New England college football roundup and players of the week

New England had a pretty solid day in the college football landscape, and these players really stuck out in the region where the NFL reigns supreme.

If you don’t watch much college football in New England, you’re really missing out. While the product isn’t the same as the SEC or Big 10, it is still very good football.

Teams are coached well, and it’s really fun to watch the FCS games. Here’s a score recap before we get into some of the players of the week.

Holy Cross 7 – Lafayette 10
Boston College 28 – Central Michigan 8
Harvard 41 – Georgetown 2
UConn 28 – SMU 49
UMass 50 – Ohio 58
Central Connecticut 26 – Sacred Heart 15
Yale 41 – Fordham 10
UNH 45 – Bryant 17
Brown 24 – Rhode Island 21

There are certainly some unheralded stars in our region, and now, I want to give some of them a little attention.

QB of the Week: Bryant Shirreffs, UConn

Shirreffs finished the day 22-28 passing for 408 yards and two touchdowns. He played that well despite being sacked 8 times in the game. UConn was in this game late, and if the defense could have made a few more stops, Shirreffs could have had an even bigger night. He’s tough though and will bounce back. Overall, a very strong performance from the Huskies main man.

RB of the Week: Deshawn Salter, Yale

Deshawn Salter went OFF against Fordham in the Bronx this week. He carried the ball just 8 times, but he had 118 yards on the day. That’s a 14.8-yard average! Salter managed to carry the ball into the end zone three times as Yale ran away with a victory.

WR of the Week: Neil O’Connor, UNH

O’Connor was very clearly the best receiver in the region on Saturday. A junior from Leominster, MA, O’Connor hauled in 7 receptions for 154 yards and three touchdowns. He had a long of 54-yards and a brilliant catch for a score in the final quarter.

Defensive Player of the Week: Rick Ellison, UNH

UNH strong safety Rick Ellison got things started for the Wildcats, and that’s just what they needed. He hauled in an interception that he returned 50-yards for a score. He finished the night with 6 total tackles as well.

Special Teamer of the Week: Jake McIntyre, Harvard

The Harvard Crimson destroyed the Georgetown Hoyas, and while it wasn’t all thanks to special teams, kicker Jake McIntyre had a great day.

McIntyre was 2-for-2 on field goals, with a long of 39, and was 5-for-5 on extra points. He was simply perfect.

Next: Week 5 New England college football scores

Highlight of the Week: Neil O’Connor toe-tapper in the back of the end zone

While I haven’t been able to find a twitter video highlight of this catch yet, I hope one comes soon. If it does, you know I’ll share it @CandCFansided!

with two touchdowns already in the game, O’Connor caught a catch in the back of the end zone and somehow managed to get TWO feet down! That’s a catch even in the NFL.

O’Connor emphatically put a punctuation mark on his stellar day.

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