This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include QB Austin Simmons of South Dakota; DL Inoke Moala of Indiana State; PK Griffin Crosa of North Dakota State; and CB Tre' Strong of Southern Illinois.

Offensive Player of the Week
QB Austin Simmons, South Dakota
6-1, 215, Sr., Council Bluffs, Iowa (Lewis Central HS)
Simmons set USD single-game records for yards, attempts and completions in Saturday’s game against Houston Baptist inside the DakotaDome. He completed 48 of 65 passes for 537 yards and a career-high tying four touchdowns. Three of his four throwing strikes were more than 20 yards.



Defensive Player of the Week
DL Inoke Moala, Indiana State
6-4, 260, R-Jr., Mishawaka, Ind. (Penn HS)
Inoke Moala dominated the line of scrimmage in a victory over Eastern Kentucky Saturday. A redshirt junior, Moala recorded eight tackles in the game, including two sacks for 11 yards. Moala forced two fumbles on the Colonels’ final drive to force a turnover on downs, allowing ISU to run out the clock. 



Special Teams of the Week
K Griffin Crosa, North Dakota State
6-1, 165, Fr., Powell, Ohio (Dublin Scioto HS)
Crosa remained perfect on the season converting five PAT kicks and a pair of field goals in North Dakota State’s 47-22 win at Delaware. Crosa connected from a season-long 46 yards to give the Bison a 10-2 lead in the first quarter, and drilled a 23-yarder in the second quarter to extend NDSU’s lead to 20-5. Crosa is 17 of 17 on PATs and 3 of 3 on field goals this year.



Newcomer of the Week
CB Tre' Strong, Southern Illinois
6-1, 195, Sr., Billings, Mont. (Skyview High / Utah)
Strong forced two fumbles and had two pass breakups as SIU rallied to beat UT Martin, 28-14. He also added five tackles, including a tackle for loss. After allowing touchdowns on UT Martin’s first two drives, the Saluki defense stopped the Skyhawks on their final eight drives.
 


OTHERS NOMINATED

Offense
RB James Robinson, Illinois State
Robinson was all the offense the Redbirds would need in their 21-3 defeat of Eastern Illinois in the 108th Mid-America Classic. The Rockford, Illinois, native scored all three of ISU’s touchdowns in the victory, as the Redbirds extended their winning streak over EIU to three in a row. Robinson finished the day with 146 yards on 23 carries (6.3 per carry) and found the end zone three times for the second week in a row. He scored the game’s first touchdown in the first quarter from six yards out, added another from seven yards out in the second quarter and then capped off his day with an impressive 52-yard run in the third quarter to put the game away. After a tough start to the season at NIU, Robinson has tallied six touchdowns and 324 yards in the past two games for the Redbirds on way to a pair of victories.

QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
Lance went 18 of 23 passing for 195 yards and three touchdowns in North Dakota State’s 47-22 win at Delaware. Lance completed passes to 10 different receivers and also rushed six times for 23 yards. Through his first three collegiate starts, he has completed 39 of 49 passes (79.6%) with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions.

WR Dennis Houston, Western Illinois
Houston's 65-yard touchdown reception against No. 10/15 Montana State tied for Western’s longest play of the season. He became the first Leatherneck receiver to post 100-plus yards this year (141) and did so on five catches. 
 
WR Cade Johnson, South Dakota State
Johnson totaled 156 yards from scrimmage – 80 receiving and 76 rushing – and two touchdowns on only six touches in the third-ranked Jackrabbits’ 38-10 home victory over Drake on Sept. 14. Johnson’s 76 rushing yards came on an end around in the third quarter and set up his 5-yard touchdown reception. Later in the same quarter he hauled in a 36-yard touchdown pass as part of a five-reception performance.

QB Mark Waid, Youngstown State
Waid had a successful collegiate debut scoring two touchdowns in the Penguins' 34-14 win over Duquesne. Waid, who did not play in the first two games, came on during YSU's first drive of the game, and capped it off with a six-yard touchdown run. He added a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

RB Peterson Kerlegrand, Indiana State
Peterson Kerlegrand rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown against Eastern Kentucky Saturday. It marked the second consecutive week that the junior has recorded over 100 yards rushing. A Fort Wayne, Indiana native, Kerlegrand rushed the ball 23 times for a 5.7 yards per carry average. His nine-yard rushing touchdown in the final minutes iced the game for the Sycamores. 

