Offense
TE Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State
6-4, 250, Jr., Britton (S.D.) Britton-Hecla HS
Goedert tied a school record with four touchdown receptions and also established new career highs with eight total receptions and 204 receiving yards as the Jackrabbits opened league play with a 52-14 home victory over Western Illinois on Oct. 1. He scored SDSU’s first three touchdowns – all in the first half – on plays of 24, 25 and 24 yards. His fourth touchdown covered 70 yards and tied Don Bartlett’s mark of four receiving touchdowns set in a 1949 game against North Dakota State. Goedert’s 204 receiving yards marked the sixth-highest single-game total in program history. He has now caught a touchdown pass in all four games this season and five in a row dating back to the 2015 campaign.
Defense
LB Dylan Cole, Missouri State
6-1, 240, Sr., Rogersville (Mo.) Logan-Rogersville High
Cole sparked a second-half shutout by the Missouri State defense that ultimately lifted the Bears to a 45-24 victory over No. 24 Indiana State Saturday. Thanks in large part to Cole’s 13 tackles, the MSU defense held ISU's high-powered offense to 116 second-half yards, while forcing three key turnovers in the fourth quarter to seal the Bears’ first road win over a ranked opponent in four years. Cole, who moved into the Bears’ all-time top 10 for career tackles, accounted for two of MSU’s late takeaways, picking off a pass and forcing a fumble to wrap up the Bears’ first MVFC win since October 2014.
Special Teams
PK Zak Kennedy, Youngstown State
6-0, 190, So., Youngstown (Ohio) Cardinal Mooney High
Kennedy kicked three field goals in the 30-20 victory over South Dakota. Kennedy made field goals of 26, 28 and 24 yards in the Penguins’ win. It was the fourth time in his career that he made three field goals in a contest.
Newcomer
LB Christian Rozeboom, South Dakota State
6-2, 215, Fr., Sioux Center (Iowa) High
Rozeboom recorded a game-high 10 tackles, including a sack, and returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown in South Dakota State’s 52-14 win over Western Illinois in a battle of nationally ranked teams on Oct. 1. Rozeboom’s interception return came on the first offensive series of the second half and extended the Jackrabbits’ lead to 35-14. It was the first of two interception returns for touchdowns in the third quarter by SDSU, which held the Fighting Leathernecks scoreless over the final three quarters.
Offensive Lineman
RG Sam Ellifrits, Missouri State
6-6, 306, Jr., Nevada (Mo.) High
Ellifrits enjoyed a standout afternoon in the Bears’ 45-24 road win over No. 24 Indiana State Saturday, carrying out a 100% assignment grade and an 84% performance grade. He tallied five knockdown blocks in helping the MSU offense roll up a season-high 473 yards of total offense in the Bears’ first road win over a ranked opponent in four years.
OTHERS NOMINATED
Offense
WR Darrell James, SIU -- Caught the game’s opening play for a 48-yard reception and went on to have a near career day in SIU’s 42-21 loss at Northern Iowa. James caught five passes for a game-high 117 yards and his 117 yards were also a game-high for all-purpose yards.
WR Anthony Fowler, ILS -- Fowler shattered his career-high with 119 yards receiving on a career-best four receptions for the Redbirds against the Bison and hauled in an 18-yard touchdown from quarterback Jake Kolbe in the second quarter.
TB Martin Ruiz, YSU -- Ruiz had 19 carries for 65 yards and a pair of scores in the Penguins’ 30-20 win over South Dakota. Ruiz scored on a one-yard run in the first quarter and an eight-yard run in the second.
WR Daurice Fountain, UNI -- Fountain brought in five catches for 89 yards, scoring three touchdowns through the air. It was the first time since 2006 that a UNI athlete has scored three receiving touchdowns in a game. All three of Fountain's touchdowns were acrobatic, athletic plays.
WR Malik Earl, MSU -- Earl hauled in a career-high 11 receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns to help propel the Bears to their first road win over a ranked foe in four years with a 45-24 decision over No. 24 Indiana State that also halted MSU’s 13-game MVFC skid. Earl’s 11-catch performance equaled Jason Cannon and Clay Harbor for the second-best single-game reception total in program history.
