This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference Players of the Week include QB Kurt Hess of Youngstown State, CB Winston Wright of South Dakota State, WR Ryan Smith of North Dakota State and RB Trevor Bouma of South Dakota.
Offense
QB Kurt Hess, Youngstown State
6-3, 230, Sr., Dayton (Ohio) Chaminade-Julienne
Hess threw for a career-high 311 yards and four touchdowns in the Penguins’ 59-21 win over Illinois State. He also added a rushing score in the win. Hess was 17-of-21 on the night in the win over the Redbirds. Hess had touchdown passes of 67, 40, 10 and two yards in the win. He also added a 16-yard rush in the third quarter. It was the sixth time in his career that Hess threw at least four touchdown passes in a game. It was the second time in his career that he threw for more than 300 yards and it was his 22nd career 200-yard plus passing game, a school mark.
Defense
CB Winston Wright, South Dakota State
5-10, 190, Sr., Lee’s Summit (Mo.) West High
Wright intercepted two passes -- both of which the Jackrabbit offense turned into touchdowns -- in South Dakota State’s 38-14 victory at Western Illinois on Oct. 12. His first-quarter interception helped give SDSU a 14-0 lead, while his interception on the first play of the fourth quarter led to the Jackrabbits’ final score of the day. Wright added a pair of tackles as SDSU held Western Illinois to only 118 yards through the air and picked off four passes on the afternoon.
Special Teams
WR Ryan Smith, North Dakota State
5-7, 175, Sr., Wahpeton (S.D.) High
Smith was North Dakota State’s second-leading runner with 142 all-purpose yards in the 41-26 homecoming win over Missouri State. He returned the game’s opening kickoff 32 yards and one possession later turned his first punt return of the season into an 85-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. He also caught four passes for 28 yards. Smith’s punt return TD was the third of his career, which is tied for the active lead among all Division I players.
Newcomer
RB Trevor Bouma, South Dakota
5-11, 215, Fr., LeMars (Iowa) Gehlen Catholic
Bouma ran for a career-high 145 yards and two touchdowns in leading South Dakota to a 17-14 win against Indiana State. Bouma scored the first touchdown and the last touchdown of the game on carries of three and four yards, respectively. Bouma also ran out the final 3:39 of the fourth quarter with six consecutive runs that gained 21 yards and netted two first downs.
Notable Player of the Week Submissions
OFFENSE
- RB Shakir Bell, Indiana State -- rushed for 80 yards and added three pass receptions for 13 yards at South Dakota. Bell now has 4,205 yards for his career which is second-best in the history of the ISU football program
- RB Trevor Bouma, South Dakota -- earned Newcomer of the Week honors
- WR Julian Burton, Missouri State -- Snagged a game-high 6 pass receptions for a career-high 128 yards and a touchdown to lead the MSU offense at top-ranked NDSU. The effort was capped by an impressive 65-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter that gave the Bears a 13-10 lead at the time.
- RB Marshaun Coprich, Illinois State -- Rushed for 110 yards on 14 carries and scored a touchdown to lead the way on offense for the Redbirds. Coprich averaged 7.9 yards per carry and scored the final touchdown of the game from 23 yards out early in the fourth quarter, which put him over 100 yards rushing on the day.
- QB Kory Faulkner, Southern Illinois -- Threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns in SIU’s overtime road win over No. 4 UNI. Faulkner also ran for 30 yards to give him 282 yards of total offense.
- QB Brock Jensen, North Dakota State -- Jensen went 20-for-28 and passed for a career-high 313 yards and three touchdowns in North Dakota State’s 41-26 homecoming win over Missouri State. It was his first career 300-yard game in 43 starts. He completed passes to 10 different receivers.
- QB Sawyer Kollmorgen, UNI -- finished 16-23-0 with 184 yards and one TD against Southern Illinois. The sophomore threw a 52-yard touchdown reception to Kevin Vereen Jr. in the third quarter to tie the game 14-14.
