Moon Township, Pa. – True freshman
Rameses Owens of the
Robert Morris University football team earned three weekly honors Monday, including national recognition, after breaking multiple school records in the team's road opener at North Dakota this past weekend.
Owens was named
The Sports Network National Freshman of the Week and also claimed a pair of honors from the Northeast Conference as he was tabbed Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week by the league.
Owens is believed to be the first Colonial ever to earn Freshman of the Week honors from
The Sports Network. Before Monday, the most recent Colonial to earn a national weekly honor from
The Sports Network came in 2010 when
Myles Russ, RMU's current running backs coach, was named Offensive Player of the Week.
The 6'2", 210-pound Owens had a breakout performance in only his second game as a collegian. He racked up a game-high 199 rushing yards on 39 attempts, averaging over five yards per carry, while finding the end zone once. The 199 yards represents a new RMU record for single-game rushing yardage by a freshman and is among the top 15 performances ever by a RMU running back. It is also the most rushing yards by any Colonial in the program's past 62 games and the most a by a Colonial in a non-conference contest since 1995.
Owens, who became only the fifth distinct Colonial ever to accrue at least 190 rushing yards in a game, added a 38-yard reception to finish with 237 all-purpose yards, the highest total in the conference in Week 2. Owens' rushing yardage total was larger than the entire team total that FBS member San Jose State was able to compile against the same North Dakota defense one week earlier. Owens, who rushed for a touchdown for a second straight week, helped RMU secure 13 first downs Saturday, seven of which moved the chains on a third-down play.
Owens becomes the 12th distinct Colonial to be selected as Offensive Player of the Week by the league and the 19th distinct Colonial to claim a NEC Rookie of the Week award.
Robert Morris will travel the length of Pennsylvania this weekend as it takes on defending Patriot League champion Lafayette Saturday, Sept. 13, at 6:00 p.m.
