Jackets Garner Pair of HCAC Weekly Honors

GREENWOOD, Ind. -- Defiance Colleges Luke Dillon and Tom Foos were each named as Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Players of the Week after they helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a thrilling, 33-31, homecoming victory over Rose-Hulman.

Dillon was named the HCAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after he continued his season-long assault on opposing defenses this weekend. The nations leading receiver caught four touchdown passes and piled up 151 yards on 11 catches against the Engineers. Dillon set a new school record with his four receiving touchdowns, topping his previous single-game mark of three, which he tied in DCs 45-13 homecoming win over Anderson last season.

Dillon had the Rose-Hulman secondary on its heels from the opening snap and caught five passes for 110 yards and a pair of scores in the games opening quarter to lift the Jackets to a 20-7 lead. After R-H battled back to claim a 21-20 lead, Dillon hauled in his third touchdown catch to send Defiance to the half with a 27-21 advantage. Dillons fourth and final touchdown of the day came early in the fourth and proved to be the eventual game winner, as it gave Defiance a 33-28 advantage with just over 14 minutes to play.

With the 11-catch, 151-yard effort, Dillon extended his string of 100-yard games to five and has already set new career highs with 53 receptions and 773 receiving yards at the midway point of the season.

Foos was selected as the HCAC Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time in his career. In a game that featured multiple lead changes and momentum swings, the freshman punter consistently helped Defiance turn the field position around with a string of punts averaging 41.3 yards. Foos punted seven times in DCs 33-31 victory over Rose-Hulman, placing a pair of boots inside the 20 and another for a touchback. Foos strong day was highlighted by a career-best punt of 51 yards.

For the season, Foos has averaged 36.0 yards for the second-best clip in the league and has pinned the opposition inside the 20 on 10-of-28 attempts.

Defiance (3-2, 2-0 HCAC) will look to remain unbeaten in HCAC play when it plays at Anderson on Saturday at 1:30 pm.