This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include RB Tobias Little of Missouri State; LB Spencer Cuvelier of UNI; PK Jake Reinholz of North Dakota State; and RB Nate Thomas of South Dakota.
Offensive Player of the Week
RB Tobias Little, Missouri State
6-0, 230, Sr., Atlanta, Ga. (Benjamin Mays High/Louisville)
Little racked up a career-high 90 yards on 14 carries (6.4 ypc) and scored three touchdowns as part of Missouri State's 41-20 road win against Illinois State. His two first-half touchdown runs -- both of two yards -- were both go-ahead scores for Missouri State, which led 21-20 at the half. In the second half, he accounted for 35 of the team's 40 yards as part of a 5-play touchdown drive (following Von Young's blocked punt) that put the Bears up for good. The three rushing TDs match a league season-best and were tops in the MVFC this past Saturday.
Defensive Player of the Week
LB Spencer Cuvelier, UNI
6-3, 245, R-Jr., Cresco, Iowa (Crestwood High)
Cuvelier led a stout defensive unit that limited visiting Youngstown State to seven points and 250 total yards of offense. The Panthers leading tackler finished the game with 17 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1 pass breakup. The redshirt junior finished with 5 solo tackles and wrapped up 12 assists. The 17 tackles are the second-best single-game total in the league this year.
Special Teams Player of the Week
K Jake Reinholz, North Dakota State
6-3, 214, Sr., Fargo, N.D. (Shanley High)
Reinholz scored the first nine points for North Dakota State in a 16-10 road win over North Dakota. He made all three of his field goals – one each in the first, second and third quarters – including a career-long 45-yarder to open the scoring. He connected from 34 yards and 30 yards to put the Bison ahead, and converted an extra point on NDSU’s only touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Newcomer of the Week
RB Nate Thomas, South Dakota
5-8, 220, Fr. South Holland, Ill. (Thornwood High)
Thomas ran 11 times for a career-high 111 yards and had a 27-yard touchdown run in South Dakota’s 38-10 win against Indiana State on Saturday. Thomas has been the Coyotes’ leading rusher in two of three games since making his debut.
OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES
RB Dom Williams, UNI -- Williams led the Panther rushing attack that totaled 200 against Youngstown State. Williams rushed for 119 on 11 attempts. Williams averaged 10.8 yards per rush while scoring 1 touchdown. Williams knocked off a 36 yard rush around the outside edge in the first quarter and recorded his longest rush of the day in the second quarter, a 58 yard scramble into the end zone.
QB Jackson Waring, Illinois State -- Waring had a career day in his second career start for the Redbirds. The Ankeny, Iowa, native threw for a career-high 318 yards and added the first three touchdown passes of his career in the first half against Missouri State on Saturday. Waring finished the day going 19-for-30 and finished over 300 yards for the first time in his career. He was the first Redbird to throw for over 300 yards since 2019 and had long touchdown pass of 75 yards on the day.
QB Carson Camp, South Dakota -- Camp passed for 181 yards and three touchdowns in the first half and finished with an even 200 yards passing in a 38-10 win against Indiana State Saturday. He was 19-of-26 in recording his first collegiate three-touchdown game. He carried 11 times for 18 yards.
CB Montrae Braswell, Missouri State -- Missouri State's standout defensive back snagged his sixth interception in his 11th game with the Bears, returning a third-quarter pick 46 yards for a Bears touchdown and making it a 34-20 game at the time. Braswell finished with 4 total tackles, 3 solo stops, 2 passes defended and his first sack of the season in the victory.
CB Tre Jackson, South Dakota -- Jackson earned his first collegiate interception and also had a pass breakup in South Dakota’s 38-10 win against Indiana State Saturday. He was the Coyotes’ second-leading tackler with four tackles (all solo) in helping USD hold the Sycamores to 205 yards of offense. Indiana State went 3-and-out on five of 11 possessions and totaled fewer than 10 yards in all but four.
