This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include QB Easton Stick of North Dakota State, DB Devin Taylor of Illinois State, P JT Bohlken of Illinois State and WR Deion McShane of UNI.

Offensive Player of the Week
QB Easton Stick, North Dakota State
6-2, 221, Sr., Omaha, Neb. (Creighton Prep HS)
Stick accounted for 321 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in North Dakota State’s 38-10 homecoming win over Delaware. He went 17 of 26 passing for 280 yards and rushed five times for 41 yards and two TDs. The Bison put up 527 yards of offense against a Delaware team that came in ranked ninth nationally in total defense. Stick has been responsible for 91 career TDs at NDSU, and passed College Football Hall of Fame QB Jeff Bentrim for second place on that list.



Defensive Player of the Week
DB Devin Taylor, Illinois State
6-1, 200, So., Lansing, Michigan (Sexton HS)
Sophomore defensive back Devin Taylor and the Redbird secondary handled one of the most explosive passing offenses in the FBS, as the Redbirds came away with a 35-19 win over Colorado State Saturday. The Lansing, Michigan, native finished the day with eight tackles, six of which were solo stops, two pass break ups and the second interception of his career. Taylor intercepted a pass deep in ISU territory as CSU quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels was attempting to find his receiver in the end zone to take points off the board. The interception was one of two for the Redbird secondary on the day, which held the Rams to just 257 yards in the air.



Special Teams Player of the Week 
P JT Bohlken, Illinois State
6-0, 210, So., Jefferson City, Missouri (Jefferson City HS)
Sophomore punter JT Bohlken kept the Rams at bay in a hard-fought 35-19 win for the Redbirds Saturday. The Jefferson City, Missouri, native averaged 51.4 yards per punt on 7 attempts, with a long of 60 yards on the day. On three different occasions, Bohlken pinned the Rams inside their own 20 yard line and had three touchbacks to flip the field in favor of the Redbirds in the victory.



Newcomer of the Week
WR Deion McShane, UNI
5-9, 155, Fr., Freeport, Illinois (Freeport HS)
McShane had a breakout game from the slot receiver position. He had seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown. His long was a 36-yard reception in the first half. His 12-yard touchdown reception was a highlight-reel grab that he made between two defenders. The touchdown with 4:10 left in the third quarter, put UNI up 41-0 and was the last reception of the day for the Freshman. Deion’s brother Steve won MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week last week. 


OTHERS NOMINATED:

Offense
RB James Robinson, Illinois State -- Led an impressive running attack for Illinois State in its 35-19 road win over FBS foe Colorado State.  The Rockford, Illinois, native took the Rams head on, gaining 184 yards on 22 carries with a pair of touchdowns in the victory for the Redbirds. Robinson averaged 8.4 yards per carry against CSU, as ISU racked up 267 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. His long touchdown run of 57 yards late in the fourth quarter sealed the deal for the Redbirds.

QB Eli Dunne, UNI -- Dunne was efficient on the day. He was 16-23 for 191 yards and three touchdowns he also had one rushing attempt for three yards. Dunne led the Panthers to a 44-0 win over Hampton (Va.). He threw completions to six different receivers and touchdowns to three separate pass-catchers. He had touchdown passes of 12 yards, 19 yards, 12 yards. 
 

Defense
LB Chris Kolarevic, UNI -- Had a team-high six tackles, 1.5 Tackles for loss, and interception and a pass break up to lead UNI to its first shutout since the 2015 season. The Panther defense held the Pirates to just 61 passing yards and 204 total yards. The Panthers had five turnovers for the first time since 2015. 

LB Jabril Cox, North Dakota State -- His 36-yard interception return for a touchdown on North Dakota State’s first defensive play lifted the Bison to a 14-0 lead over Delaware less than five minutes into the game. Cox finished with five solo tackles, one tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry as NDSU rolled to a 38-10 win and limited Delaware to 152 yards of total offense. Cox became the first NDSU player since 1967 with pick-sixes in consecutive games.


Special Teams
K Cam Pedersen, North Dakota State -- Converted 5 of 5 PAT kicks and took sole ownership of North Dakota State’s career PAT records with 196 makes and 202 attempts. He also tacked on a 34-yard field goal in NDSU’s 38-10 win over Delaware. Pedersen moved into fifth place on NDSU’s all-time scoring list with 313 career points, passing former Bison kicker Shawn Bibeau (2006-09).

PK Austin Errthum, UNI -- Was 3-3 in field goals with hits from 33, 34 and 43. He was 5-5 in PATs. On kickoffs, he notched four touchbacks in nine kickoffs where he averaged 61 yards per kickoff. 
 

Newcomer
DE Romeo McKnight, Illinois State -- McKnight was a thorn in the side of the Colorado State offense all day in a big 35-19 win for the Redbirds. The Iowa transfer recorded six tackles, two sacks, two TFLs and was credited with a quarterback hurry in the victory for ISU. His two sacks were the only ones for the Redbirds, who held a 538-391 advantage in total offense thanks to a stout effort up front by the Redbird defense.