Maine’s Tristen Kenan takes home CAA Rookie of the Week

ORONO, Maine (WABI) - Tristen Kenan earned Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Week honors after debuting with 108 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground in a 14-12 loss to Florida International.

“It’s super sick. It’s like going into the stadium with all them fans at this type of level is definitely unreal. You’ve got to let it sink in, watch the game highlights, see yourself, and hear the announcers calling your name. It’s definitely something that gives you chills,” said Kenan, freshman running back.

Kenan proved himself upon arriving in Orono.

“Since day one, I came in, and I’ve been working and showing the coaches what I can do in practice and camp. Camp was big for me. I had a lot of big plays showing them what I can do at the running back position and the receiver position,” said Kenan.

“Since the first day of camp, he’s shown that he has the elusiveness, the quickness, and the feet that a really great back can have in this league. When he was going to be the starter going into the game, we anticipated him having a productive day, but certainly good to see him have the day he had,” said Jordan Stevens, head coach.

He says he enjoys the environment surrounding the team.

“You get a little homesick, but the brotherhood out here is very strong. It’s like you get welcomed into 100 more brothers. It’s really good. It feels like a great college experience, like how it’s supposed to be. There’s no bad things. It’s all good,” said Kenan.

Another strong rushing performance would be key in an upset effort against No. 2 North Dakota State.

“Tristen has the makeup where it doesn’t matter where he is. He’s just going to go play football. That’s the great thing about him. He’s young, so he’s a little bit naive that way, which is really good because I think he’s unfazed by most things. I saw him take a hit in the fourth quarter on our sideline helmet-to-helmet, and he just popped up and kept playing. He’s a tough kid,” said Stevens.

“I’m just looking forward to developing and getting even stronger because I haven’t even been in college for that long. I definitely need to get better with my game. I could have done a lot more last week, so I’m just going to work on that this week in practice and put that out on the field against North Dakota State,” said Kenan.

Saturday’s kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. at the Fargodome.

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