Lions Sweep Ivy League Offensive and Defensive Awards; Brackett, Gross Gain Weekly Honors
10/11/2010 12:00:00 PM | Football
NEW YORK – For the second straight week, Columbia sophomore quarterback Sean Brackett is the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week. On the other side of the ball, senior linebacker Alex Gross was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after both made a number of big plays in Columbia's 42-28 win over Lafayette on Saturday. CollegeFootballPerformers.com also honored both players as Performers of the Week in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Brackett had another stellar Saturday, completing 15 of 20 passes for 179 yards with three touchdowns to spark the Lions' attack. He also racked up his second career 100-yard rushing day with 105 yards on the ground.
The sophomore signal caller guided Columbia's offense to 42 points in each of its last two games, the highest scoring output for the Lions in consecutive games since 1946. For the season, Brackett has completed 71 percent of his pass attempts, averaging just under 200 yards per game through the air. He has tossed 10 touchdown passes with just one interception. Brackett is also Columbia's leading rusher with 273 yards on the ground, averaging five yards per rush.
Meanwhile, Gross has been Columbia's leader on defense throughout the early season. For the fourth straight game, he led the Lions with 11 tackles, but his biggest contribution was a game-changing interception return for a touchdown midway through the second quarter vs. Lafayette.
With Lafayette leading 10-7 and inside Columbia territory, Gross stepped in front of Ryan O'Neil's pass and sprinted 69 yards down the far sideline for the score to give the Lions the lead. It was the third career interception for Gross and his first collegiate touchdown.
Having delivered a number of hard hits throughout the game, Gross also forced a Lafayette fumble early in the fourth quarter with the Lions ahead 35-20. The turnover resulted in a Columbia touchdown on the ensuing drive, allowing the Lions to hold a 42-20 advantage.
This marks the first time since the 1994 season that two Lions have been honored as the Ivy League Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week. On November 13, 1994, Jamie Scwalbe and Marcellus Wiley were named Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week in the Ivy League.
Columbia is back to Ivy League action on Saturday, October 16 at Penn in a matchup of teams with 1-0 records in the league. Kickoff is at noon.
