MARLBOROUGH, Mass. - One of the most productive receiving performances of the Norwich University football team's NEWMAC era has earned wide receiver
Jahmir Dixon (Philadelphia, Pa.) New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Offensive Athlete of the Week honors, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Dixon turned in a commanding performance in Norwich's 28-7 victory at Maine Maritime Academy on Saturday afternoon, hauling in 11 receptions for 228 yards and a touchdown as the Cadets produced 432 yards of total offense in their second victory of the season.
The honor is the first NEWMAC weekly award of Dixon's career and makes him Norwich's first Offensive Athlete of the Week selection since Trevor Chase received the distinction on Oct. 4, 2021.
Dixon also becomes just the sixth Norwich player to earn NEWMAC Offensive Athlete of the Week honors since the conference began sponsoring football and the Cadets joined the league in 2017. He joins Aaron Conner, Manni Romero, Matt Dunn, Mitchell Theal, and Chase among Norwich's all-time recipients.
The performance began to take shape almost immediately. Dixon hauled in a 36-yard reception on Norwich's opening possession, helping move the Cadets from near midfield to the Maine Maritime 12.
His biggest play of the afternoon came one snap into the second quarter.
With Norwich beginning the period at the Maine Maritime 47, quarterback
Landon Beecher (Holliston, Mass.) connected with Dixon down the middle for a 47-yard touchdown, breaking a scoreless deadlock and giving the Cadets a lead they would never relinquish.
Dixon continued to serve as Beecher's primary target throughout the afternoon. He added a 25-yard reception late in the second quarter before playing a central role in Norwich's 12-play, 88-yard touchdown drive to begin the second half, converting third downs with catches of five and 22 yards before adding another 17-yard reception later in the possession.
His influence became even more pronounced when Maine Maritime cut Norwich's lead to 14-7 late in the third quarter.
After the Cadets were pushed backward by a holding penalty, Beecher immediately turned to Dixon for a 27-yard completion to move Norwich out toward midfield. On the very next snap, the duo connected again for 42 yards, carrying the Cadets to the Maine Maritime 13 and setting up
Will Patenaude (Goffstown, N.H.) for an eight-yard touchdown that restored the two-score advantage.
Dixon's 228 receiving yards accounted for more than 80 percent of Norwich's 283 passing yards, while his 11 catches represented more than 60 percent of the Cadets' 18 completions. Beecher finished the afternoon 18-of-28 for 283 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions as Norwich averaged 7.3 yards per offensive play.
The breakout afternoon further established Dixon as the centerpiece of Norwich's passing game through five contests. He leads the Cadets with 36 receptions for 504 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 14.0 yards per catch and 100.8 receiving yards per game.
Dixon has also contributed in the return game, totaling a team-high 676 all-purpose yards through five games for an average of 135.2 per contest.
He joins junior defensive lineman
Harry Ells (Centerville, Mass.) as Norwich's two NEWMAC Athlete of the Week selections this season. Ells earned Defensive Athlete of the Week recognition on Sept. 14 after returning an interception 17 yards for the game-winning touchdown in the Cadets' 17-10 Maple Sap Bucket victory over Vermont State University Castleton.
Norwich (2-3, 0-2 NEWMAC) will return to Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium for the first time in more than a month on Saturday, Oct. 17, welcoming Maritime College for a 2:00 p.m. conference matchup as part of Homecoming Weekend.
