive game in WKU's 49-21 victory over “100 Miles of Hate” rival Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro on Saturday. He threw for 398 yards and five touchdowns on 27-30 passing and added another touchdown rushing. He started the game with 10 consecutive completions and had 17 consecutive completions to end the game. The 17 consecutive completions is the second-longest streak in a single game in program history. The 49 points were the most the Hilltoppers have scored against the Blue Raiders in a game in Murfreesboro and the third-highest point total WKU has posted in a game against its rival. For his efforts, Veltkamp was named to the Davey O'Brien Award Great 8 and the Manning Award Stars of the Week. 
 
Defensive Player of the Week – Caleb Weaver, Sam Houston – RS Jr. – S – Houston, Texas
On a night where the Bearkats had to dig deep into their stable of defensive backs, Weaver stood out in the Bearkat secondary to lead SHSU to a decisive 31-13 win over Hawaii in the 2024 home opener. The redshirt junior safety came up with his first interception of the year and broke up three more passes, along with totaling three stops against the high-powered Rainbow Warrior passing attack. In all, Weaver's efforts helped hold Hawaii to just 21-42 passing in the game and 242 yards. Weaver's interception came in the second quarter and set up a 26-yard field goal for Sam Houston which put the Kats up 17-3.
 
Special Teams Player of the Week – Buck Buchanan, LA Tech – Junior – K – Marshall, Texas
Buchanan was perfect in all three phases of the kicking game in a tight road loss to NC State on Saturday, as he logged eight of the Bulldogs’ 20 points, including a program-record 57-yard field goal to put the Bulldogs ahead 17-6 at halftime. The boot also marked the fourth-longest field goal in CUSA history. Buchanan made a 20-yarder in the third quarter to go along with two extra point conversions. The junior finished with touchbacks on all five of his kickoffs including one that sailed through the uprights. 
 
2024 Winners
Offensive Players of the Week
S2        Hunter Watson, Sam Houston
S9        Keyone Jenkins, FIU
S16       Caden Veltkamp, WKU
 
Defensive Players of the Week
S2        Tayden Barnes, NM State
S9        CJ Bazile Jr., Liberty
S16       Caleb Weaver, Sam Houston
 
Special Teams Players of the Week
S2        Christian Pavon, Sam Houston
S9        Colin Karhu, Liberty
S16       Buck Buchanan, LA Tech