The CIAA’s Week One Awards have been handed out and Fayetteville State got a healthy share of the hardware.
FSU’s 47-6 exclamatory win over Elizabeth City State resulted in four awards for the three-time defending CIAA South champions.
Greg Brooks was named offensive lineman of the week after helping the Broncos to 415 yards of total offense. The offensive line allowed just one sack in the win.
Quarterback K’hari Lane was the beneficiary of the Broncos dominance on the offensive line. The former three-star quarterback from the University of Arizona was super-efficient in his debut in the blue and white. Lane completed 12 of 17 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns, compiling an efficiency rating of 184.6. He also ran for a touchdown.
“We wasn’t asking him to win the game, we just needed him to manage our offense. We have a lot of weapons on our offense,” head coach Richard Hayes said after the game. “Get those weapons the ball in space and let them do what they do.”
It’s no surprise to see Joshua Williams’ name among the Week One honorees. The senior defensive back started his season off with four solo stops (five total) and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. The Fayetteville native is a legit pro prospect and is on the senior bowl watch list.
Rounding out the list of honorees for Fayetteville State was senior defensive lineman Keyshawn James. He was a dominant force, registering a team-high 11 tackles, including four solos, and six tackles for loss. He also accounted for 3.5 sacks as FSU overwhelmed ECSU’s offensive line from start to finish.
“That’s who he is,” Hayes said after the game. “People in the CIAA are going to have trouble blocking him all year.”
Other Award-Winners include:
WR Charles Hall, Virginia Union
Hall had a huge game against FCS-DI Hampton with six catches for 182 yards, including a 83-yard pass from quarterback Khalid Morris. The junior from Trenton, NJ also hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass from teammate Jaden Reavis.
RB Jaylon Boyd, Chowan
Boyd ran for 70 yards on 20 carries, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. The redshirt freshman also ran for two touchdowns, including the game-winning score in overtime to help the Hawks defeat Mars Hill 30-24.
LB Jaylon Burton, Chowan
Burton totaled a team-high 10 tackles with two solos and a half sack in Chowan’s 30-24 win over Mars Hill. The Norfolk, VA native also had one QB hurry and helped the Hawks defense hold off the Lions in overtime to help seal the game.
Special Teams Zion Riddick, Elizabeth City
Riddick returned five kickoffs against Fayetteville State for 137 yards, including a 61-yarder late in the fourth quarter. The All-CIAA returner also scored the Vikings only points of the game on a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kevin Caldwell.
Rookie DB Corneilus Booker
In his first collegiate game, Booker led SAU with eight total tackles, including five solo stops, and finished with a game-high three pass break-ups.