This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include QB Trey Lance of North Dakota State, DL Kaleb Brewer of Indiana State, and PK Matthew Cook of UNI.
Offensive & Newcomer of the Week
QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
6-3, 221, RFr., Marshall, Minn. (Marshall HS)
Lance became the first NDSU freshman quarterback to start a season opener and accounted for 301 yards and six touchdowns in the 57-10 win over Butler. Lance had five carries for 116 yards with touchdown runs of 33 and 61 yards, and went 10 of 11 passing for 185 yards and four TDs in three quarters of action. The Bison rolled up 388 yards rushing and 605 yards of total offense.
Defensive Player of the Week
DL Kaleb Brewer, Indiana State
6-5, 260, R-Jr., Bloomington, Ind. (Bloomington North HS)
The Indiana State defense forced three turnovers during its season opener at FBS Kansas Saturday. Redshirt junior Kaleb Brewer forced what might have been the most important turnover late in the fourth quarter on a strip sack in the endzone. Teammate Inoke Moala was able to fall on for a touchdown to put the Sycamores ahead 17-16 with under three minutes to play. In all, Brewer finished his day with five solo tackles, including three tackles-for-loss for 15 yards, a sack for seven yards and a forced fumble.
Special Teams Player of the Week
PK Matthew Cook, UNI
5-11, 175, Fr., Cedar Falls, Iowa (Cedar Falls HS)
In the first game of his career, Matthew Cook hit four field goals, including the first 50-yard field goal for UNI since the 2015 season. He hit from 50, 31, 49, 28. His last two field goals came in overtimes of the 3OT loss.
Others Nominated:
OFFENSE
QB Nathan Mays, Youngstown State
Mays threw for 124 yards and rushed for 90 in the Penguins' season-opening victory against Samford. Mays completed 10-of-18 passes for two first-half touchdowns against the Bulldogs. For the game, he had 13 rushing attempts and averaged 6.9 yards per game.
QB Will McElvain, UNI
Wil McElvain was impressive in his first start as a freshman, going 25-42 for 228 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over. He helped lead UNI to three overtimes in a tough loss to No. 21 Iowa State in the season opener. He completed his first four passes. His touchdown came in the second overtime when he scrambled and avoided defenders before finding Trevor Allen open in the end zone to force a third overtime.
WR Dante Jones II, Indiana State
Redshirt senior Dante Jones II caught four passes for a team high 79 yards in Saturday’s loss to FBS Kansas. The West Chester, Ohio native was on the receiving end of a 26-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-12 in the fourth quarter to pull ISU within one touchdown of the Jayhawks. Jones II also had a 42-yard reception in the third quarter
WR Kody Case, South Dakota
Case tied a program record with 11 receptions and totaled a career-high 144 yards with two touchdowns in South Dakota’s season opener against No. 25 Montana. It marked Case’s second 100-yard game of his career.
QB Peyton Huslig, Missouri State
Huslig moved into fourth place on Missouri State's career passing list after throwing for 289 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Bears' season opener at Big Sky foe Northern Arizona. Huslig's ninth career 200-yard passing game saw him complete 20-of-35 passes to eight different receivers in his 23rd start. He now has 4,383 career passing yards which ranks behind Cody Kirby (8,183), Jeremy Hoog (6,959) and Mitch Ware (4,882) on MSU's all-time chart.
RB D.J. Davis, Southern Illinois
Davis rushed of 125 yards on 22 carries (5.7 avg) and scored two touchdowns at SEMO. It was the seventh 100-yard rushing game for Davis in his last 12 games, and he moved into 14th place in career rushing yards at SIU with 1,796.
DEFENSE
LB Jack Cochrane, South Dakota
Cochrane led USD with nine tackles (five solo) and came away with his first career interception in the Coyotes’ season opener against No. 25 Montana. Cochrane picked off Montana quarterback Dalton Sneed in the end zone to stop a fourth-quarter drive.
