Moon Township, Pa. - A pair of student-athletes from the Robert Morris University football team were honored with weekly awards Monday, as junior linebacker Elias Navarro (Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / South Plantation) was named the Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week, while junior kicker Garrett Clawson (Duncansville, Pa. / Hollidaysburg) earned his second straight NEC Special Teams Player of the Week accolade.
The duo were honored for their roles in a 13-10 victory at Albany (11/7) that extended RMU's winning streak to three games as well as snapped a school record 12-game home winning streak for the Great Danes.
The 6'0", 210-pound Navarro was at the forefront of a Colonial defense that allowed just 217 yards of total offense while intercepting Albany quarterback Vinny Esposito twice.
Navarro finished with seven tackles, including one of RMU's five sacks of Esposito, and recorded a key interception at the start of the second half that stalled a drive by the Great Danes.
In a battle of field position all afternoon, Navarro stepped in front of an Esposito pass at the RMU 12-yard line and raced 47 yards before being tackled at the 41-yard line of the Great Danes, setting up the Colonial offense inside Albany territory. He also sacked Esposito on the last play of the third quarter, which forced the Great Danes to punt.
On the 2009 campaign, Navarro ranks second for Robert Morris in tackles with 79, including 33 solo stops, and is tied with junior cornerback Rolf Bathold (Naples, Fla. / Lely) for the team lead in interceptions with three.
The 5'11", 195-pound Clawson earns his second straight NEC Special Teams Player of the Week award after converting a 20-yard field goal on the last play of the game that helped lift RMU to the victory over Albany. He also added a 39-yard field goal at the end of the first half that allowed the Colonials to take a 10-3 lead into halftime.
Over the last two weeks Clawson has drilled five of his six field goal attempts and on the 2009 campaign leads the Colonials in scoring with 46 points.
Led by Joe Walton, the only head coach in the 16-year history of the program, Robert Morris looks for its fourth straight win when it closes out the home portion of its 2009 schedule Saturday, Nov. 14, by welcoming Wagner to Joe Walton Stadium for a Noon kickoff.
