Junior Defensive Lineman Hogs Special Teams Spotlight After Blocking Two Punts in 19-0 Win
By John Painter
(Hamilton, NY – Sept. 29, 2014) Colgate completed the awards hat trick Monday when Victor Steffen was named Corvias Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week.
The conference special teams star performer has been decked out in Colgate maroon now three Saturdays in a row. Head coach Dan Hunt’s points of emphasis are turning into points on the scoreboard.
Jonah Bowman picked up honors for performances against Delaware and Cornell, and now Steffen is awarded after blocking two punts in Colgate’s 19-0 shutout of Georgetown. The blocked punts accounted for the game’s first nine points, and Bowman added the closing field goal to make it 12 of the 19 directly from special teams.
“That’s all Coach (Ryan) Knowles,” Steffen said his veteran defensive line coach, who also is in his first season as special teams coordinator. “He’s really emphasizing that special teams can make a difference in games. Obviously, on Saturday they did.
“Besides the punt blocks, our kickoff team was flying down there and making big hits on kickoffs. It really set the tone on special teams.”
Steffen’s first blocked punt sailed through uprights for a safety, and his second one was picked up and waltzed in for a touchdown by Pat Afriyie. Steffen also contributed from his defensive end position, posting three tackles for loss (minus-22 yards) and one of five Colgate sacks.
In addition to his Patriot League honors, Steffen also was named FCS Co-Special Teams Player of the Week by The Sports Network, and Patriot Defensive Player of the Week by College Sports Madness.
Steffen for the season leads the team with 5½ tackles for loss, accounting for minus-29 yards. He’s tops in sacks with two for minus-20, and has 18 tackles overall.