Falcon Dominance: Kemper Hodges Earns NFF Colorado Chapter Player of the Week Honors

Air Force quarterback Kemper Hodges put together a historic performance, carrying the Falcons to a crucial 35–26 bowl-eligibility-clinching victory over UConn. For his heroic effort, Hodges was named Player of the Week by the Colorado Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.  NFFCC RELEASE

Hodges continues a stellar trend for Air Force signal-callers this season. He is the third Falcon to receive the prestigious weekly award in 2026, joining teammate Liam Szarka (Week 4) and Evan Medders (Week 6). Since the NFF Colorado Chapter Player of the Week honor began in 2002, Hodges is the 35th unique Falcon player to be chosen, bringing the total to 40 selections for the Academy program.

A Historic Ground Performance

When his team needed him most, Hodges delivered an unforgettable masterclass out of the backfield. He racked up a staggering 200 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 35 grueling carries, wearing down the Huskies’ defense one punishing run at a time.

His night was highlighted by several remarkable milestones:

• Explosive Play: His 62-yard touchdown dash is the longest play by a Falcon this season.

• Rare Air: Hodges became the first Air Force player to rush for 200 yards and four touchdowns in a single game since Emmanuel Michel accomplished the feat against James Madison in 2023.

• Clutch Execution: In addition to his four trips to the end zone, Hodges converted 11 carries into first downs—including three massive fourth-down conversions to sustain critical drives, such as a grinding 9:40 touchdown march in the third quarter.

Joining Hodges as nominees for the 10th NFFCC award were:

• James Coby, running back, Adams State
• Gideon ESPN Lampron, linebacker, Colorado
• Max Barnes, running back, Colorado Mines
• Marcellus Honeycutt, Jr., wide receiver, CSU Pueblo (Aurora, Colo./GW)
• Bryson Brown, wide receiver, Colorado Mesa
• Lucas Schmitten, kicker, Fort Lewis (Highlands Ranch, Colo./ThunderRidge)
• Josiah Roy, quarterback, Western Colorado (Colorado Springs/Pine Creek)

The NFF Colorado Chapter board of directors and representatives from College Sports Communicators at the 10 schools that compete in college football in Colorado vote to determine the ninth POW recipient this season.

• WEEKLY STATISTICAL LEADERS – PDF
• COMPOSITE SCHOOL STATISTICS – PDF

Linebacker Carter Daniels (Week 0) and quarterback Navi Bruzon (Week 2) from Colorado State Pueblo, quarterback Hauss Hejny (Week 1 and Week 7) from Colorado State, quarterback Joseph Capra (Weeks 3 and 6) and running back Max Barnes (Week 5) of Colorado School of Mines, and Szarka and Medders (Week 6) of Air Force were the first nine NFFCC recipients.

Here are this week’s nominees presented to Sarah Meier, coordinator of the Colorado Chapter’s POW program. PAST RECIPIENTS

• A senior running back from Berkeley, Calif., Coby scored both Adams State touchdowns in its 69-12 setback to the Colorado School of Mines in Alamosa. He caught a 25-yard touchdown pass on Adams State’s opening possession and added a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Both scores finished 75-yard drives.
• A fifth-year player from LaGrange, Ohio, Lampron set his career high for tackles for the third straight game, credited with 15 in CU’s 27-24 OT win against Kansas State. He had two sacks and four total tackles for loss. His two sacks are the first time an inside linebacker has had 2.0 or more sacks in a game since Nate Landman against San Diego State in 2020, and the first time an inside linebacker has had 4 tackles for loss in a game since Landman did that against Oregon State in 2018. He now has 81 total tackles through eight games, 10.2 per game, with 12.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. His 12.5 tackles for loss rank 11th in CU history for an inside linebacker.
• A junior from Austin, Texas, Barnes set the tone for an offensive explosion by Colorado School of Mines in its 69-12 win at Adams State in Alamosa. He produced 185 total yards of offense in just two quarters. Barnes rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, averaging a huge 18.4 yards per carry, and caught three passes for 18 yards. He ripped off a 55-yard run on the game’s first play and also had 45- and 20-yard explosives.
• A junior wide receiver from Aurora and Denver George Washington High School, Honeycutt, Jr. returned to action in CSU Pueblo’s 38-31 win over Black Hills State in the Steel City. After missing the previous game due to injury, he had a career game against the Yellow Jackets, targeting six times and catching five passes for a career-high 168 yards and two touchdown passes. In the win, Honeycutt averaged 33.6 yards per catch. His touchdown passes came on a 70-yard pass from Navi Bruzon to give the Pack a 10-0 lead just four-plus minutes into the game, and he added his second touchdown on a 46-yard pass from Bruzon to give the Pack a 24-3 lead with 4:36 left in the second quarter. Honeycutt caught Bruzon’s second completion of the game for a 70-yard touchdown. He had two plays of 40 or more yards and now leads the team with 13 plays of 20 or more yards this season; he has scored seven of his eight touchdown receptions on plays of 20 or more yards. Honeycutt and his fellow receiver, Dedrek Taylor-Akins (six catches, 112 yards, 1 TD against Black Hills State), became the first Pack receivers this season to each record 100 or more receiving yards in a game and the first since Reggie Retzlaff and Zack Rakowsky combined for 284 yards in last year’s regular season finale against Chadron State. The 168 receiving yards marked Honeycutt’s third game this season with 100 or more receiving yards.
• A sophomore from Amarillo, Texas, Brown caught two passes, both going for scores of 69 and 45 yards in Colorado Mesa’s 59-46 win over New Mexico Highlands in Grand Junction.
• A junior kicker from Highlands Ranch and ThunderRidge High, Schmitten converted on one of two field goals in Fort Lewis’ 34-3 setback at Chadron State. His 44-yard field goal against the Eagles was his 12th of the season in 16 attempts. In the RMAC, Schmitten ranks fourth in made field goals among all kickers and second in field goal percentage among kickers with 10+ attempts. He boasts two of the league’s four longest field goals this season (both from 51 yards)
• A fifth-year player from Colorado Springs Pine Creek High, Roy accounted for 271 total yards on offense and three touchdowns in Western Colorado’s 37-6 win over South Dakota Mines. He completed 17-of-24 passes (long of 56, TD), for 225 yards and three scores. He rushed nine times for 46 yards. Roy connected on a 56-yard pass for Western’s first TD, then added TD drives of 91, 86, and 70 yards; the second ended with a 9-yard TD pass, and the last finished with a 15-yard scoring pass.