EASTON, Pa. – Coming off a 49-21 win over Lehigh that sealed a Patriot League title, sophomore QB Dean DeNobile and freshman K Jack Simonetta have been named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively.
 
DeNobile threw for three touchdowns and ran for another on his way to Lafayette-Lehigh game MVP honors. He completed 19-of-27 for 245 yards, hitting Chris Carasia, Mason Gilbert and Dallas Holmes for touchdowns. DeNobile also ran for 13 yards on the sun-swept day and finished with a one-yard TD run.
 
For the season, the Upper Saddle River, N.J. native has started 10 games, completing 160-of-240 (67 percent) for 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. DeNobile leads the conference and is 14th in the nation in completion percentage. This is the third Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honor in 2023 for DeNobile, who was also lauded following the Monmouth and Bucknell victories.
 
Rookie Jack Simonetta was also busy in the win over Lehigh, and the Gotha, Fla. native made the most of his opportunities. He converted all seven PATs as the Leopards outscored their archrival 35-0 in the second half. For the season, the Economics major has made 42-of-43 PATs and 6-of-9 field goal attempts. It is the second award for Simonetta who was the Special Teams Player of the week on Sept. 18 after a win over Columbia.
 
The No. 18/20 Leopards, who are 9-2, have registered their most wins since 1981 and secured their first Patriot League title since 2013. Lafayette will open the FCS Playoff on Saturday at No. 12/11 Delaware. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.