PSAC Football Athletes of the Week – 4
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference office announced this week’s football athletes of the week. From the PSAC East, Shippensburg University’s Brycen Mussina earned offensive athlete of the week, Kutztown University’s Antaun Lloyd was defensive athlete of the week and Rece Bender of East Stroudsburg University was special teams athlete of the week. In the PSAC West, Slippery Rock University’s Andrew Koester was selected as offensive athlete of the week, Keith Thompson of Gannon University was defensive athlete of the week and Anthony Beitko of California University of Pennsylvania was special teams athlete of the week.
EAST
Offensive Athlete of the Week
Shippensburg
Brycen Mussina
Junior
Quarterback
Montoursville, Pa. / Montoursville
Mussina was 24-of-30 for 392 yards and two touchdowns in a 51-7 win over Bloomsburg. Mussina also ran 22 yards for a touchdown on a 3rd-and-19 play late in the second quarter – the first rushing touchdown of his collegiate career (Mussina had 18 total rushing yards when factoring in times sacked and another scamper). Mussina connected with eight different receivers, and his 78-yard touchdown pass to freshman Ian Sheehan was the longest TD throw of Mussina's collegiate career. This season, Mussina is 80-of-116 for 1,105 yards and 10 touchdowns without an interception. Shippensburg (4-0, 1-0 PSAC East) faced Bloomsburg (1-3, 0-1) for the 85th time in a storied rivalry that dates back 104 years and handed the Huskies the most lopsided defeat in the history of the series. Previously, SU's 42-0 victory in 1941 had been the largest margin of victory for either team.
Defensive Athlete of the Week
Kutztown
Antaun Lloyd
Junior
Cornerback
Ambler, Pa. / Wissahickon
Antaun Lloyd had a huge game for Kutztown in its 37-29 road win over 10th-ranked Shepherd Saturday. Lloyd got things started by returning a blocked field goal 87 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter that put KU ahead 17-7. On the first play of the fourth quarter with the Golden Bears maintaining a 31-21 lead, Lloyd picked off Shepherd QB Tyson Bagent with the Rams driving and returned it to the Shepherd 5-yard line, though a penalty negated much of the return. Lloyd finished with six tackles, the interception and a pass breakup.
Special Teams Athlete of the Week
East Stroudsburg
Rece Bender
Senior
Kick Returner
Lancaster, Pa. / Manheim Township
Bender broke an ESU school record with a 99-yard kick-off return touchdown during the first quarter. The return broke the previous ESU record of 98 yards, set by Dick Merring against Mansfield in 1956 and matched in 1998 by Matt Kacanda against Bloomsburg. The kickoff return touchdown is the second of the career, previously bringing back a 95-yard touchdown against Clarion in the 2019 finale. He is now the owner of two of the five longest kickoff returns in Warrior history. He also caught six passes for 81 yards on the evening.
WEST
Offensive Athlete of the Week
Slippery Rock
Andrew Koester
Senior
Quarterback
Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny
Koester threw for 323 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in leading No. 6 Slippery Rock to its 17th straight PSAC West win 41-17 at Seton Hill. Koester did not play in the fourth quarter after SRU led 41-10 after the third. He has thrown for more than 300 yards in three games this year and has led SRU to its third 4-0 start in the last four seasons. Henry Litwin was his top target, catching 9 passes for 148 yards and 3 touchdowns in the first half. Litwin sat most of the second half.
Defensive Athlete of the Week
Gannon
Keith Thompson
Junior
Linebacker
Woodbridge, Va. / Woodbridge
Thompson helped Gannon to a solid PSAC West victory over Clarion with a record-breaking defensive showing. He finished with five tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss but set a record after taking a fumble recovery 99 yards to the house. It was the longest fumble return in GU history and first defensive touchdown of Thompson’s career.
Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Cal U
Anthony Beitko
Freshman
Kicker
White Oak, Pa. / McKeesport
Beitko registered three field goals (25, 48, 35), highlighted by one of the longest in school history, as the Vulcans posted a 20-12 win at Edinboro to open PSAC West play. He posted three field goals in the second quarter, including a pair in a 48-second span, to help Cal U take an 11-0 lead at halftime. Beitko converted a 48-yard field goal with 1:19 remaining in the second quarter, which tied for the third-longest kick in program history and is the longest since the 2014 season.
ABOUT THE PSAC
Headquartered in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference comprised of 18 institutions in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The member institutions are Bloomsburg University, California University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University, East Stroudsburg University, Edinboro University, Gannon University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown University, Lock Haven University, Mansfield University, Mercyhurst University, Millersville University, The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Seton Hill University, Shepherd University, Shippensburg University, Slippery Rock University and West Chester University.