NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State return specialist Jason Wonodi has picked up two national honors this week. He was named the Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week and the BOXTOROW HBCU National Player of the Week after returning two punts for touchdowns and setting a pair of program records in the Spartans' 42-21 win over Hampton on Saturday in the 61st Battle of the Bay.
Kicker Marco Peery was among the eight players named honorable mention for the Stats Perform special teams award.
Wonodi, a redshirt senior from Brockton, Mass., has been part of five Battle of the Bay games with the Spartans, but none like Saturday's. He had three punt returns for a school-record 170 yards. That broke the program's single-game individual and team mark of 157, set by Chad Smith on four returns against Delaware State on Nov. 11, 2000. His 56.7-yard average broke the team single-game record of 39.3, set in that same game.
His first return, a 37-yarder in the first quarter, gave the Spartans the ball at the Hampton 28 and set up Deljay Bailey's 1-yard touchdown run six plays later.
In the second quarter, Brenden Thompson sacked Tre'Von Taylor and Hampton was flagged for intentional grounding on the same snap, forcing a punt from the Pirates' 36. Wonodi fielded it at the NSU 24 and went 76 yards untouched with 6:42 left in the half. The touchdown gave Norfolk State a 19-14 lead it never gave up and stood as the game-winning score. It was the program's first punt return touchdown since Nov. 3, 2018, at North Carolina A&T, and the 76 yards tie for the fourth-longest punt return in school history, matching Emery Sammons at South Carolina State on Oct. 7, 2006.
He added a 57-yard score with 2:59 left, fielding a 54-yard punt at the NSU 43 and capping a run of 32 unanswered points. He also had an 18-yard kickoff return.
Wonodi now leads the FCS with 246 punt return yards and is tied for the national lead with two punt return touchdowns. His 30.8-yard average ranks second in the nation.
Peery went 5-for-5 on field goals from 21, 48, 26, 46 and 27 yards, setting program single-game records for field goals made, both individually and as a team. The previous individual record was four, by Justin Castellat against Virginia State on Sept. 1, 2007. His 48-yarder is a career long and ties for ninth on the program's list of longest field goals. Peery scored 18 of the Spartans' 42 points.
Wonodi was one of four individual Stats Perform honorees announced Monday for Week 3 games. South Dakota State running back Josiah Johnson was named Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 239 yards and two touchdowns in the No. 2 Jackrabbits' 27-20 win over then-No. 9 Youngstown State. Elon linebacker Brodie Carroll was named Defensive Player of the Week after a career-high 16 tackles, a sack and two pass breakups in a 24-21 win over Sacred Heart. Penn quarterback Miles Teodecki earned Freshman Player of the Week honors after accounting for three touchdowns in his collegiate debut, a 20-7 win at Bucknell. Stony Brook was named Team of the Week following a 56-24 win over then-No. 8 Rhode Island.
Norfolk State (2-2) hits the road for another two-game swing, first facing first-year program Chicago State at SeatGeek Stadium in Chicago, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:00 p.m. ET, before traveling to Pittsburgh to face Robert Morris on Oct. 3.
