Robitaille |
Morris |
Robitaille collects first Offensive Player of the Week award
Morris named Defensive Player of the Week for first time
EASTON, Mass. (October 29, 2013) – Stonehill College junior wide receiver Nate Robitaille (Attleboro, Mass./Attleboro) and junior cornerback Nate Morris (Providence, R.I./The Wheeler School) have both earned weekly football honors from the Northeast-10 Conference for their efforts in Saturday's 38-28 come from behind win over LIU Post.
Robitaille earns the first NE-10 Offensive Player of the Week award of his career after catching ten passes for 124 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, setting a new single-season program record for receiving yards in the process. He scored the Skyhawks first three touchdowns after falling behind 14-0 early in the second quarter as the team scored 31 straight points to take control of the game.
Robitaille's first touchdown was a 37 yard pass from senior Logan Meyer (Ventura, Calif./Saint Bonaventure) to pull Stonehill within 14-10 with 57-seconds to play in the first half. He added a five yard touchdown catch with 8:20 to go in the third quarter to give the Skyhawks the lead (17-14) and then added a 36 yard touchdown catch 5:10 into the fourth quarter for a 24-14 advantage.
Robitaille, who broke the program's single-season record for receptions in Stonehill's 29-26 comeback win at the University of New Haven last weekend, finished the game on Saturday with a school-record 916 receiving yards, breaking the previous record of 846 yards by former teammate John Gomes, '13, set last season. Robitaille ranks second in the Northeast-10 and 11th nationally in Division II for receiving yards and is second with 114.5 yards per game (2nd NE-10). His nine touchdown catches are the second-highest in program history behind Mike Plichta's, '06, record of 13 in 2005 and is tied for second in the NE-10 (12th nationally), while his program record 71 receptions is second in the Conference and fourth nationally. Robitaille's 8.9 receptions per game is on pace to shatter the program record of 5.8 catches per game set by Brian Adamson, '98, in 1996.
Robitaille is also among the top kick returners in the country averaging 28.6 yards on 12 returns (343 yards) to rank second in the NE-10 and 19th nationally. He has also chipped in 18 rushing yards on three carries to record 1,227 all-purpose yards, ranking fifth in the NE-10 and 24th nationally with 159.6 all-purpose yards per game. Robitaille's nine touchdowns leads the team and his team-high 54 points is tied for seventh in the NE-10.
Junior Nate Robitaille caught a career-high three touchdown passes and broke the program's single-season record for receiving yards. (PHOTO BY Vaughn Winchell) |
Robitaille has appeared in 27 games over his three year career at Stonehill and has caught 104 passes for 1,396 yards and 17 touchdowns to go with 1,722 all-purpose yards. He ranks fifth on the program's all-time list for career receiving yards, receptions and touchdown catches. Robitaille earned NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll honors for the first time following the spring semester.
Morris earns NE-10 Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time after leading a Stonehill defense that intercepted four passes against LIU Post on Saturday. He picked off a career-best two passes to give him a Conference-leading five for the season, returning one 37 yards for a touchdown that gave the Skyhawks a 31-14 lead with 5:46 to play. Morris also finished with a career-high nine tackles (four solo) in the victory.
Morris' NE-10 high five interceptions this season are good for seventh nationally in Division II. He has posted 33 tackles (18 solo) in seven games played this fall, adding two pass breakups to his five pickoffs, which he has accumulated 64 return yards off of. His interception total is tied for the fourth-highest single-season total in program history, while he is now one of 16 players in program history with an interception return for a touchdown.
Morris, who was named to the NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll both semesters last year, has played 23 games over his first three seasons. Seeing time primarily on special teams as a freshman and sophomore, he has totaled 47 tackles (28 solo) with five interceptions, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick over his career.
Stonehill (6-2, 6-1 NE-10), among teams receiving votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II poll for the third-straight week, is ranked seventh in the first NCAA Division II Super Region 1 rankings of the season released on Monday and fifth in this week's Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC)/Lambert Meadowlands Division II poll. The Skyhawks have clinched their first winning season since going 8-2 in 1996 and host Pace University for a Northeast-10 matchup for its Purple & White Game on Senior Day at W.B. Mason on Saturday at noon.
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