Northwestern graduate Eli Zimmerman, the Times News Football Player of the Year in 2024, had a huge impact in Bloomsburg’s 33-31 victory over Shippensburg on Sept. 26.

After the Huskies rallied from a 21-point deficit to tie the game, Zimmerman returned a kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown moments after Bloomsburg’s defense produced a go-ahead safety. The return completed a stunning nine-point sequence in 12 seconds that gave Bloomsburg a 33-24 lead with 5:05 remaining.

The kickoff return for a TD was the first by a Huskie since 2019, and helped earn Zimmerman the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week.

The former Tiger standout paced Bloomsburg with 194 all-purpose yards. He rushed for 84 yards on nine carries, collected 99 yards on two kickoff returns and added 11 yards on punt returns.