LB Devon Krzanowski, North Dakota -- Krzanowski led a North Dakota defense that registered 11 tackles for loss and held No. 5 North Dakota State to 280 yards, including 57 passing yards and only six of those in the second half. Individually Krzanowski tallied a game-best 10 tackles with five solo stops, three tackles for a loss of 11 yards and a sack. His electrifying performance alongside the rest of the UND defense, kept the 12,846 fans at the Alerus Center on their feet for 60 minutes in the highest attended game since a record setting 13,500 in 2001 against the Bison.
CB Steven Arrell, South Dakota State -- Arrell posted a team-high seven tackles, including one for loss, and came away with his first career interception Oct. 2 versus Dixie State.
DB Michael Lawson, Western Illinois -- Lawson continued his strong season play in Western's second home appearance of the year, totaling 13 tackles (10 solo), an interception, a forced fumble, and 1.5 tackles for loss versus Southern Illinois. He has contributed double-digit tackle numbers in three of WIU's five games.
LB Jackson Hankey, North Dakota State -- Hankey made a team-high seven tackles as North Dakota State used a stout defensive performance to hold off North Dakota 16-10. Hankey made six solo tackles and was credited with one quarterback hurry for the Bison, leading a defensive unit that made two key fourth-down stops and forced a pivotal interception in the red zone late in the third quarter.
P Cade Peterson, North Dakota -- Peterson placed two punts inside 20 and pinned No. 5 North Dakota State at the one-yard line in the fourth quarter. Peterson averaged 44.3 yards per punt with a long of 53 in the contest.
PK Matthew Cook, UNI -- Cook made 2 field goals of 44 yards in the Panthers 34-7 victory over Youngstown State, making field goals in the first and third quarter. The All-American kicker finished with 7 kickoffs, averaging 60.0 yards per kick with 3 touchbacks.
P Brady Schutt, South Dakota -- Schutt netted 46 yards per punting while also placing three of his four inside the 20-yard line in Saturday’s 38-10 win against Indiana State. Two of his punts went over 50 yards. None were returned.
P Jack Colquhoun, Southern Illinois -- Colquhoun had four of his six punts go for 50+ yards for an average of 50.8 yards. Three of his kicks pinned Western inside its 20. His final punt went 56 yards and out of bounds at the WIU 10, with three minutes left in regulation and the game tied. The Salukis won in OT, 31-30.
LB Von Young, Missouri State -- Young's blocked punt early in the third quarter helped set the Bears up in great field position at the Illinois State 40 and ultimately jump started Missouri State's 20-0 second half run in Normal. The Bears would punch the ball into the endzone five players later. Young also fielded an Illinois State sky kick in the second quarter and landed an assisted tackle on special teams.
QB Jason Shelley, Missouri State -- Shelley threw for a career-high 319 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help the Bears to their first win at Hancock Stadium in Normal since 2012. Shelley completed 19-of-27 passes (70.4%) and also racked up 41 yards on the ground on 6 carries (6.8 ypc). His 69-yard touchdown pass to Kevon Latulas in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach and lifted Missouri State to its first 2-0 start in Valley play since 1997.
P Kaedin Steindorf, North Dakota State -- Steindorf averaged 39.0 yards on six punts and held for three successful field goals and one PAT kick in North Dakota State in a 16-10 win at North Dakota. Steindorf’s 49-yard blast from his own end zone was one yard short of a career-long, and he placed four punts inside the 20 including three inside the 11 from UND territory.
P Hunter Dustman and P Ben Dinkel, South Dakota State -- SDSU's punting duo combined to average 49 yards on six punts in a victory over Dixie State on Oct. 2. Dustman punted four times for an average of 49.5 yards with a long of 52 and landed two of his attempts inside the Trailblazers' 20-yard line. Dinkel punted twice and averaged 48 yards (49, 47) with one ending up inside the Dixie State 20.