LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its Football Athletes of the Week for Week 6 of the 2023 season. From the West, California (Pa.)'s Eric McKan III (Offensive Athlete of the Week), Gannon's Joseph Loiseau (Defensive Athlete of the Week), and Slippery Rock's Ben Lane (Special Teams) were selected. In the East, Shepherd's Seth Morgan (Offensive), West Chester's Maurice Beverly (Defensive), and Kutztown's Oyame Adoga (Special Teams) were the weekly honorees.
Western Division Offensive Athlete of the Week
Eric McKan III
California (Pa.)
Running Back
Junior
Washington, D.C. / Bullis (Md.)
McKan was chosen as the Coal Bowl MVP on Saturday, as the Vulcans earned a 30-20 victory at rival IUP in PSAC West play. He finished with 101 rushing yards on 21 attempts – both season highs – with one touchdown against the Crimson Hawks. On the opening play from scrimmage on Saturday, McKan posted a 39-yard rush and closed the drive with an 18-yard touchdown run. The Washington, D.C. native helped Cal maintain over a 12-minute advantage in time of possession after controlling the ball for nearly 20 minutes in the second half.
Western Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Joseph Loiseau
Gannon
Defensive Line
Redshirt Junior
Columbia, Md. / Laurel
Loiseau led a Gannon defense that turned in an outstanding effort in a 23-12 win over Edinboro. He had a career-high seven tackles (five solo, two assists) with career highs of three tackles-for-loss (-17 yards) and two sacks (-13 yards). The Gannon defensive front held Edinboro to 43 yards rushing, the second straight straight week they held an opponent under 50 yards and the third time this year. Edinboro finished with 295 total yards as the Gannon defense recovered three fumbles and had four sacks.
Western Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Ben Lane
Slippery Rock
Defensive Back
Freshman
Freeport, Pa. / Freeport
Lane recovered three fumbles Saturday at Mercyhurst with all three coming on Mercyhurst kickoff returns, accounting for three of the five takeaways for SRU. All three fumble recoveries set Slippery Rock up deep in Mercyhurst territory and led to SRU touchdowns as The Rock posted a 75-31 win on the road. It marked the first career fumble recoveries for the true freshman and Lane now ranks first among all Division II players this fall in fumble recoveries.
Eastern Division Offensive Athlete of the Week
Seth Morgan
Shepherd
Quarterback
Junior
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Mount Lebanon
Morgan completed 25-of-36 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns in Shepherd's win over Lock Haven. Both teams entered last Saturday's contest with 1-1 conference records, and the Rams now move to 5-1 overall (2-1 PSAC) with the victory. Morgan's 53-yard pass to Barry Hill was the first touchdown of the game and broke a 3-3 tie to make it a 10-3 lead for Shepherd, with the second touchdown (a four-yard strike to Jeremiah Taylor) capped off a six-play, 82-yard drive with 12:06 left in the third quarter to give the Rams a comfortable 24-3 advantage.
Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Maurice Beverly
West Chester
Defensive Back
Sophomore
Philadelphia, Pa. / Imhotep Charter
Beverly led West Chester's defense in tackles with nine in a 38-28 win over Shippensburg Saturday. He also forced a pair of fumbles, and picked up one of those and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. Instead of Shippensburg going in for a score from the 1-yard line, Beverly's fumble return put seven points on the board for the Golden Rams - a 14-point swing in the second half that powered West Chester to the win. The 99-yard fumble recovery return for a TD set a new school record for longest return of any kind while tying for the second-longest fumble return in PSAC history. It was the longest fumble return in the PSAC since 2002. Beverly finished with eight solo tackles and one assisted stop in the win.
Eastern Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Oyame Adoga
Kutztown
Defensive Back
Junior
Clementon, N.J. / Highland Regional
Adoga made an early impact on special teams that set the Golden Bears up with great field position on its way to a 24-3 PSAC East win at Bloomsburg on Saturday. On Bloomsburg's first possession, Adoga blocked Brendan Gregory's punt near midfield and chased it down inside the 20 to put Kutztown in the red zone. The Bears eventually got a 35-yard field goal from Dawson Evitts to score the game's first points. For Adoga, it was his first blocked punt with the Golden Bears and it was Kutztown's first as a program since Nov. 2, 2018, at Millersville --a span of 45 games. Adoga, a defensive back, also made four tackles (two solo) and broke up a pass in the victory.