University of St. Thomas Athletics
Hope Adebayo named Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week
10/28/2024 9:05:00 AM | Football
FCS Release
ST. PAUL, MINN. – It was quite the weekend for University of St. Thomas senior Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley). After a record setting performance against the University of San Diego on Saturday, the Tommie football star was recognized as the Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week, presented by FedEx. The senior was also named the Pioneer Football League (PFL) Offensive Player of the Week on Sunday.
Selected by a national committee, the FCS National Awards are presented weekly by FedEx and honor the top performances throughout college football on any given weekend. Adebayo soared to the top of the list thanks to his performance against the Toreros defense. The senior running back rushed for a career-high 277 yards on 18 carries, a performance that ranked second to only Auburn's Jarquez Hunter, and averaged an impressive 15.8 yards per carry. Adebayo additionally scored three touchdowns Saturday afternoon, the most of any running back at the FCS or FBS level, leading St. Thomas to a 34-14 victory over San Diego.
Adebayo's numbers are not just jaw dropping. They are historic on several levels, as Adebayo joins elite company. In head coach Glenn Caruso's tenure, only four other running backs have rushed for over 200 yards in a game: Josh Parks, Jordan Roberts, Brenton Braddock and Colin Tobin. Before Adebayo's performance on Saturday, Parks was the last Tommie running back to rush for 200 yards in a game back in 2018, making Adebayo the first running back in the DI era to eclipse the 200-yard threshold. Adebayo additionally set the DI era record for single game rush yards and single game yards per carry against the Toreros on Saturday.
Thanks to Adebayo's performance on Saturday, the Tommies improved to 4-0 in PFL play this season and moved into a tie for first with 2023 champion Drake. St. Thomas will put its perfect conference record on the line Saturday, when the team takes on Morehead State at 12:00 p.m. CT in Morehead, Kentucky. Entering the game, Adebayo ranks fifth all-time with 2595 career rushing yards, surpassing Roberts' 2569 total last weekend.
