This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include QB Nic Baker of Southern Illinois; DE Inoke Moala of Indiana State; P Jack Colquhoun of Southern Illinois; and QB Demeatric Crenshaw of Youngstown State.
 
Offensive Player of the Week
QB Nic Baker, Southern Illinois
5-9, 194, So., Rochester (Ill.) High
Baker rallied SIU from a 20-point deficit to beat No. 2 South Dakota State on the road, 42-41, in overtime. He led a thrilling comeback by completing 28-of-45 passes for 359 yards, 4 TDs and 0 interceptions. Baker also rushed 12 times for 43 yards. He led a game-tying 70-yard TD drive late in the fourth quarter that included conversions on 4th-and-6 (ran for 8 yards) and 4th-and-11 (passed for 18 yards).  SIU’s fourth all-time leading receiver Landon Lenoir was his favorite target, catching a career-high 10 passes for 147 yards and two TDs. His one-handed catch in the front corner of the end zone of a 19-yard pass from Baker tied the game with 34 seconds remaining and sent it to overtime, where the Salukis prevailed.
 


Defensive Player of the Week
DE Inoke Moala, Indiana State
6-4, 255, R-Sr., Mishawaka (Ind.) Penn High
Moala erupted in the first half with 3.5 sacks against Western Illinois. The Mishawaka, Ind., native was consistently in the backfield throughout the contest and tied his career-high with 3.5 tackles for loss against the Leathernecks. Moala added six tackles, a forced fumble, and a quarterback hurry on his way to moving up the rankings in the MVFC individual statistical rankings.


 
Special Teams Player of the Week
P Jack Colquhoun, Southern Illinois
6-2, 190, Sr., Melbourne (Australia) Carey Baptist
Colquhoun continued his hot streak with five punts for a 49.2 yard average, including a long of 65. He pinned SDSU inside its 10 twice and inside its 20 three times, including a field-flipping 65-yard boot that was downed at the Jackrabbits 1.


 
QB Demeatric Crenshaw, Youngstown State
6-1, 220, RFr., Pickerington (Ohio) Pickerington Central
Crenshaw guided the Penguins to their first MVFC win of the year thanks to a three-touchdown performance against Missouri State. Crenshaw set a school record for rushing yards by at quarterback with 195 on 22 carries and a touchdown. He also had two passing touchdowns completing 10-of-19 passes for 99 yards. He had a 28-yard scoring toss to Samuel St. Surin in the first quarter then threw a perfect dime to Jorge Portorreal for an eight-yard score in the second quarter. His 73-yard run around the left side on third down with 40 seconds remaining helped seal the win for the Guins.
 

OTHER NOTABLE/OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES

QB Connor Sampson, Western Illinois -- Sampson continued his standout fall season with another career-best day on Saturday at Indiana State. The veteran quarterback went for 449 passing yards -- a personal career-best that sits third in the program's all-time single-game rankings. Additionally, his 36 completions are the second-most in a program game (36-59). He threw four touchdowns and had one interception.

RB Peterson Kerlegrand, Indiana State -- Kerlegrand turned in one of the best performances in his Indiana State career this past weekend as the senior running back recorded 178 yards on 17 carries and added two touchdowns in the Sycamores’ 37-27 win over Western Illinois. The Fort Wayne, Ind. native broke loose with a 59-yard touchdown run in the first half and added carries of 32 yards and 28 yards in the second half on the way to his top rushing performance in 2021.

WR Isaiah Weston, UNI -- Weston scored a touchdown for the 4th consecutive game on Saturday against #5 NDSU. Weston caught a team-high 5 catches for 181 total yards. The burner averaged 29 yards per catch in the Panther's 34-20 loss to the Bison.

QB Jason Shelley, Missouri State -- Shelley posted one of the best offensive performances in Missouri State history on Saturday, racking up the second-most yards of total offense (443) ever by a Bear and completing 27-of-48 passes for a career-high 372 yards and 4 touchdowns against Youngstown State. Shelley engineered four scoring drives in five MSU possessions in the fourth quarter to provide the theatrics in the nip-and-tuck Valley battle. His 48 pass attempts was the 3rd-most in school history, his passing yardage (372) was the sixth-highest, and his completions (27) tied for the 9th-most ever by a Bear. Meanwhile, his 4 TD passes was the 5th-most ever at MSU, just one shy of tying the school record, and he became just the second MSU quarterback (Jay Rodgers, 1999) to throw 200 yards or more in 5 straight games.

RB Travis Theis, South Dakota -- Carried 23 times for a career-high 138 yards in leading South Dakota to a 20-13 upset of No. 13 North Dakota Saturday. Converted all five third down handoffs he got. Ran six straight times for 44 yards to run the final 5:52 off the clock.

RB Pierre Strong, South Dakota State -- Strong accounted for three touchdowns -- two rushing and one passing -- and 213 total yards for South Dakota State in its top-10 matchup against Southern Illinois on Oct. 9. He carried 20 times for a season-high 162 yards with touchdown runs of 20 and a career-long 85 yards, and also threw a 19-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. In addition, Strong caught four passes for 51 yards. Strong topped the 100-yard mark for the fourth time this season and 14th time in his career.

WR Christian Watson, North Dakota State -- Watson had a season-high five receptions for a career-high 163 yards – all in the first half – as North Dakota State earned a 34-20 homecoming victory over Northern Iowa. Watson caught a career-long 85-yard touchdown pass from Quincy Patterson to open the scoring midway through the first quarter. He was responsible for five NDSU first downs and finished with a season-high 181 all-purpose yards.

