University of Massachusets Athletics
Koepplin Named CAA Special Teams Player Of The Week
November 12, 2007 | Football
Nov. 12, 2007
RICHMOND, Va. - CAA Football announced its Player of the Week honorees, Monday, Nov. 12. Five individuals earned honors after helping each of their teams to victories Saturday, including Richmond's Eric Ward, Maine's Jovan Belcher, Villanova's Tim Kukucka, James Madison's Griff Yancey and Massachusetts' Chris Koepplin.
Ward turned in a flawless performance in No. 9 Richmond's 62-56 five-overtime win on the road at No. 6 Delaware. This week's CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week completed 16-of-29 passes for 199 yards and four touchdowns. The Atlanta, Ga., native also carried the ball 12 times for 81 yards, second-best on the game for the Spiders. Ward accounted for 14 of Richmond's 22 first downs during the game and played his second-straight game without throwing an interception. During the five overtimes, Ward was 5-of-10 for 52 yards, two touchdowns and a two-point conversion toss. After the first three overtimes, one of which included Ward's third touchdown-pass of the game, Delaware punched it in on the first play of the game's fourth overtime session. Ward answered the Blue Hen strike with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Mitchell on the Spiders' first play of their fourth overtime possession. The sophomore backed up the TD-pass with a two-point conversion toss to Kevin Grayson, knotting the game at 56-56 and forcing the decisive fifth overtime.
Belcher, one of two CAA Football Defensive Players of the Week, helped a homestanding Maine squad earn its third-straight win on the season topping Rhode Island 35-0. The junior, who helped limit the Rams to 91 yards -- a CAA Football season-low mark in total offense, recorded a team-best five tackles. The West Babylon, N.Y., native recorded two of his five stops behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of six yards, while also forcing a fumble and knocking down a pass. The Black Bear defense limited Rhode Island to just over 19 minutes of possession, while forcing six punts, four turnovers and one loss on downs in 13 total possessions.
Kukucka, the second of two CAA Football Defensive Players of the Week, made a total of five tackles in Villanova's 14-12 win over Towson. Three of the sophomore's five total tackles came behind the line of scrimmage (loss of 19 yards), including two sacks for a loss of 15 yards. The Wall, N.J., native forced two fumbles on the day as the Wildcats limited the Tigers to just 27 yards on the ground, the fewest rushing yards allowed this season by Villanova. The defensive end now leads Villanova with a total of seven sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss on the season.
Koepplin earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors after scoring nine of eighth-ranked Massachusetts points in a 27-7 victory over No. 14 New Hampshire. Koepplin boomed a 51-yard field goal in the first quarter to open the game's scoring. Koepplin's boot marked the second-longest field goal ever made at UMass, just behind two kicks of 52 yards. Later in the fourth quarter, the Kings Park, N.Y., native added a 29-yard kick to book-end the scoring on the day and make the final, 27-7. On the year, the senior is 9-of-13 in field goal attempts and has yet to miss a PAT, connecting on 35-straight including three in the win over New Hampshire.
Yancey logged his second CAA Football Rookie of the Week honor in as many weeks after garnering another career day in No. 16 James Madison's 55-34 win at William and Mary. The Glen Allen, Va., native carried the ball a career-high 25 times for a total of 132 yards and three touchdowns. Yancey accounted for all three of James Madison's touchdowns in the first quarter, which began a string of eight-straight scoring drives for the Dukes. The redshirt-freshman hauled in four catches for 45 yards and also returned a kickoff 13 yards. Yancey finished the game with 190 all-purpose yards, and has now carried the ball for 100-or-more yards in each of the last two games for the Dukes.
