This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include WR Spencer Schnell of Illinois State; DE Rickey Neal of UNI; PK Sean Slattery of Illinois State; WR/KR Cade Johnson of South Dakota State; and C Dean Helt of Illinois State.

Offense
WR Spencer Schnell, Illinois State
5-9, 185, Jr., Elkhart (Ind.) Ohio
Schnell had a career day in Illinois State’s big Homecoming win over No. 4 South Dakota. The Elkhart, Indiana, native set a career-high with 191 yards receiving on just seven receptions and scored the game’s first two touchdowns. Schnell started things off with a 64-yard touchdown pass on a slant from Jake Kolbe and then followed it with a 5-yard score later in the first quarter. He also added a career-long 71-yard reception that led to a field goal in the third quarter and recorded a circus catch along the sideline in which he dragged his left toe for a first down.

Defense
DE Rickey Neal, UNI
6-1, 241, Jr., Racine (Wis.) Horlick High
Neal earned a career-high 3.5 sacks for UNI as the Panthers sacked Youngstown State a total of 10 times on Saturday. The 10 sacks were one shy of UNI’s single-game record, while the number is tied for the most in the FCS this season since Eastern Washington recorded 10 quarterback takedowns against Fordham on Sept. 16. Neal finished the night with six total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one hurry to go along with his 3.5 sacks. The junior leads the team with 6.5 sacks this season. 

Special Teams
PK Sean Slattery, Illinois State
6-0, 230, Sr., Rockford (Ill.) Boylan Central Catholic
Slattery booted a trio of field goals in a big 37-21 win over No. 4 South Dakota.  For the third time this season, the Rockford, Illinois, native made three field goals and finished the game with 13 total points for the Redbirds in the win over the Coyotes.  Slattery connected from 47 yards just before halftime to give ISU a three-point lead at the break and then added a 33-yarder in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to six points at 27-21. He later iced the game with his second make from 40-plus, a 45-yarder that capped the scoring at 37-21.  Slattery is now 13-for-15 on field goal attempts this season and he is a perfect 6-for-6 from 40 yards or more.

Newcomer 
WR/KR Cade Johnson, South Dakota State
5-10, 175, R-Fr., Papillion (Neb.) Bellevue High
Johnson made the most of his limited opportunities, racking up 136 all-purpose yards on only three touches in South Dakota State’s 62-30 victory Oct. 21 at Missouri State. He returned the opening kickoff 61 yards to set up a touchdown, then tallied catches of 68 and 7 yards, the latter of which resulted in his first career receiving touchdown late in the first half.

Offensive Lineman
C Dean Helt, Illinois State
6-5, 300, Sr., Dane (Wis.) Waunakee High
 Helt was instrumental in Illinois State rushing for a season-high 331 yards in a 37-21 win over #4 South Dakota.  He graded out at 88 percent and was credited with five knockdowns while not allowing a sack. The Redbirds tallied   a season-best 567 yards of total offense.

OTHERS NOMINATED
Offense
TE Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State -- Goedert established game highs of eight receptions and 170 receiving yards, including a 42-yard touchdown, in South Dakota State’s 62-30 victory Oct. 21 at Missouri State. Goedert topped the century mark in receiving for the second game in a row and third time this season, and his yardage total was the second highest of his career as also recorded catches covering 23, 30 and 32 yards in the contest. The Jackrabbits’ 62 points were the most against a Missouri Valley Football Conference opponent since joining the league in 2008.

QB Chris Streveler, South Dakota -- Streveler passed for a career-high 440 yards and two touchdowns against Illinois State in Normal Saturday. He set USD records for completions (39) and attempts (63), and passed for the most yards by a Coyote quarterback since 2005. Streveler also ran eight times for 29 yards.

RB Marcus Weymiller, UNI -- Weymiller led the Panthers to an upset of No. 9 Youngstown State on Saturday, after pouring in 133 yards rushing on 29 attempts. Weymiller scored both of UNI’s touchdowns, with both coming in the second quarter. Weymiller became the first Panther to rush over 100 yards in back-to-back weeks since 2015 when Aaron Bailey achieved the feat against Missouri State (Nov. 14) and Southern Illinois (Nov. 21). 

WR Bob Pugh, Indiana State -- Pugh caught four passes for 92 yards in the Sycamores loss to Southern Illinois Saturday. He opened the game with a 61-yard touchdown catch to put the Sycamores ahead, 7-0. It marked the second touchdown catch of 60 or more yards for the senior this season. Pugh also had 59 yard on returns for the Sycamores

WR Jaelon Acklin, Western Illinois -- Acklin made six catches for 115 yards against North Dakota State. That marked his fourth 100-yard receiving game this season, tying for fifth place on Western Illinois' single-season 'Top 10' list and just one such game shy of the record. Acklin also reached 943 receiving yards on the year, the 10th-most in a single season in school history.

QB Peyton Huslig, Missouri State -- Huslig turned in perhaps his best all-around performance as a Bear against South Dakota State, totaling 312 yards of total offense, including a career-high 123 rushing yards. Huslig completed 17-of-24 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown, but did the most damage with his feet, leading all rushers with his first 100-yard ground effort. The first-year transfer led a 27-point first-half outburst for the Bears, completing 11-of-14 passes for 130 yards, and has posted career-best rushing totals in four of MSU’s last five outings.

WR Darrell James, Southern Illinois -- James caught seven passes for a career-high 154 yards in Southern Illinois 45-24 win at Indiana State on Saturday. James caught one touchdown pass, and his 61-yard reception in the second half set up a second touchdown. James averaged 22 yards per catch.


