Josh Cummings
Josh Cummings of Fairbanks did some heavy lifting on a light day in the Western Colorado backfield Saturday.
The senior running back racked up 82 rushing yards and a touchdown on a dozen carries in a 55-14 victory over Fort Lewis in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
Cummings carried the ball on 12 of his team’s first 22 offensive plays across four drives as the NCAA Division II Mountaineers built a 28-0 lead before the bellwether back was shut down for the rest of the game.
The 6-foot, 220-pounder averaged 6.8 yards per carry and had runs of 20, 18 and 17 yards. His TD run was from 3 yards out.
Cummings (West Valley) has four TDs this season and 29 for his career.
In eight games he has rushed for 637 yards, pushing his career total to 2,282 – the third most among Alaskans at the NCAA level.
YARD BARKERS
Most NCAA Rushing Yards by Alaskan
4,825 – Yohance Humphery (Chugiak) Montana 1998-2001
2,857 – Mike Connaker (Service) MWU/W.Colo. 1996-2000
2,282 – Josh Cummings (West Valley) W.Colo 2018-2022
2,228 – Rocky Klever (West) Montana 1977-1981
1,134 – Brandon Miles (Kenai) Bemidji State 2008-2011
Josh Cummings of Fairbanks. Photo by WCU Athletics
Derryk Snell
At Montana State, Derryk Snell of Eagle River must have felt like he was in a time machine when he scored the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter during a 41-38 win over Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Conference.
It was his first rushing score for the junior in 40 career games with the NCAA Division I Bobcats. He hadn’t had a rushing TD since his senior year of high school in 2017 when he was Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year.
To be fair, Snell (Chugiak) moved from running back to tight end when he got to college and has hauled in 43 receptions for 426 yards and five TDs.
His six TDs are tied with former NFL draft pick Daniel Hardy of Anchorage for the most by a Big Sky tight end from Alaska. Hardy played at Idaho from 2007 to 2010.
The 6-foot, 245-pound Snell got his first career carry Oct. 1 against UC Davis for a modest 2-yard gain. The next game against Idaho State he got two carries and converted a first down on 4th-and-1.
His TD on Saturday against Northern Arizona was a big deal as it put MSU ahead 31-28 early in the fourth quarter.
Bobcats are back in front thanks to Derryk Snell’s TD run 💪#GoCatsGo | #BobcatBuilt
pic.twitter.com/L2Oc2L7QnC— Montana State Football (@MSUBobcats_FB) November 5, 2022
Jace Henry
At Dartmouth College, Jace Henry of Fairbanks amassed a team-high 51 receiving yards and ran in a 6-yard TD in a 17-14 loss to Princeton in the Ivy League.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound junior is listed as a tight end and quarterback, and he played both positions on back-to-back plays at the end of a first-quarter scoring drive.
On the first play, he caught a 26-yard reception on 3rd-and-3 to put the ball at the 6-yard line. Then on 1st-and-goal he lined up in the shotgun and plowed his way into the end zone to get Dartmouth on the scoreboard.
Henry (Lathrop) also caught a 25-yard pass in the second quarter on his way to posting a career-best 58 yards of total offense.
This was his second TD in 15 career games, the first since the season opener against Valpo when he scored on a 1-yard plunge.
The 2019 Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year has six catches for 124 yards. Of his four carries, two of them have gone for six, like this one Saturday.
Yep, that’s @k1ngj05 lining up at QB and rumbling into the end zone from 6 yards out! First quarter closing, watch the game on @ESPNPlus: https://t.co/llbB6MEmwH pic.twitter.com/cYfOcI2YrT
— Dartmouth Football (@DartmouthFTBL) November 5, 2022
Colton Herman
At Bemidji State, defensive back Colton Herman of Anchorage made his second interception of the season in the fourth quarter of a 24-14 win over Northern State.
The 6-foot, 190-pound sophomore made the pick at the 11-yard line on 4th-and-10 with 5:26 left, icing the win to move the NCAA Division II Beavers to 8-2 on the season.
Bemidji State came into the team ranked No. 7 in the Super Region Four and looks to move up after No. 6 Wayne State knocked off No. 5 Sioux Falls 31-24.
Herman (East) has four interceptions in 23 career games.
He also returns kicks on special teams and broke off a career-long 32-yard kickoff return Saturday. He had another return for 28 yards giving him an average of 30 yards, nearly doubling his 17.4-yard average coming into the game.
POSTGAME
– Colton Herman on the rhythm the @BSUBeaversFB defense is in (held opponents to an average 11 pts the last 6 games)
– Caleb Young (@5Calebyoung) on how BSU has bounced back so well from the 0-2 start
– @CoachBolte on clinching at least a share of the NSIC North pic.twitter.com/VluH7vHzIP
— Chaz Mootz (@ChazMootzTV) November 5, 2022