Northwestern graduate and last year’s Times News Football Player of the Year Eli Zimmerman was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division Special Team Player of the Week.

Zimmerman, a freshman for the Huskies, delivered one of the most impactful special teams performances in the PSAC last week, sparking Bloomsburg with a combined 139 return yards and setting up multiple short fields in his team’s 30-24 overtime win over Slippery Rock.

The former Tiger flipped momentum throughout the afternoon, beginning with a 28-yard opening-kickoff return that immediately put the Huskies near midfield and set up their first scoring drive. He added a 10-yard return later in the first quarter before breaking loose for the biggest special teams play of the game — a 43-yard punt return with six seconds remaining in the first half, giving Bloomsburg the ball at the SRU 37. The Huskies capitalized moments later with a field goal to take a 17–7 lead into halftime.

He continued to provide field position advantages in the second half, returning a third-quarter kickoff 19 yards to set up another touchdown drive, and added a fourth kickoff return to finish with four kickoff returns for 74 yards (18.5 avg) and two punt returns for 65 yards (32.5 avg) — both season-best marks for the Huskies.