Olakunle Fatukasi, Adam Korsak earn national weekly awards

Rutgers enjoyed a 61-14 victory over Temple on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights got off to a hot start and they earned two individual recognitions following the win.

On Wednesday, Olakunle Fatukasi was named the Chuck Bednarik Award Player of the Week. The Bednarik Award is presented annually to the top defensive player in college football by the Maxwell Football Club.

The Scarlet Knights held Temple to 261 total yards and forced five turnovers. Fatukasi led the way with a game-high nine tackles, four tackles-for-loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, and a safety. The linebacker who led the Big Ten in tackles per game got off to a flying start once again.

This marks the second-straight year that Fatukasi earned this recognition after a season-opener. Fatukasi was also named the Bednarik Player of the Week after 2020’s season-opening victory over Michigan State. Heading into 2021, he was including on the Bednarik Award, Butkus Award and Nagurski Trophy watch lists, and is a two-time Rutgers captain who was voted First Team All-Big Ten by the media last year.

Adam Korsak also earned recognition by being named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week. Korsak was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List heading into the season. This marked the fourth-consecutive year that Korsak was named to this list.

In Week 1 against Temple, Korsak posted a career-high 49.7 average and net. Korsak’s first punt of the season went 56 yards and landed at the one-yard line. This led to a safety by Fatukasi. He later kicked one 67 yards to the 9-yard line, as none of the six attempts had a return in helping the Scarlet Knights establish +25 yards in field position throughout the game.

The Scarlet Knights will look to make it a 2-0 start as they travel to Syracuse to take on the Orange in the Carrier Dome on Saturday at 2 P.M. ET.