Derek Cox and Jonathan Grimes Earn CAA Weekly Honors

11/10/08 12:30PM

RICHMOND, Va. - After outstanding performances in the victory against Northeastern last weekend, senior cornerback Derek Cox and true freshman running back Jonathan Grimes have been awarded weekly honors by the Colonial Athletic Association. Cox was selected as the conference’s Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, while Grimes was chosen as the league’s Rookie of the Week.

Cox provided a pair of touchdowns in the Tribe’s 38-17 victory against NU, as he returned a punt and an interception for scores. The Winterville, N.C., native put W&M on the scoreboard early in the first quarter when he returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown, while he later found the end zone again when he returned an interception 12 yards for a score midway through the fourth quarter. It marked the first time in school history that a player returned both a punt and an interception for a touchdown in the same game. The last Tribe player to accomplish the feat in the same season was current Minnesota Viking Darren Sharper in 1996.

In addition to his touchdowns, Cox finished the contest against NU with four tackles (three solo) and a pair of pass break-ups.

Cox has picked off passes in two consecutive games and currently ranks tied for third in the CAA with four interceptions. Additionally, he now has nine career interceptions, a figure that ranks tied for 13th among active FCS players.

Grimes earned his third conference Rookie of the Week honor after accounting for 225 all-purpose yards in the win versus the Huskies. The Palmyra, N.J., native rushed for 130 yards on 16 carries (8.1 yards per carry) and caught three passes for 16 yards.

With his big effort against Northeastern, Grimes has now rushed for more than 100 yards in three of the last five games and is averaging 92.1 ypg on the ground this season. Additionally, he currently leads the conference and ranks eighth nationally with 171.56 yards of total offense per game.

The No. 14/16 Tribe will look to extend its winning streak to six games when it plays at top-ranked James Madison on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.