Week 1: Kris Thornton, James Madison

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Courtesy JMU Athletics

James Madison University wide receiver Kris Thornton, who played at Osbourn High School in Manassas, has been named the DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Football Player of the Week.

Thornton, a redshirt senior, caught 11 passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Dukes win their first-ever game as a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision, 44-7 over Middle Tennessee. The Touchdown Club also honored Thornton as its Player of the Week last season.

“We had a different mentality, to make a statement for our first FBS game,” Thornton said.

Thornton continued to show that while he stands just 5 feet 8, he can make an impact on any level. He began his collegiate career at VMI, playing two seasons and earning second-team all-Southern Conference honors.

Thornton then transferred to James Madison, where his father, Keith, played wide receiver from 1987 to 1990. Last season, Thornton was named first-team all-Colonial Athletic Association, setting James Madison’s single-season record for receptions (83) and single-game record for touchdowns (4).

Entering this season, Thornton was named first-team all-Sun Belt Conference and he took no time to show that moving up in competition would not be a problem. He caught three touchdown passes in less than nine minutes spanning the second and third quarters, with scoring plays of 7, 35 and 19 yards as the Dukes turned the game into a rout.

“Obviously it’s a great win. We made a statement,” James Madison Coach Curt Cignetti said. “I think we opened a lot of people’s eyes across the country.”

This week’s DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Football Player of the Week Honor Roll is:

  • Shepherd WR Marlon Cook (Potomac, Md.) caught eight passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns as the Rams beat Southern Connecticut State, 48-7.

  • Penn State OT Olu Fashanu (Gonzaga) did not allow any pressure in 49 passing plays and graded out at 91 percent as the Nittany Lions beat Purdue, 35-31.

  • Bowie State QB Dion Golatt Jr. (Riverdale Baptist) completed 17 of 30 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner with nine seconds left as the Bulldogs beat New Haven, 27-20.

  • Wake Forest QB Mitch Griffis (Broad Run), making his first collegiate start, completed 21 of 29 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns as the Demon Deacons beat VMI, 44-10.

  • Minnesota RB Mo Ibrahim (Good Counsel), who was injured in last year’s season opener and missed the rest of the season, rushed 21 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns as the Golden Gophers beat New Mexico State, 38-0.

  • Pittsburgh DL John Morgan III (DeMatha Catholic) made four tackles, with three tackles for loss and one sack, and forced a fumble as the Panthers beat West Virginia, 38-31.

  • William & Mary OLB John Pius (Yorktown) made nine tackles, with 4 ½ tackles for loss and 1 ½ sacks, and broke up a pass as the Tribe beat Charlotte, 41-24, for its first win over an FBS opponent since 2009.

  • USC QB Caleb Williams (Gonzaga) completed 19 of 22 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns (both to DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Year Jordan Addison from Tuscarora HS) and rushed eight times for 68 yards to lead the Trojans to a 66-14 win over Rice.