Week 14: Braxton Woodson, Navy

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photo courtesy navy athletics

Navy quarterback Braxton Woodson, making his first start of the season, has been named the DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Player of the Week after his career-best performance sparked the Midshipmen to a 34-20 win over East Carolina this past Friday.

Woodson, a sophomore, completed 12 of 19 passes for a career-high 165 yards and one touchdown and rushed 15 times for a career-high 125 yards and two touchdowns as Navy (8-3, 6-2) clinched third place in the American Athletic Conference.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the way our guys rallied around our young quarterback and couldn’t be more proud of the way he played today,” Navy Coach Brian Newberry said. “That was critical for him to come out here and have success. Everything from here on out is up for that young man. Super proud of the way Braxton played and composed himself.

“Braxton settled in once he made a few plays. He gained a little confidence. And we had a bunch of guys make plays out here.”

East Carolina, which had won its previous four games, led 3-0 at halftime. But after failing to put points on the board in the first half, Woodson directed five touchdown drives in the second half, including a 61-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Kent and touchdown runs of 38 and 10 yards.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Woodson, who started in place of injured teammate Blake Horvath. “You put a lot of work into this sport and to show the fruits of your labor on the field, it’s amazing.”

The Midshipmen have one more regular season game remaining. The winner of the Army-Navy game on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Northwest Stadium will win the Commander-in-Chief Trophy.

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

  • Villanova RB David Avit (Churchill) rushed 17 times for 94 yards and caught two passes for 75 yards as the Wildcats beat Eastern Kentucky, 22-17, in an FCS first-round playoff game.

  • Susquehanna QB Josh Ehrlich (Broadneck) completed 16 of 21 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 14 times for 48 yards and two touchdowns as the River Hawks beat Hobart, 42-35, in a Division III second-round game.

  • LSU LB Greg Penn III (DeMatha) made nine tackles with 1 ½ tackles for loss as the Tigers beat Oklahoma, 37-17.

  • BYU S Tanner Wall (Yorktown) made 13 tackles – more than double his previous career high – as the Cougars beat Houston, 30-18.

  • Virginia Tech LB Caleb Woodson (Battlefield) made a team-leading nine tackles as the Hokies beat Virginia, 37-17.