Prukop leads FCS players of the week

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Dakota Prukop has officially wiped out all feelings of uncertainty in Bozeman, Montana.

The sophomore quarterback from Austin, Texas, wasn’t even the first thought this preseason as a replacement for four-year Montana State starter DeNarius McGhee. After seeing time in 2013 when McGhee was sidelined with an injury, Jake Bleskin seemed to be the favorite to win the starting quarterback job out of the possible four contenders for the gig.

But Prukop emerged onto the scene with strong performances that earned him the starting nod before the regular season kicked off at Arkansas State. And through six games, he’s proven to be the right choice to replace possibly the greatest offensive staple in Bobcats football history.

McGhee was a four-year starter for Montana State, and a three-year contender for the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the most outstanding player in the FCS. Originally from Euless, Texas, McGhee has seemingly started a down- South quarterback trend that has found its way up to the North country.

Prukop was dominant in the Bobcats’ 59-56 win at Big Sky Conference foe Sacramento State this past Saturday. The sophomore completed 23-of-34 pass attempts for 348 yards and five touchdowns against one interception, and added 16 carries for 140 yards and three touchdowns. His most important touchdown came with four seconds remaining in the game – a 4-yard pass hookup with Mitchell Herbert for the game-winning score.

Prukop’s eight total touchdowns in the game is a school record, and his performance was certainly good enough to get a nod for the offensive player of the week in the FCS. Prukop, Villanova’s Don Cherry, Southeast Missouri State’s Tim Hamm-Bey, Mercer’s Chandler Curtis, Liberty’s John Lunsford and South Carolina State’s Darius Leonard have all been selected as The Sports Network’s national FCS players of the week following Week 6 action of the college football season.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Dakota Prukop, Montana State, QB, So., 6-2, 195, Austin, Texas

Prukop, who became the first Montana State quarterback to record two 100-yard rushing games in the same season, joined Travis Lulay and John Tetrault as the only MSU signal callers with two career 100-yard rushing games. After this past weekend’s win, Prukop now ranks second nationally in points responsible for (132) and fourth in total offense per game (326.3 yards per game), and is tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns (nine) and sixth in passing touchdowns (13). The 348 passing yards Saturday set a career high, and five passing touchdowns tied a Montana State school record.

CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Don Cherry, Villanova, LB, Jr., 6-1, 221, Trumbull, Connecticut

Cherry was Villanova’s backstop on Saturday against Maine. The junior linebacker recorded a team-high 12 tackles in Nova’s 41-20 smashing of the 2013 CAA champion Black Bears in Orono. He added 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup in the win. The 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks both set career marks for Cherry, who leads the sixth-ranked Wildcats through five games with 45 total tackles.

Tim Hamm-Bey, Southeast Missouri State, CB, Sr., 5-10, 173, St. Louis

Hamm-Bey played a monumental part in helping Southeast Missouri State take down its second ranked opponent this season. The senior from St. Louis recorded six tackles and had five pass breakups to help his Redhawks defeat then-No. 20 Tennessee State, 28-21, in the Ohio Valley Conference. Hamm-Bey also blocked a first-quarter field goal attempt by the Tigers, which was the second for the cornerback this season and the fourth of his career. Hamm-Bey ranks ninth nationally in passes defended per game (1.7).

CO-SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Chandler Curtis, Mercer, WR/PR, Fr., 5-10, 186, Calhoun, Georgia

Curtis was a factor on both the offensive side of the ball and on special teams for the second straight week in Mercer’s close Southern Conference loss to Samford. The freshman returned three punts for a total of 117 yards over the weekend, including a kick he took 99 yards for a touchdown in the game’s final minute. Trailing 21-18, Samford recovered Mercer’s onside kick attempt to seal the game, but Curtis was still able to record an additional two kickoffs for 40 yards and three receptions for 75 yards in the contest. Curtis leads the FCS this season with three return touchdowns.

John Lunsford, Liberty, PK, Jr., 6-1, 180, Fort Myers, Florida

Talk about clutch. Lunsford broke his own school and Big South Conference record by connecting on a 60-yard field goal as time expired in regulation to tie 20th-ranked Richmond, 32-32, and send the non-conference game to overtime. The mammoth field goal by Lunsford matched the sixth-longest kick in FCS history, and is the first from 60 yards in the past 14 seasons. It was Lunsford’s only field goal of the game, but the junior also connected on all four of his extra point attempts in the Flames’ 46-39 overtime loss.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Darius Leonard, South Carolina State, LB, R-Fr., 6-3, 200, Lake View, South Carolina

Finally, the real power of the South Carolina State defense has surfaced. The Bulldogs went into a matchup with Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference power North Carolina A&T facing one of the league’s better offenses, and ended up shutting the Aggies out in a 13-0 win. Leonard led the charge for the Bulldogs with 13 tackles – eight of which were solo stops – while also forcing fumble in the victory. The SCSU defense held North Carolina A&T’s offense to a mere 43 rushing yards, and 156 total offensive yards in the contest.

Categorized in: NCAA Football