Week 1: Braxton Woodson, Navy

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photo courtesy navy athletics

Navy quarterback Braxton Woodson has been named the DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week after his career-best performance led the Midshipmen to a season-opening win.

Woodson started one game in each of his first three seasons in Annapolis, but this is clearly his team now. Although he was only 3 of 6 passing for 21 yards, the senior rushed 23 times for a career-high 200 yards and three touchdowns as the Midshipmen beat Towson, 42-15.

“I think it was a really good opening game for us,” Woodson said. “Obviously there is a couple things to clean up on the offensive side of the ball. But if there’s a couple things to clean up and you can score 42 points, that’s not a bad day."

Navy Coach Brian Newberry said that Towson was sagging off the line of scrimmage, inviting the Midshipmen to run the ball. As a team, Navy rushed 73 times for 506 yards, its highest rushing output since 2017.

Woodson started the scoring with a 38-yard touchdown run on Navy’s opening possession and his eight-yard touchdown run made it 28-12 just before halftime. His four-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter finished the scoring.

“I thought he ran the offense well today and made good decisions,” Newberry said. “Braxton’s got a chance to be a really special player for us. There wasn’t really a need to throw the football [though] I’m excited about our ability to do that, too, when we need to do it. We took what they gave us today.”

This week’s DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week Honor Roll:

  • Tennessee DL Xavier Gilliam (Quince Orchard) made six tackles with three sacks and forced a fumble as the Volunteers beat Furman, 56-9.

  • Syracuse WR Umari Hatcher (Freedom-Woodbridge) caught eight passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns as the Orange beat New Hampshire, 66-3.

  • Richmond LB Blake Houser (DeMatha Catholic) made 12 tackles and broke up a pass as the Spiders beat Howard, 28-21.

  • LSU RB Dilin Jones (Good Counsel) rushed 23 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers beat Clemson, 51-10.

  • Campbell WR Spencer Jones (Good Counsel) caught seven passes for 126 yards and one touchdown as the Camels beat Western Carolina, 28-19.

  • Kansas WR Nik McMillan (Wise) caught six passes for 130 yards and one touchdown as the Jayhawks beat Long Island, 51-6.

  • Dickinson CB Ellington Roane (Langley) made eight tackles and broke up three passes as the Red Devils beat Randolph-Macon, 27-14.

  • Monmouth QB Frankie Weaver (Good Counsel) completed 26 of 37 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner with less than three minutes left, as the Hawks beat Sacred Heart, 31-24..

Week 0: Ja'Shawn Scroggins, Howard

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photo courtesy howard athletics

Howard University quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins has been named the DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week after his career-best performance led the Bison to a season-opening win in Coach Ted White’s debut on the sideline.

Scroggins, a graduate student who has played his entire career at Howard, completed 19 of 36 passes for a career-high 315 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 15 times for 49 yards as Howard rallied to beat Alabama A&M, 31-24, in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff on Saturday night in Atlanta.

Trailing 24-23 late in regulation, Scroggins threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Se’Quan Osborne with 2 minutes 36 seconds left to lift the Bison to victory.

"When we fell behind, there was no panic or anxiety on the sidelines," Scroggins said after the game. "The coaching staff had prepared us, so we just went out and responded.

"On the drive for the win, we just executed what we had been working on. So, it was nothing special, just execution and belief in one another."

This week’s DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week Honor Roll:

  • Morgan State RB Jordan Barnett (Colonial Forge) rushed 12 times for 114 yards and one touchdown as the Bears beat North Carolina A&T, 17-7.

  • Rhode Island LB Rohan Davy (St. John’s) made nine tackles as the Rams beat Merrimack, 34-7.

  • Albany LB Dillon Dunathan (Damascus) made five tackles with one sack and returned an interception 24 yards as the Great Danes beat New Hampshire, 28-14.

  • Alcorn State WR Jamarr Ebron (Carroll) caught six passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns as the Braves beat Miles College, 56-7.

  • Richmond LB Blake Houser (DeMatha Catholic) made seven tackles with two tackles for loss and one sack as the Spiders beat Bucknell, 35-14.

  • Eastern Michigan QB Noah Kim (Westfield) completed 27 of 38 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown as the Eagles beat Sacramento State, 28-17.

  • Norfolk State WR Elyjah Mitchell (Gwynn Park) caught two touchdown passes as the Spartans beat Winston-Salem State, 56-0.