RB D.J. Davis, Southern Illinois
Davis carried 23 times for 101 yards and a touchdown as SIU beat UT Martin, 28-14. Davis also had two catches for nine yards, and returned two kickoffs, giving him a total of 155 all-purpose yards. He moved into 3rd place all-time in career all purpose yards at Southern with 4,596, passing former national player-of-the-year Cornell Craig. It was the 8th 100-yard rushing game for Davis in his last 14 games. His 26-yard TD run in the third quarter was the go-ahead score for the Salukis, who overcame a 14-point deficit with 28 unanswered points.


Defense
SS Michael Tutsie, North Dakota State
Tutsie totaled a career-high 11 tackles including one tackle for loss in North Dakota State’s 47-22 win at Delaware. He also made his third interception in two games, the first passing attempt of the day on Delaware’s opening drive, and returned it 14 yards to set up an NDSU touchdown after the Bison had fallen behind 2-0 on a blocked punt for safety.

S Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois
Chinn made a touchdown-saving interception in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter as SIU beat UT Martin, 28-14. It was the 11th interception in Chinn’s career, his second of the season, and he is now 7th all-time in interceptions at Southern. Chinn also had four solo tackles in the game. After allowing touchdowns on UT Martin’s first two drives, the Saluki defense stopped the Skyhawks on their final eight drives. 

DE Romeo McKnight, Illinois State
Junior defensive end Romeo McKnight was a disruptive force all day for the Redbirds in their win over Eastern Illinois in the Mid-America Classic. The Crystal Lake, Illinois, native finished the day with five tackles, 2.5 sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss in the third-straight win for the Redbirds over the Panthers. McKnight was in the backfield all afternoon and was a huge force in a disruptive day for the Redbird defense, which allowed just 197 yards of total offense to EIU.

DB Marquis Smith, Western Illinois
Smith shined in the backfield for three pass breakups – one of which spoiled a last-second touchdown as the teams entered halftime. He finished the game with six tackles and a forced fumble and recovery. 

FS Phillip Powell, South Dakota 
Powell intercepted two passes in the first half against Houston Baptist Saturday inside the DakotaDome. The second interception resulted in a USD touchdown and an early 17-7 lead. Powell totaled seven tackles in all and was credited with one pass breakup.

CB Bryce Gibson, Youngstown State
Gibson recorded his first career interception and had two solo tackles in the Penguins win over Duquesne. Gibson, who has started every game in his YSU career, intercepted a pass in the second quarter at the Duquesne 31-yard line. One play following the pick, YSU went ahead 21-0 on a 31-yard touchdown pass.

LB Logan Backhaus, South Dakota State
Backhaus recorded six tackles, intercepted a pass and broke up another pass to help lead the Jackrabbits defensively in a 38-10 home victory over Drake on Sept. 14. He currently leads the team with three pass breakups and ranks third on the squad with 17 tackles through three games.


Special Teams
K Jerry Nunez, Indiana State
Jerry Nunez accounted for eight of ISU’s 19 points in a win over Eastern Kentucky Saturday, connecting on two field goals (42, 31 yards) and a pair of extra points. With the two field goals, the Naples, Florida native has tied the Indiana State program record for career field goals set by Kyle Hooper in 2006. Nunez sits just two points from tying the program mark for career scoring. 


Newcomer
RB Kobe Johnson, North Dakota State
Johnson rushed 11 times for a season-high 101 yards and his first collegiate touchdown in North Dakota State’s 47-22 win at Delaware. He is just the second player in NDSU’s Division I history to have a 100-yard rushing performance as a true freshman, joining current teammate Seth Wilson. Johnson has played in all three games and is NDSU’s second leading rusher averaging 64.7 yards per game and 9.2 yards per carry.

QB Mark Waid, Youngstown State
Waid had a successful collegiate debut scoring two touchdowns in the Penguins' 34-14 win over Duquesne. Waid, who did not play in the first two games, came on during YSU's first drive of the game, and capped it off with a six-yard touchdown run. He added a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.