WR Brock Boltmann, North Dakota -- Boltmann led the Fighting Hawks with 47 yards receiving on five catches. The senior hauled in his second touchdown of the season on a 14-yard pass from Tommy Schuster in the first quarter to trim the USD lead to 10-7. 

LB Noah Larson, North Dakota -- Larson led the Fighting Hawks with 12 total tackles, including six solo stops against South Dakota. The junior helped the UND secondary limit its opponent to under 200 passing yards once again. 

LB Cole Wisniewski, North Dakota State -- Filling in due to injury at linebacker for the third time in five games, Wisniewski recorded a season-high six tackles including five solo stops in North Dakota State’s 34-20 homecoming victory over Northern Iowa. Wisniewski had one sack and one quarterback hurry, and he made two solo tackles on punt coverage limiting returners to minus-1 and 6 yards. NDSU held UNI to 3 of 13 on third down.

LB Adam Bock, South Dakota State -- Bock registered a career-high 17 tackles, including a half-sack, and forced a fumble for South Dakota State in the Jackrabbits' top-10 matchup against Southern Illinois on Oct. 9. Bock's 17 tackles are tied for sixth-most in a game by an SDSU player since 2000.

CB Da’Raun McKinney, South Dakota -- Played for the first time since the season opener due to injury and had a team-high 11 tackles (10 solo) in helping South Dakota’s defense limit North Dakota to 258 yards in a 20-13 upset Saturday. Broke up a 3rd-and-5 pass in the third quarter to force a punt and a 3rd-and-goal pass with 6:02 left that forced a field goal.

LB Tylar Wiltz, Missouri State -- Wiltz posted a game-high and career-high 16 total tackles for the Bears at Youngstown State, racking up 6 solo stops and 10 assisted tackles. Wiltz also had a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss in the contest.

DB Jordan White, Youngstown State -- White had a team-best nine tackles and an interception in the Penguins 41-33 win over Missouri State. He was credited with seven solo stops and two assisted tackles in the win. 

PK Colt McFadden, Youngstown State -- McFadden continued his strong play with two field goals and three extra points in the 41-33 win over Missouri State. He booted a career-long 45-yard field goal in the second quarter to give the Guins a 9-0 lead. In the third quarter he had a 28-yard field goal. He also had three touchbacks on eight kickoffs as the Guins kept the talented MSU return game in check.

PK Matthew Cook, UNI -- Cook went 2 for 2 in the kicking game at #NDSU. The All-American made field goals from 33 yards and 44 yards. Cook averaged 44.4 yards per kick on kickoffs for 222 total yards. 

PK Mason Lorber, South Dakota -- Lorber tied a 31-year old program record with a 54-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that extended the Coyotes’ lead to 20-10 Saturday. Lorber was also good from 37 yards and has made eight consecutive field goals. He also had three touchbacks on five kickoffs and the two returns were stopped short of the 25-yard line.

P Travis Reiner, Indiana State -- Reiner set a new season-high with a 43.5 punt average this past weekend against Western Illinois. Reiner connected on a 53-yard punt in the game for his sixth punt of at least 50 yards, while he pinned two more punts inside the opponents 20-yard line. He is currently tied for second in the MVFC in punts downed inside the 20 this season with 11 and is fifth in the conference with 15 punts fair caught.

PK Brady Stevens, North Dakota -- Made his first start as the team’s primary place kicker on Saturday. Booted home both of his first attempts as a collegiate athlete, connecting on a 41-yard attempt in the third quarter and a 25-yard attempt in the fourth quarter. Both kicks trimmed the score down to one possession. He also launched three touchbacks on his four kickoff attempts and was 1-1 on PATs.

P Kaedin Steindorf, North Dakota State -- Steindorf averaged 45.0 yards on five punts in North Dakota State’s 34-20 homecoming win over Northern Iowa. Steindorf tied a career-long with a 50-yard punt, had one fair catch inside the 20, and helped limit UNI to four returns for 12 yards.

QB Quincy Patterson, North Dakota State -- Patterson accounted for four touchdowns in North Dakota State’s 34-20 homecoming win over Northern Iowa. He went 11-for-21 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns – an 85-yard pass to wide receiver Christian Watson and a 3-yard pass to tight end Noah Gindorff. Patterson led the Bison in rushing for the third time in five games picking up 60 yards on 12 carries including two 4-yard TD runs.

RB Donnavan Spencer, Southern Illinois -- Spencer carried 10 times for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns in SIU’s thrilling, 42-41 overtime win at No. 2 SDSU. All of his carries came in the second half, and he had a 63-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to pull the Salukis within 7, then scored the game-winning TD on a 10-yard run in overtime. Spencer also caught two passes for 14 yards.

QB Anthony Thompson, Indiana State -- Thompson has settled into the Sycamores offense as the redshirt senior quarterback is coming off one of his best performances in the 2021 season. The lefty quarterback was 15-of-21 for a season-high 226 yards and two touchdowns in the 37-27 win over the Leathernecks and has been a part of a passing offense with 13 different receivers hauling in passes on the year. Thompson completed two passes that spanned over 30 yards, including an 88-yard touchdown pass to Phazione McClurge, while adding a 39-yard strike to Zach Larkin. His three-yard touchdown pass to Larkin midway through the first quarter set the stage for the ISU offensive performance against WIU.