MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Dante Cephas, Kent State, WR
R-Junior, Pittsburgh, PA (Penn Hills)
Cephas set a program record and has the high-water mark in the FBS this season with a 246 yard day against the Bobcats on 13 receptions. Cephas saved his best for the second half, amassing 11 catches and 230 yards after the intermission. Highlighting his day was an acrobatic 29-yard TD catch where he shook off an interfering defender and made a remarkable catch in the endzone and staying in bounds. It wasn't all "go-routes" for the Pittsburgh native, Cephas had 129 yards after catch on Saturday.
MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Shaun Dolac, Buffalo, Linebacker
Junior, West Seneca, NY (West Seneca East)
Shaun Dolac had 14 tackles, including a career-high 12 solo stops in Buffalo's 24-20 win over Miami (OH). The junior linebacker added a career-best three tackles for loss in the game. Trailing by three heading into the fourth quarter, Dolac helped spearhead a defense that kept the RedHawks off the scoreboard, allowing the Bulls to pull out a late victory.
MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Tristian Vandenberg, Ohio, K
R-Jr., Buffalo, N.Y.
Vandenberg kicked for five kickoff returns, going for 259 yards. He averaged 51.8 yards per kick and recorded one touchback.
MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week
John Paddock, Ball State, QB
R-Junior, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (Bloomfield Hills)
Paddock led the way offensively after throwing 40-of-58 for 403 yards and three touchdowns. It's the most yards thrown by a Cardinal since Drew Plitt had 439 vs. Fordham on Sept. 7, 2019 and the eighth-most passing yards in program history. Paddock captained what was the third-largest comeback in program history, as the Cardinals came back from trailing 21-0 to win 44-38 in two overtimes vs. NIU. After trailing 24-7 at halftime, Paddock went 23-of-34 for 237 yards and two touchdowns and led the offense to score on six of its eight drives in the second half and overtime to highlight the comeback. Paddock connected with nine different receivers, including seven with multiple catches and four with at least six receptions for 70-plus yards. Through five games, Paddock leads the conference and is ninth in the country with 1,538 passing yards and is second in the league with 11 touchdowns through the air.
MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Jaquan Amos, Ball State, S
Gr., Philadelphia, Pa. (Northeast)
Safety Jaquan Amos had a season-high 12 tackles to lead Ball State to a come-from-behind win vs. NIU. After trailing 24-7 at halftime, on the first possession of the second half, Amos picked off a pass on the third play of the second half and returned it all the way to the four-yard line. The Cardinals then scored to make it a 10-point game and give Ball State some momentum. After NIU scored on four of their first six possessions, Amos guided the Cardinals defense to hold the Huskies to just 14 points across their final eight drives and included three punts and two stops on fourth down. NIU started the game going 5-of-7 on third down, but was held to just 2-of-10 on third down by Amos and the Ball State defense in the second half and overtimes.
MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week
Mitchell Tomasek, Eastern Michigan, Punter
Sophomore, Columbus, Ohio (Worthington Kilbourne)
Eastern Michigan was forced to punt four times in their win over UMass. In those punts, sophomore Mitchell Tomasek accrued a total of 184 yards, totaling exactly 46 yards per punt. This moves his season average to 45.6 yards per punt, good for the top spot in the MAC. In addition, Tomasek also tallied one punt of over 50 yards, going for 55 yards. It is his fifth punt of the season of more than 50-plus yards, second in the MAC.
