U Sports POW (7): Puskas, Hutchinson, Dufour named

Queen’s running back Jake Puskas, Wilfrid Laurier linebacker Shomari Hutchinson and Laval returner Antony Dufour are U SPORTS Football Players of the Week, for the period ending Oct. 8, 2017.

Puskas, a third year running back led Queen’s to a 68-17 win over the Waterloo Warriors on Thursday night. His third consecutive 100-plus yard game on the ground, Puskas was a threat each and every time he touched the ball. Wasting no time, the Thunder Bay, Ont., native ran for 57 yards on the Gaels first drive of the game, finishing the first frame to a tune of 71 rushing yards. Physical, fearless and powerful, Puskas had a career-high performance, collecting 175 rushing yards and 58 passing yards for a total of 233 all-purpose yards and a total of four touchdowns.

While the headlines will feature the impressive offensive showing from the Golden Hawks’ 53-31 win over the York Lions, Hutchinson’s defensive efforts cannot be overlooked. In what was a dominant performance for the second-year linebacker, Hutchinson picked up a total of 14.5 tackles for the game, including 12 solo takedowns. His total not only helped keep the Lions from making the game closer, but it also helped him tie the school’s all-time mark, previously set by Jesse Alexander vs. Ottawa in 2006. Not only that, but Hutchinson did all of this in his first career start at linebacker.

Dufour, a Rouge et Or kick returner ensured that his name will remain in the team record book with this performance in Laval’s 46-15 win over Sherbrooke. Dufour (Quebec City, Que. / Preschool and Elementary Education) opened the second half with a spectacular 104-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to shatter his own team mark of 102 yards. Dufour also added 56 yards over his 11 punt returns in the game.

Offensive nominees:

• CW: No conference games
• OUA: Jake Puskas, running back, Queen’s (winner)
• RSEQ: Christopher Amoah, running back, Laval
• AUS: Chris Reid, running back, Mount Allison

Defensive nominees:

• CW: No conference games
• OUA: Shomari Hutchinson, linebacker, Laurier (winner)
• RSEQ: Nicolas Viens, defensive back, Laval
• AUS: Damian Halstead, linebacker, Mount Allison

Special teams nominees:

• CW: No conference games
• OUA: Kadeem Hemmings, receiver, York
• RSEQ: Antony Dufour, returner, Laval (winner)
• AUS: Ryan Lambert, kicker, Mount Allison

– Player bios provided by U SPORTS member conferences

 

Source: U Sports