Offensive Player of the Week: Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T
The sophomore picked up right where he left off last season, rushing for 162 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries. Looks like he’s headed for another 1,000-plus rushing year.
Defensive Player of the Week: Erick Williams, Bethune-Cookman
Once again, defense came up big for Bethune-Cookman. And nobody on Bethune-Cookman came up bigger than Williams, who was in the FIU backfield all day. Williams racked up three sacks and had two quarterback hurries as BCU held on for a 14-12 win.
FCS Power Rankings
1) Tennessee State: Sure, TSU didn’t do anything special by blowing out an NAIA team. Still, the Tigers have the highest ceiling and did what they had to do.
2) Bethune-Cookman: BCU took the opposite route, playing an FBS school for its opener. While beating an FBS team is always big for an FCS team, BCU’s margin of victory was much smaller than in 2013.
3) South Carolina State: It’s hard to pick-apart a shutout win, and a 63-point one at that. But a middle-of-the-road Division II team held SC State to 14 points in the first half before being worn down in the second half. Still, there’s no way they drop after that win.
4) North Carolina A&T: A&T moves up a spot after its dominating win over Alabama A&M. Tarik Cohen and the defense were as good as expected, and Kwashaun Quick lived up to his name with his feet. They have a much taller task next week as nationally ranked Coastal Carolina comes to Aggie Land.
5) Jackson State: The Tigers break into the power rankings thanks to Prairie View’s loss and it’s last-second thriller against FAMU. They should have no trouble with VUL before the matchup against Tennessee State in Week Three.