College Football News – Guilford’s Pawlowski Named ODAC Offensive Player of the Week

FOREST, Va. – Guilford College quarterback Matt Pawlowski collected his third Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Player of the Week Award of the season Sunday and the 12th of his illustrious career. The Quakers earned the league’s weekly offensive prize six times in 2015.

Matt Pawlowski 2016

The announcement comes on an otherwise somber day. Guilford (9-1, 6-1 ODAC) learned it did not receive one of six at-large bids to the NCAA Division III playoffs when the 32-team field was released Sunday evening.

Pawlowski, a 6-2, 205-pound senior, completed 36-of-47 (76.6%) passes for 411 yards and four touchdowns in the Quakers’ 41-30 comeback win over league-rival Emory & Henry College Saturday. He connected on 17-of-20 second-half passes for 278 yards and three scores, including the go-ahead touchdown on an improvised 39-yard shovel pass to De’Eric Bell. Pawlowski guided Guilford to touchdowns on four straight second-half possessions, which helped erase a 23-13 third-quarter deficit. The contest marked Pawlowski’s second 400-yard passing game this season and the fourth of his career. He threw scoring passes of 27 and 20 yards to classmate Adam Smith, as well as an 18-yard touchdown to Rontavius Miller, which capped the game’s scoring with 3:49 remaining in regulation.

Pawlowski’s four touchdown passes gave him 39 for the season, one better than his school record set in 2014 and the second-highest total in NCAA Division III this year. The team captain also stands fifth among the nation’s best in passing yards (3,333) and passing yards per game (333.3). He ranks sixth in passing efficiency (180.5), points responsible for per game (23.8) and total offense (344.1). Pawlowski completed 227-of-350 passes (64.9%) with a career-low two interceptions. He had six 300-yard passing games and seven contests with at least four touchdown passes.

Coach Chris Rusiewicz’s Quakers enjoyed the finest season in team history with a school-record nine overall wins and six conference victories. Guilford won its final six games after dropping a 20-17 decision at unbeaten league champion Washington and Lee University October 3. The Quakers were ranked 24th in the Nov. 9 American Football Coaches’ Association NCAA Division III Poll.