FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SUBDIVISION

• Landers, Williams, Vossler named FCS players of the week

  
  

  Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Quarterback Rodney Landers of James Madison, linebacker Nathan Williams of Murray State and defensive end Scott Vossler of Dayton have been named The Sports Network's FCS national players of the week.

  OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Rodney Landers, James Madison, 6-1, 220, Senior, Quarterback, Virginia Beach, VA Landers led James Madison to a 52-38 victory over then-third-ranked Massachusetts, running for 206 yards and a touchdown. He broke his own school record for rushing yards for a quarterback, set at William & Mary with 171 last year. Landers also completed 4-of-6 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. His scoring runs of 17 and three yards, and his 47-yard TD toss to Kerby Long, give the Dukes a commanding 31-10 halftime lead. During the game Landers reached the 2,000-yard mark in both career rushing and career passing. The Walter Payton Award candidate now has 2,040 career-rushing yards, 2,054 career-passing yards and 4,094 career yards of total offense as a collegian.

  DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Nathan Williams, Murray State, 6-1, 225, Senior, Linebacker, Murray, KY Williams turned in one of the top defensive performances in Murray State history, with 23 tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery in the Racers' 42-23 loss to Illinois State. His 23 tackles are the most by an NCAA player in any division this year. It was the second double-digit tackle performance this year for Williams, and the 10th of his career. On the season, Williams has 49 total tackles (23 solo), 1.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. His 16.33 tackles a game rank him first in the nation in the FCS. He also ranks first in the nation in total tackles and second in solo tackles.

  SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK Scott Vossler, Dayton, 6-2, 237, Defensive End, St. Mary's, OH Vossler helped Dayton to a 23-20 victory over Fordham with a pair of blocks that led to nine Flyer points. Vossler blocked a punt in the final minute of the first half, returning it 35 yards for a touchdown to give the Flyers a 21-7 edge at the break. After Fordham cut the score to 21-13, Vossler blocked the ensuing extra point, and teammate Joe Castenada scooped up the ball and returned it 90 yards for a two-point defensive conversion. The punt block runback was his second touchdown of the year, and he is currently third in the PFL in scoring. In addition, Vossler leads the league in sacks (1.75), is second in tackles for a loss (2.25) and is tied for second in solo tackles (5.5).

  09/15 17:29:00 ET