Moon
Township, Pa. - Senior safety Cameron Chadwick (Vista, Calif. / College
of Canyons) of
the Robert
Morris University
football team was selected as the Northeast Conference (NEC) Defensive Player
of the Week in an announcement made by league officials Monday afternoon.
Chadwick
earned the accolade after playing a pivotal role in shutting down Sacred
Heart's offense as RMU rallied for a 21-17 victory in Connecticut this past
weekend.
Chadwick's
award, his first-ever NEC honor, makes him the second Colonial to be recognized
in the league's defensive player of the week category in 2012, joining true
freshman cornerback Marcelis Branch (Homestead, Fla. / Miami Southridge). This season now marks the eighth time in
program history in which multiple Colonials were honored in the defensive
category in the same season, including the third time in the past four years.
Chadwick
was all over the field for the Colonials defensively this past Saturday and
helped limit Sacred Heart to the NEC's lowest point total in Week 11. He helped
lead a RMU defense that conceded just 10 points to the Pioneers, including only
87 yards of total offense in the second half, as the Colonials allowed their opposition
just one offensive touchdown for the third straight game.
Chadwick
had a career-best two interceptions against Sacred Heart and also contributed
nine tackles, a pass breakup and a half tackle for loss. Chadwick's second
interception sealed the victory for Robert Morris as he picked off a
game-winning Hail Mary attempt right near the goal line. Six of Chadwick's nine
tackles stopped the opponent short of a first down and six of his hits were
also of the solo variety.
Chadwick
teamed up for what proved to be a decisive stop as he helped plug the hole on a Pioneer
rushing attempt on a goal-line rush from the 1-yard line. That tackle helped keep
Sacred Heart out of the end zone and force a field goal try. Chadwick's pass
breakup came on third down when he leveled a Pioneer receiver that had
initially caught the ball but was unable to hang on after Chadwick's big blow. It
was Chadwick's effort that allowed Robert Morris to get the ball back and
embark on the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter as he made solo
tackle on a third-down play, forcing the Pioneers to punt in the waning minutes
of the game.
With
his performance, Chadwick became just the second Colonial in the past five
years to tally multiple interceptions in a single contest.
Chadwick
has 57 tackles for the season, including 30 solo stops, and moved his career
tackle total to 137 since transferring into the program.
Chadwick's
award makes him the 20th distinct Colonial in program history to claim a NEC
Defensive Player of the Week honor. Those 20 student-athletes have combined for
36 overall weekly defensive selections, including Chadwick's one Monday.
The
Colonials will look to end their season on a strong note as they go for their
third straight win this Saturday, Nov. 17, against Monmouth. The opening kickoff
is set for Noon.