Defense
Ryan Neal, Southern Illinois -- Neal had two interceptions in SIU’s 45-24 win at Indiana State on Saturday. Neal’s two-interception game marked the first time at SIU since 2011 that a player had picked off two passes in the same game. Neal led an SIU defense which forced four turnovers and held the Sycamores to 0-for-10 on third down. Southern’s defense allowed just 122 yards over the final 53 minutes of the game. 

LB McNeece Egbim, Missouri State -- Paced the Bears’ defense with 10 tackles. The Rowlett, Texas product made five solo stops and registered 2.5 tackles for losses, including the Bears’ lone sack of the afternoon. Egbim’s 10 takedowns represented an MVFC season high and the second-best single-game total for the sophomore linebacker in a Valley game, trailing only his 13-tackle effort against Western Illinois last fall.

LB Brett Taylor, Western Illinois -- Recorded a game-high 17 tackles, one for a loss, against North Dakota State. That moved his streak to 12 games in a row in which he has at least tied for the team-high in stops, including all seven contests this season. On a 4th-and-inches stop in the first half, Taylor registered his 400th career tackle, becoming the fourth Leatherneck to ever reach that mark. 

CB Anthony Tucker, Indiana State -- Accounted for two of the three Sycamore interceptions on the day, eight tackles and three pass breakups. Tucker’s first interception came in the opening quarter when he picked off Sam Straub as time expired returning it nine yards. Tucker came away with his second pick as the Salukis threw deep to the end zone in the second quarter. 

DT Dalton Keene, South Dakota -- Keene was a thorn in the paw of the Coyote offense Saturday in a big win for the Redbirds over No. 4 USD.  The Jacksonville, Illinois, native recorded seven tackles and added a career-best two sacks in the victory for the Redbirds over against the previously un-beaten Coyotes. Keene wasl also credited with three quarterback hurries on the day.

LB Christian Rozeboom, South Dakota State -- Registered a game-high 18 tackles (8 solo), including a tackle for loss, in South Dakota State’s 62-30 victory Oct. 21 at Missouri State. His 18 tackles were two shy of his career high set in 2016 at Southern Illinois and marked the 10th time in his career he recorded double figures for tackles in a game. Rozeboom led a Jackrabbit defensive effort that limited Missouri State to a field goal in the second half.


Newcomer
QB Peyton Huslig, Missouri State -- Also nominated at Offense

LB Jabril Cox, North Dakota State -- Cox made four tackles in his first career start at linebacker, helping an NDSU defense that limited Western Illinois to 31 yards rushing, 216 total yards and zero offensive touchdowns. Cox had one of NDSU’s five sacks and has three sacks in his last two games.  He has 20 total tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss in seven games this year.

WR Raphael Leonard, Southern Illinois -- Leonard established an SIU career high with 104 yards in Southern’s 45-24 win at Indiana State on Saturday. Leonard caught nine passes—a game high and also Leonard’s career high, in the win. Six of his nine receptions resulted in a first down. 

S Phillip Powell, South Dakota -- Powell notched his team-leading third interception of the season in the game against Illinois State Saturday. He also had four tackles (two solo).

CB Anthony Tucker, Indiana State -- Also nominated at Defense


Special Teams
P Thomas Bouldin, Indiana State -- Bouldin etched his name into the Indiana State and Missouri Valley Conference record book Saturday against the Salukis. Bouldin uncorked a 90-yard punt late in the first half to break the previous school record of 80-yards set by Jim Shaughnessy in 1969. The punt also topped an 89-yard punt by Mike Scifres of Western Illinois in a game against Missouri State back in 2000 for the new Valley Football standard. His punt fell just three yards short of the NCAA record and is the longest punt in all of college football this season. The punt was also the fifth longest in FCS history. Bouldin finished the game with eight punts for an average of 50.5 yards, including four of over 50 yards. 

K Nathan Erickson, Western Illinois -- Erickson attempted his first career field goal and nailed the 52-yard attempt. That marked the first time Western recorded a 50-plus yarder since Taylor Rowan connected from 54 yards in the FargoDome during the Leathernecks' 27-22 victory in 2008. Erickon also had four touchbacks on four kickoffs during the game.

RS Deion Holliman, Missouri State -- Holliman added another record to his already-impressive resume Saturday against South Dakota State, bringing back a Jackrabbit punt 63 yards for his fifth career TD return as a Bear. Holliman racked up 150 all-purpose yards for the third time in MSU’s last four outings and his stop-and-go return of a Brady Hale punt late in the first quarter pulled the Bears to within three points of No. 13 SDSU and marked the third—and longest—of his MSU career. It also produced his school-record-tying fifth overall kick return for a TD, matching Cornelius Perry's 52-year-old Bears career record of five punt/kickoff returns for touchdowns.

P Lane Reazin, Southern Illinois -- Reazin averaged 46.0 yards on four punts in SIU’s 45-24 win at Indiana State on Saturday. Reazin pinned one ball inside the 20 and had one punt of 50+ yards in the win. Reazin continues to lead the MVFC and ranks fifth nationally in punting average at 45.3 yards per punt. 

Offensive Line
LT DeVondre Seymour, Southern Illinois -- Seymour led a dominant SIU offense in Saturday’s 45-24 win at Indiana State. The Salukis did not allow a sack while passing for 352 yards and three touchdowns. The Salukis also rushed for 207 yards on 50 carries, allowing Southern to control a 38:38 - 21:22 time of possession advantage. 

C Lee Carhart, UNI -- Carhart led a banged-up Panther offensive line to another 100-yard rushing performance as UNI upset No. 9 Youngstown State. The Panthers gained 181 yards rushing against the Penguins, while adding 151 through the air. The UNI O-line kept quarterback Eli Dunne upright as the Panthers did not allow a sack against the Penguins.