MAC Football Co-Offensive Players of the Week
Parker Navarro, Ohio, QB
Graduate Student , Tempe, Ariz. (Desert Vista)
After a slow start first half, Navarro led the offense to a 24-point second half, defeating the Toledo Rockets, 24-7. The graduate student was responsible for half of those points, recording two of the three rushing touchdowns on the evening. On the day, he finished with 104 rushing yards on 18 touches. In the air, Navarro went 11-for-19 on 129 yards.
Rahkeem Smith, Bowling Green, WR
Junior, Baltimore, Md. (Calvert Hall)
BGSU’s Rahkeem Smith played a pivotal role in securing the Falcons' win against Ball State, racking up 81 yards receiving and three total touchdowns. After a narrow 10-7 lead at halftime, Smith rushed for a touchdown late in the third quarter to extend the lead to 21-7. Following a defensive stop, Smith caught a pass from Connor Bazelak, juked two defenders, and sprinted 66 yards for the longest receiving touchdown of the season by a Falcon. He continued to excel on special teams by blocking a punt on the first play of the fourth quarter. Smith capped off the scoring with his second receiving touchdown of the game, as Bowling Green outscored Ball State 28-6 in the second half to seal the victory.
MAC Football Co-Defensive Players of the Week
Shaun Dolac, Buffalo, LB
Graduate, West Seneca, NY (West Seneca East)
Shaun Dolac had nine tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and two interceptions in Buffalo's win at Eastern Michigan. He helped lead a defense that held the Eagles to just 70 yards rushing in the game. His second interception of the game resulted in a pick six as he weaved his way through Eastern Michigan players for 60 yards and a touchdown to ice the game.
James Djonkam, Eastern Michigan, LB
Senior, Springfield, Va. (West Springfield)
Djonkam recorded 22 tackles, including eight solo tackles, and a career-high two tackles for loss in the game with Buffalo. The 22 stops rank as the most in a single game in the FBS this year, surpassing the previous high of 20 set by Isaac Smith (Mississippi State) and Colin Ramos (Navy) earlier this season. Djonkam, who ranks third all-time in EMU’s single-game tackles total (since 1998) behind only Blake McCall (29 vs. Ohio, Oct. 16, 1999) and Chase Koline (23 vs. Akron, Nov. 14, 2023), entered the game with a career-best 13 tackles, which he recorded in the opener at UMass, Aug. 31. He surpassed her career high with 14 stops in the first half alone against the Bulls to record his fourth game with double-digit tackles this season.
MAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Tristan Mattson, Central Michigan, Placekicker
Senior, Clarkston, Mich. (Clarkston H.S.)
Placekicker Tristan Mattson tied a career-high with three field goals of 36, 47, and 30 yards and finished the game with 10 points. He is now 15-17 on the year. With his performance, Mattson moved into first place on CMU’s season field goal percentage list (88.2, 15-17) and seventh place into CMU’s season field goals made list (15). He moved into 12th place on CMU’s all-time career field goals list with 22.
