This past week in pro sports was pretty quiet for our former Canes, with many players inactive and others getting limited opportunities. Still, a few managed to stand out and make an impact in one way or another on the gridiron and diamond.
Cane of the Week – Gregory Rousseau
This Sunday the former Cane star continued his incredible start to the season, adding two more sacks, four TFLs, and eight tackles as the Bills beat the Chargers 24-16.
Simply put, the Chargers’ offensive line could do nothing to stop him.
Through the first three games of the season, Gregory has racked up 15 tackles, six sacks, eight TFL, and three forced fumbles, firmly putting himself into the early Defensive Player of the Year conversation.
The former first round pick has had a solid start to his career, but this could be the jump into stardom Bills fans were waiting for. Last season he finished the year with seven sacks through 16 games – he is already almost there through the first three games of the season.
Tough Week – Cam Ward
It was another rough week for the former first overall pick as he finished the game with a stat line of 23/36, 181 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Ward showed flashes throughout the game, going on a stretch in the second half where he completed 11 of 12 passes. He led the Titans on a 91 yard fourth quarter touchdown drive to cut the Giants’ lead to 12-7.
The Titans got the ball back with just over two minutes remaining, with one last chance to win the game. Cam led them downfield on a 13-play, 64 yard drive, before ultimately throwing an awful interception from the Giants’ seven yard line with 17 seconds left to end the game.
Inconsistency and a lack of explosive plays have been the tale of the season for Ward so far, and he needs to start showing improvement in those categories.
Rookie Report
Rookie of the Week – Ahkeem Mesidor
The 22nd overall pick recorded three tackles and had his first career sack against Josh Allen. Mesidor has had a solid start to his career and this was the best game of his career so far.
Other Notable Rookies
Keionte Scott – The 116th pick and former Jim Thorpe award semifinalist had a solid week with five tackles and one pass defended. Although Scott wasn’t drafted as high as other Canes, he has had an amazing start to his career with the Buccaneers.
Francis Mauigoa – The 10th overall pick of this year’s draft has had an up and down start to his NFL career, allowing just two pressures in 127 offensive snaps through his first three games.
Rookie offensive linemen tend to struggle early in their careers, and Mauigoa has had his fair share of struggles, but he is yet to allow a sack in his first three career games.
Rueben Bain – The 15th overall pick did not play this week as he was sidelined with a groin injury suffered last week.
Canes in the MLB – Yoyo Morales
Former Cane Yohandy “Yoyo” Morales got called up to the show on Sept. 1 and has immediately made an impact for the Washington Nationals. In his MLB debut, Morales went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, and an RBI. His first hit was a memorable one, blasting a home run against the Atlanta Braves.
Since then, Morales has continued to show the power he had throughout his whole UM career and has consistently contributed for the Nationals. Through his first 17 games, he is hitting .255 with 4 home runs, 4 doubles, and 10 RBIs while posting an incredible .851 OPS.
Morales’ power was on display this past week.
He went just 2-for-12, but both of his hits were home runs.
In his first month in the MLB, he has given himself a clear path to a role in the majors and gives the Nationals a strong candidate for the first base job next season.