QB Easton Stick, NDSU -- Stick went 13 of 18 passing for 256 yards and three touchdowns in North Dakota State’s 31-10 homecoming victory over Illinois State. He completed passes to nine different receivers and averaged 19.7 yards per completion.
RB Roland Genesy, INS -- Genesy rushed for two touchdowns for the second straight week. One week after recording his first-career 100-yard game and multiple TD game vs. No. 9 Illinois State, Genesy again recorded two scores with 54 yards rushing to help keep the Sycamores in the game.
Defense
LB Jameer Thurman, INS -- Thurman was a key figure in keeping the Sycamores in the game, recording a season-high 14 tackles (seven solo), 4.0 TFL for 12 yards, and a sack of seven yards on a forced fumble of QB Brodie Lambert that briefly turned the tide for the Sycamores in the second quarter.
LB Pierre Gee-Tucker, NDSU -- Gee-Tucker led the Bison defense with seven tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery in North Dakota State’s 31-10 homecoming victory over Illinois State.
LB Jared Farley, UNI -- Farley was a part of the defensive unit that held preseason All-MVFC running back Daquan Isom to just 46 yards on the ground. The Cedar Falls, Iowa native led both teams in tackles with nine, adding one tackle for loss. He also came up with a key fumble recovery in the first quarter.
DE Derek Rivers, YSU -- Rivers had five solo tackles, a pair of sacks and three quarterback hurries in the Penguins’ 30-20 win over South Dakota. In his career, Rivers was credited with seven sacks in three games against the Coyotes.
S Alec Kocour, ILS -- Kocour tallied 14 tackles, seven of which were solo stops, to tie his career-high set last season against Eastern Illinois. Kocour had 13 tackles last week against Indiana State, and is second on the team in tackles this season with 42.
LB Christian Rozeboom, SDSU -- Earned Newcomer of the Week honors
Deondre Barnett, SIU -- Barnett had eight tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in SIU’s 42-21 loss at Northern Iowa. Barnett had a strip-sack for the third time in four games, already vaulting himself into a tie for fourth in SIU single-season history for forced fumbles.
Special Teams
K/P Zach Drake, MSU -- Converted his lone field goal attempt and was 6-for-6 on PAT tries while averaging 38.0 yards on four punts. Drake successfully booted a 22-yard field goal to give MSU its first lead of the game and pinned the Sycamores inside their own 20 yard line on two of his four punts.
KR/PR Eric Perkins, NDSU -- Perkins averaged 17.8 yards on four returns in North Dakota State’s 31-10 homecoming victory over Illinois State. Perkins had two kickoff returns for 51 yards that helped set up NDSU’s first two touchdown drives. He also had two punt returns for 20 yards.
K Jerry Nunez, INS -- Made his one field goal attempt of 39 yards to tie the game 24-24 heading into halftime. Nunez remains perfect in 2016 at 7-for-7, one of two Valley kickers and one of 12 in the nation to still be perfect at this point in the season.
PK/P Miles Bergner, USD -- Bergner averaged 44.5 yards on six punts, with a long of 50, which included one downed inside the 20-yard line. He also connected on both field goal tries (45 and 29 yards).
Newcomer
P/K Jackson Koonce, NDSU -- Koonce averaged 36.3 yards on six punts with four fair catches and two punts downed, and he averaged 60.0 yards on his first two kickoffs of the season. Koonce had a long punt of 40 yards and two inside the 20.
WR Damoun Patterson, YSU -- Patterson caught two passes for 86 yards in the Penguins’ 30-20 win over South Dakota. Patterson had receptions of 48 and 38 yards in the contest.
QB Josh Straughan, SIU -- Straughan threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns in SIU’s 42-21 loss at Northern Iowa. Straughan went 25-for-35 and now has thrown for nearly 1,300 yards through only four games. His streak of consecutive pass attempts without an interception was snapped after 136-straight passes without a pick.
OLB McNeece Egbim, MSU -- Egbim logged nine total tackles to help lead a resurgent MSU defensive effort. Egbim recorded five of his stops in the second half to help the Bears limit the Sycamores to 116 yards of total offense and complete their first road win over a ranked opponent since 2012.
K Jerry Nunez, INS -- Also nominated at Special Teams
