Week 10: Wande Owens, New Hampshire

/

photo courtesy unh athletics

NEW HAMPSHIRE SAFETY WANDE OWENS NAMED
DC TOUCHDOWN CLUB COLLEGE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

WASHINGTON (November 5, 2024) – University of New Hampshire safety Wande Owens, who starred at Glenelg High School in Howard County, has been named the DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Football Player of the Week after leading the Wildcats to a 31-14 win over Albany this past Saturday.

Owens, a graduate student who transferred from Yale, made a team-high 10 tackles with one tackle for loss and returned an interception 50 yards for his first collegiate touchdown as New Hampshire (5-4, 3-2 CAA) snapped a two-game losing streak.

A two-way star in high school, Owens found himself a home on the defensive side of the ball in college. He tied for the Yale lead with 63 tackles in 2022, earning first-team All-Ivy League honors.  In 2023, Owens was the Bulldogs’ second-leading tackler, with 55 tackles and tied for the team lead by breaking up seven passes.

Needing to find a new school because the Ivy League has not allowed student-athletes to utilize the extra year of eligibility for the season lost due to Covid-19, New Hampshire got a tip on Owens from Yale defensive coordinator Sean McGowan, who previously coached seven seasons at New Hampshire.

After settling on New Hampshire for his final collegiate season, Owens quickly became one of the Wildcats’ top players. He currently leads the team with 81 tackles. New Hampshire defensive coordinator Garrett Gillick said that Owens has been the biggest addition to the team’s defense.

“I’ve never seen a player pick up the range of responsibilities that he carries as a safety in our defense in both our base defense and subpackages,” New Hampshire defensive pass game coordinator and safeties coach Scott James said. “In any one play, he can be a safety, a linebacker or a nickel cornerback. And to do it with as little errors as he does speaks to his level of preparation and detail.”

This week’s DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Football Player of the Week honor roll:

  • Salisbury DB Malachi Baker (Carroll) made a team-leading and career-high eight tackles, intercepted two passes and forced a fumble as the Sea Gulls beat The College of New Jersey, 52-35, to clinch at least a share of the New Jersey Athletic Conference title.

  • Catholic RB Daequan Harvin (Dunbar) rushed 23 times for a career-high 242 yards and two touchdowns as the Cardinals beat Keystone, 42-24.

  • Frostburg State DL Yasir Holmes (Lackey) made 14 tackles with three tackles for loss and one sack and forced a fumble as the Bobcats lost to West Virginia State, 38-24.

  • Indiana DL Mikail Kamara (Stone Bridge) made seven tackles with 4 ½ tackles for loss and 2 ½ sacks as the Hoosiers improved to 9-0 for the first time ever by beating Michigan State, 47-10.

  • VMI LB Steven Riveros (Potomac Falls) made 11 tackles and broke up two passes as the Keydets beat Furman, 21-17.

  • Bowie State RB Micah Robinson rushed 22 times for 171 yards and four touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat Elizabeth City State, 48-6.

  • Howard QB Ja’Shawn Scroggins completed 24 of 41 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns and rushed eight times for 60 yards and one touchdown as the Bison beat Delaware State, 38-0.

  • Penn State S Zakee Wheatley (Spalding) tied his career high with 10 tackles (nine solo tackles), broke up a pass and forced a fumble that prevented a touchdown as the Nittany Lions lost to Ohio State, 20-13.