This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include RB D.J. Davis of Southern Illinois; DB Devin Taylor of Illinois State; P Brendan Withrow of Missouri State; QB Keaton Heide, South Dakota State; and RB Javon Williams Jr. of Southern Illinois.

Offensive Player of the Week
RB D.J. Davis, Southern Illinois
5-8, 170, Sr., Pompano Beach, Fla. (American Heritage)
Davis rushed for a career-high 208 yards on 31 carries in SIU’s 45-21 win over Western Illinois. He scored two touchdowns, averaged 6.7 yards per carry and had a long of 53. It marked the second time in his career that Davis has topped 200 rushing yards. He also had 201 yards against South Dakota State in 2018. Davis is one of only two Saluki players to rush for 200 yards in a game in the last 10 years, and he's only the second MVFC running back this year to eclipse 200 yards in a game. Southern piled up a season-high 388 rushing yards versus Western. 



Defensive Player of the Week
DB Devin Taylor, Illinois State
6-1, 200, Jr., Lansing, Michigan (Sexton HS)
Taylor locked down Missouri State wide receivers all afternoon, as the No. 7 Redbirds held off the Bears for a 17-12 victory at Hancock Stadium. The Lansing, Mich., native recorded his team-leading third interception of the season and finished the game with a career-high five pass breakups in the victory over the Bears. Taylor also had three solo tackles in the contest and his final breakup on third-and-goal at the 3-yard line with under a minute remaining in the game set up the fourth-down turnover on downs that sealed the victory.  Taylor now leads the team with 16 PBUs on the season and 19 total passes defended, which is tops among all Valley Football defensive backs and sixth in the nation.  The six defended passes against Missouri State are an NCAA single-game best this year.



Special Teams Player of the Week
P Brendan Withrow, Missouri State
6-0, 204, Sr., Imperial, Mo. (St. Pius X High)
  Missouri State's senior punter averaged 49.2 yards per attempt to help the Bears control the field position battle at No. 7 Illinois State. He booted a game-long 62-yarder in the second half and accounted for two 50+ yarders on the day to push his season total to 18 punts of 50 yards or more.  He's one of just three punters in the FCS to eclipse 3,000 punt yards this season, and he ranks 12th in the nation in punting average at 43.1 yards per kick. 



Co-Newcomer of the Week
RB Javon Williams Jr., Southern Illinois
6-1, 239, R-Fr., Centralia, Ill. (Centralia)
rushed for a career-high 149 yards, completed both of his passes for 48 more yards and had one reception for six yards. He did it on just 19 carries for a 7.8 average with a long of 35. Williams scored three rushing TDs on rushes of 1, 8 and 2 yards. That gives him 18 touchdowns on the season — the most by a Division I freshman and seventh-best among all FCS players. 



Co-Newcomer of the Week
QB Keaton Heide, South Dakota State
6-3, 195, Fr., (Wayzata, Minn./Wayzata H.S.)
Heide completed 15-of-16 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns in the Jackrabbits’ 38-7 home victory over No. 4/5 Northern Iowa on Nov. 16. A true freshman, Heide completed each of his first 14 pass attempts to set an SDSU single-game record, including touchdown passes of 10 yards to Jaxon Janke and 20 yards to Cade Johnson in the second half.  Heide also recorded a 65-yard pass to Johnson in the second quarter that set up SDSU’s first touchdown.  The 14-striaght completions are the most by an MVFC QB since 2013.


OTHERS NOMINATED

Offense
QB Keaton Heide, South Dakota State -- earned Newcomer of the Week honors

RB Michael Haupert, Indiana State
Redshirt freshman Michael Haupert rushed for a team high 95 yards and a touchdown in Indiana State’s 24-17 win over Youngstown State Saturday. Haupert put the Sycamores 17-3 just before halftime with a 13-yard rushing touchdown. He setup a touchdown in the third quarter after breaking away for 50 yards. The Snider High School product averaged 13.6 yards per attempts on the game to lead ISU.  

RB Ty Brooks, North Dakota State
Brooks averaged 11.6 yards per carry and rushed for two touchdowns in North Dakota State’s 49-14 victory over South Dakota. He notched his third 100-yard game of the season and seventh of his career with 11 carries for 128 yards. Five of his 11 touches went for more than 10 yards including a long of 48. Brooks is NDSU’s career leader averaging 7.93 yards per carry.


Defense
S Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois 
Chinn had 15 tackles (9 solo, 6 assisted) in SIU’s 45-21 win over Western Illinois, including 1.5 tackles for loss. He spearheaded an effort that held the Leathernecks to 315 total yards, forced five turnovers and limited WIU to 19 minutes of possession time and 31 percent conversion rate on third down.

LB Angelo Garbutt, Missouri State
Garbutt helped pace a relentless Missouri State defensive effort Saturday at No. 7 Illinois State as the Bears forced four turnovers and held the Redbirds to 238 total yards and 15 touchdowns. Garbutt accounted for seven total tackles for Missouri State and contributed to two of the takeaways with an interception and forced fumble. He also posted two of the Bears' three tackles for loss on the day and matched a game high with six solo stops.

SS James Kaczor, North Dakota State
After missing two games due to injury, Kaczor returned to the lineup as a starting linebacker with two other starters out at that position in North Dakota State’s 49-14 victory over South Dakota. Kaczor made a team-high nine tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry as the Bison held USD to a season-low 245 yards of total offense. He is NDSU’s fourth leading tackler this season with 45 total tackles.

CB Don Gardner, South Dakota State
Gardner returned a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown and recorded two tackles, including a tackle for loss, to help lead a Jackrabbit defense that limited Northern Iowa to 85 passing yards in a 38-7 home victory on Nov. 16. Gardner’s fumble return for touchdown was the first by a Jackrabbit player since 2012 and ignited a 21-point outburst in the fourth quarter.  Overall, the SDSU defense limited UNI to 239 yards of total offense.

LB Clayton Glasco, Indiana State
Senior Clayton Glasco was dominant from his linebacker position during a win over Youngstown State. A Pickerington, Ohio, native, Glasco recorded a team high eight tackles, including two tackles-for-loss for 14 yards. Glasco was credited a sack for 11 yards in the third quarter to force a punt as well as a quarterback hurry. 


Special Teams
K Jerry Nunez, Indiana State
Senior Jerry Nunez accounted for six of the Sycamores points in a 24-17 win over Youngstown State, connecting on a field goal and a trio of extra-point attempts. The Naples, Florida native put the Sycamores in front early with a 41 yard field goal on the opening drive of the game. 

P Brady Schutt, South Dakota
Schutt netted 40 yards on seven punts and forced the Bison to begin four times from inside their own 20. Schutt’s long was 51 and he forced the Bison to start drives from their own 16, 10, 10 and 2-yard lines.


Newcomer
RB Nick Sims, Indiana State
Redshirt sophomore Nick Sims provided a spark for the Sycamores Saturday against Youngstown State. The Mobile, Alabama native rushed for 63 yards on just five carries for a 12.6 yards per rush average. A Toledo transfer, Sims broke off a 33-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter to put the Sycamores ahead 10-0 over the Penguins. 

FB Hunter Luepke, North Dakota State
Luepke scored his first two career touchdowns on three touches in North Dakota State’s 49-14 home win over South Dakota. He had two carries for 28 yards including a 7-yard TD on the opening drive of the second half, and he also caught a 3-yard TD pass. Playing a traditional blocking position, he helped eight NDSU ball carriers combine for 419 rushing yards and 8.1 yards per carry.