- WR Jason Schneider, South Dakota State -- Caught seven passes for 118 yards and a touchdown in South Dakota State’s 38-14 victory at Western Illinois. It was Schneider’s second 100-yard receiving game of the season and his career. Schneider also contributed a punt return of 34 yards late in the game.
DEFENSE
- SS Donald D’Alesio, Youngstown State -- D’Alesio had five tackles and an interception in the win vs. Illinois State.
- FS Christian Dudzik, North Dakota State -- Four tackles including three solo stops, had one pass breakup, and recorded his first interception and fumble recovery of the season in North Dakota State’s 41-26 homecoming win over Missouri State. Dudzik returned his fourth career interception to the MSU 36 to set up a TD.
- Deiondre’ Hall, UNI -- finished the game against Southern Illinois with a career-high 10 tackles. He also notched a sack, giving him three on the season. Picked up a fumbled interception return for a 29-yard TD.
- LB Keyen Lage, South Dakota -- Had nine tackles, two for loss, in helping USD’s No. 1 ranked pass defense hold Indiana State to a season-low 82 yards passing and 198 yards in all. Lage and the Coyotes forced five three-and-outs and allowed one scoring drive (of 22 yards) following four USD turnovers.
- LB Bryan Presume, Southern Illinois -- Presume recorded eight tackles in SIU’s overtime win over No. 4 UNI. Presume sealed the victory in OT when he tackled David Johnson on fourth-and-one to end the game.
- S Caleb Schaffitzel, Missouri State -- Became Missouri State’s career leader in interception return yards with a 19-yard interception return for a touchdown at No. 1 North Dakota State. He also tacked on 7 total tackles.
- LB Jameer Thurman, Indiana State -- Paced the Sycamores with 12 total tackles, including 10 solos at South Dakota. He added two tackles for a loss of nine yards and added one sack good for a loss of seven yards.
NEWCOMER
- LB Jameer Thurman, Indiana State - also nominated for Defensive Player of the Week
- RB J.C. Baker, Jr, Western Illinois -- Baker turned in his fourth 100-yard rushing game netting 112 yards on his season-high 27 attempts and two TDs. It marked the second time this year he rushed for two TDs in a game.
- RB Malcolm Agnew, Southern Illinois -- Ran for 113 yards on 25 carries for an average of 4.5 yards per carry in SIU’s overtime win over No. 4 UNI. Agnew scored the game-winning touchdown on a five-yard run in overtime. He also caught three passes for 26 yards to give him 139 all-purpose yards.
- PK Marcelo Bonani, Missouri State -- Was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts for the Bears at NDSU, including a career-long 47 yarder early in the second quarter -- the Bears’ first score of the afternoon. He later converted a 21-yard attempt to pull the Bears within 10-6 and gave MSU a 13-7 lead later in the period after a PAT.
SPECIAL TEAMS
- P/K Miles Bergner, South Dakota -- Bergner kicked a season-long, 43-yard field goal which proved to be the difference in the Coyotes’ 17-14 win against Indiana State. Bergner also pinned the Sycamores with a punt downed on the 1-yard line late in the third quarter. A three-and-out followed and the Coyotes began their game-winning touchdown drive 36 yards from the end zone.
- P Logan Bieghler, UNI -- Punted a career-high seven times against the Southern Illinois Salukis, averaging 44.3 yards per punt. He had a game-long 56-yard punt and was able to pin the Salukis in poor field position several times during the game. He landed three punts inside SIU’s 20-yardline and notched one touchback.
- P Austin Pucylowski, Southern Illinois -- Pucylowski punted a season-high six times for an average of 43.0 yards per punt. He also pinned two of his punts inside the 20-yardline.
- P Chris Sullens, Missouri State -- Sullens averaged 45.4 yards per punt on five attempts at North Dakota State, the third-best single-game average of his career. He had two punts over 50 yards.
- P Jordon Stangler, Indiana State -- Averaged 41.0 yards per punt on seven attempts at South Dakota. Long of 53.
