Raiders quarterback wins national honor after big game against Hoyas

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Gavin McCarney '14 runs the ball against Georgetown.

Quarterback Gavin McCarney ’14 runs the ball against Georgetown.

The Raiders’ dynamic duo — quarterback Gavin McCarney ’14 and tailback Jordan McCord ’13 — hope to keep rolling this Saturday as Colgate plays Bucknell with a chance to secure its fourth straight win.

The Raiders shattered several team records last weekend as they beat Georgetown 57-36.

For his efforts, McCarney earned his second Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honor in the last three games. And this time, he also was recognized nationally.

The Sports Network named McCarney its FCS co-National Offensive Player of the Week alongside North Dakota’s Greg Hardin. The UND receiver had 12 catches for 333 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a win over Montana.

McCarney, a sociology and anthropology major from Jefferson High School in Jefferson Township, N.J., accounted for 510 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in Saturday’s win.

He completed 22-of-28 passes for 377 yards and three TDs, while also rushing 15 times for 133 yards and two more touchdowns – plus a successful two-point conversion run.

In the process, the Raiders set a school record with 707 yards of total offense (377 passing, 330 rushing).

“Our quarterback is as good as I have seen – ever,” said Colgate head coach Dick Biddle. “He is a Walter Payton candidate.”

McCarney’s 510 yards of total offense broke a 34-year-old school mark set by John Marzo, who had 450 yards against Delaware back in 1978. Marzo is now the team orthopedic doctor for the Buffalo Bills. McCarney also averaged 11.86 yards per play to top the school record for average yards per play, minimum 40 plays. Dave Goodwin set the old mark of 9.46 against Lehigh in 1989.

As part of the Raiders’ offensive juggernaut against the Hoyas, McCord carried 35 times for 154 yards to push him over the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. He came close when he gained 930 yards as a sophomore.

The sociology and anthropology major, who attended Whitney Young High School in Chicago, has 1,018 yards for the season.

For his career, McCord now has 2,454 yards and is closing in on Colgate’s all-time top 10. Former Raiders career rushing leader Mark van Eeghen, who went on to star for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots, now holds 10th place on the chart with 2,591 yards gained from 1971-73.

See Bucknell game notes (PDF)