DB Xavior Williams, UNI
Xavior Williams returned a fumble 53 yards for a touchdown, the longest return in UNI history, to score UNI’s lone touchdown in regulation. He also recorded three pass breakups, including one on fourth down and one in the end zone to help UNI play to three overtimes in a tough loss against No. 21 Iowa State.
DE Justus Reed, Youngstown State
In his first game since November 2017, Reed registered 2.5 sacks in the Penguins' 45-22 win over Samford. Reed, who was also making his first career start, was credited with five total tackles, four of which were solo stops.
LB Jackson Hankey, North Dakota State
Hankey made a team-high eight tackles in his first collegiate start at middle linebacker to lead North Dakota State to a 57-10 win over Butler. NDSU’s defense held Butler to 3 of 14 on third down, 198 yards of total offense, and limited the Bulldogs’ offense to just a 29-yard field goal in the third quarter.
LB Angelo Garbutt, Missouri State
Garbutt notched a game-high 10 total tackles in MSU's season opener at Northern Arizona. He also tallied a game-high five solo stops in the effort that saw the Bears hold the Lumberjacks to just 88 rushing yards on 36 carries. The senior standout also racked up 3.5 tackles for loss for the Bears.
LB Christian Rozeboom, South Dakota State
Christian Rozeboom led the Jackrabbits with 11 tackles in the 28-21 loss at Minnesota.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K Griffin Crosa, North Dakota State
Crosa, the younger brother of former Western Illinois kicker Sam Crosa, converted 7 of 7 PAT kicks in his collegiate debut as North Dakota State defeated Butler 57-10 at Target Field in Minneapolis.
PK Colten McFadden, Youngstown State
In his YSU debut, McFadden made a field goal and converted six PAT kicks in the Penguins' season-opening win over Samford. McFadden booted a 43-yard field goal which gave the Penguins a 17-7 lead in the second quarter. He also handed kickoff duties and had two touchbacks on eight kickoffs.
P Brady Schutt, South Dakota
A career-long punt of 61 yards helped Schutt to a 49.2-yard average with two placed inside the 20 in South Dakota’s season opener against No. 25 Montana. The four punts had a net of 42.8 yards.
PK Parker Lacina, Missouri State
MSU's kicker posted 11 points on 3-of-4 field goals -- including a career-long 45-yarder -- and was 2-of-2 on extra points in the Bears' season opener at Northern Arizona. His three field goals matched the fourth-best single-game output in program history, and one shy of a school record.
NEWCOMER
LB Dakota Smith, South Dakota
Smith netted a drive-stopping sack in his first collegiate game Saturday. It was one of two tackles for Smith against No. 25 Montana. Smith dropped Griz quarterback Dalton Sneed for a 9-yard loss which forced a fourth-quarter punt.
QB Will McElvain, UNI
Wil McElvain was impressive in his first start as a freshman, going 25-42 for 228 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over. He helped lead UNI to three overtimes in a tough loss to No. 21 Iowa State in the season opener. He completed his first four passes. His touchdown came in the second overtime when he scrambled and avoided defenders before finding Trevor Allen open in the end zone to force a third overtime.
CB Zaire Jones, Youngstown State
In his YSU debut, Jones intercepted a pair of passes and had five total tackles in the Penguins' season-opening 45-22 victory over Samford. Both of Jones' interceptions came inside the red zone. The first came with YSU leading 17-7 and Samford facing a 2nd-and-8 from the YSU 29-yard line. He intercepted the ball at the 14-yard line. His next interception came later in the quarter when he intercepted a Liam Welch pass at the YSU 10-yard line.
RB DJ Frost, Missouri State
Frost came off the bench to snag a 24-yard touchdown reception from Peyton Huslig in his first collegiate game. He also posted 19 yards on six carries in the back field (3.2 yards per carry) to lead all MSU rushers.
J'Bore Gibbs, South Dakota State
Gibbs completed 13-of-26 passes for 193 yards in his collegiate debut as the Jackrabbits took Minnesota to the wire in a 28-21 loss on Thursday.