This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include QB Nic Baker of Southern Illinois; DE Kevin Ellis of Missouri State; P Brady Schutt of South Dakota; and LB Josh Navratil of North Dakota.

Offensive Player of the Week
QB Nic Baker, Southern Illinois
5-9, 194, So., Rochester (Ill.) High
Baker, making his first-career start, completed 17-of-23 passes for 254 yards, 1 TD and no interceptions. Baker guided a Saluki offense that generated five touchdowns and 443 yards of offense against the No. 1 ranked Bison. The Salukis were 11-of-16 in 3rd down conversions and had a 41:26 to 18:34 advantage in Time of Possession.  The SIU win ended NDSU's 39-game winning streak, the longest in FCS history and third-longest in Division I history.



Defensive Player of the Week
DE Kevin Ellis, Missouri State
6-4, 241, Jr., Fort Worth (Texas) North Crowley High
Ellis was everywhere for an MSU defense that allowed just 48 rushing yards on 30 carries at Western Illinois on Saturday. In the final five minutes of the game, Ellis was responsible for two forced turnovers on WIU's last two possessions, snagging a one-handed interception to halt a Leatherneck rally before forcing a fumble and turnover on WIU's final play of the game to secure MSU's victory. Ellis also had a possession-ending sack in the first half and finished the contest with 6 total stops, 5 solo tackles, 2.0 sacks, 2.0 tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble in MSU's first win of the Petrino era.



Special Teams Player of the Week
P Brady Schutt, South Dakota
6-1, 215, Sr., Orange City (Iowa) MOC/FV High
The preseason all-American picked up where he left off, averaging 45.6 yards on seven punts, pinning two inside the 20 and allowing just two returns for 12 yards. He had three punts of 50 yards or more including his final one, which pinned the Redbirds on their 15 with 1:34 to go and needing a touchdown to tie.



Newcomer of the Week
LB Josh Navratil, North Dakota
6-2, 225, R-Fr., Pine Island (Minn.) High
Was all over the field in UND’s win over No. 3 South Dakota State … Finished tied for second on the team with five tackles … Had 1.5 tackles for loss … Came up with a sack on third down in the fourth quarter to keep the Fighting Hawks in the lead … Recovered the blocked punt in the third quarter that led to the go-ahead touchdown. 


OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES

WR Jaxon Janke, South Dakota State  -- Janke set career highs with seven receptions and 161 receiving yards, and tied a career best with two touchdown catches for South Dakota State Feb. 27 at North Dakota. Janke’s first touchdown covered 18 yards on the opening drive of the game, adding a 76-yard score from Mark Gronowski later in the first period. Janke added three separate receptions of 22 yards in the game, as well. 
 
QB Carson Camp, South Dakota -- Playing two miles from his high school stadium, Camp passed for 221 yards, ran for 20 and accounted for all three touchdowns in South Dakota’s 27-20 upset on the road at No. 7 Illinois State. Camp completed 20-of-35 passes, threw touchdowns of 23 and 5 yards, and scrambled in from 15 yards out to tie the game at 17-17 just before halftime.

RB Dom Williams, UNI -- Scored Two touchdowns to lead UNI to a 21-0 win over Youngstown State. The transfer, appearing in his second game for UNI, ran the ball 15 times for 35 yards including the TDs. He also caught a pass for 12 yards. He scored on a two-yard run and a one-yard run, both coming in the fourth quarter. 
 
RB Otis Weah, North Dakota -- Weah rushed a career-high 17 times out of the backfield for a team-high 88 yards … Also scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground … Recorded his first multi-touchdown game of his career in the win over No. 3 South Dakota State … Averaged over five yards a carry against the league’s top rushing defense entering Saturday. 

WR Damoriea Vick, Missouri State -- Vick helped set up the game-winning touchdown for the Bears in Saturday's win at Western Illinois with a 74-yard catch-and run late in the fourth quarter. MSU scored on the very next play for Bobby Petrino's first win as Bears head coach. Vick finished with 6 receptions for a career-high 138 receiving yards in the contest. He also set up another MSU score in the third quarter with a 34-yard reception that preceded Jose Pizano's game-tying field goal. Vick also started in his 25th straight game.

S Clayton Bush, Southern Illinois -- Western Kentucky transfer S Clayton Bush made three tackles on defense, including a critical strip-sack of Bison QB Zeb Noland late in the 3rd quarter when NDSU had the ball deep in Saluki territory and SIU ahead, 17-7.

LB Noah Larson, North Dakota -- Led all UND players with seven tackles … Had one of UND’s three sacks on the afternoon in the win over No. 3 SDSU … Helped hold the Jacks to under 100 yards rushing and 3.7 yards per carry. 

DL Khristian Boyd, UNI -- Boyd had a breakout game, racking up seven tackles, including two sacks and 2.5 TFLs. He helped lead UNI to one of the best defensive performances in school history. The Panthers held Youngstown to just 135 yards, the least since 2012 when they gave up just 109 to DII Central State. The Panthers held the Penguins to just 71 yards on the ground and 64 yards in the air. Boyd had a dominant performance, pestering both YSU quarterbacks throughout the game. 
 
DT DeValon Whitcomb, South Dakota -- Whitcomb got the turnover train rolling with a strip sack of Illinois State quarterback Bryce Jefferson midway through the second quarter with USD trailing 17-0. It was the first of five straight turnovers USD forced on a day in which it forced seven. He also recovered a fumble early in the second half that set up a 27-yard touchdown drive and a 24-17 lead. Whitcomb had six tackles (1.5 for loss) and was a big factor in slowing down the Redbirds’ run game.

Greg Benton Jr., Western Illinois -- Returned a 75-yard fumble recovery for a TD in Western's season-opener vs. Missouri State ... finished with seven tackles (six solo), a pass breakup, and two QB hurries

PK Matthew Cook, UNI -- Cook went 2-2 for field goals with makes of 32 and 41. He has now made four this season and is 4-5 on the year. He went 1-1 in extra points for UNI. He had five kickoffs for 259 yards, a 51.8-yard average. 

KR Tony Tate, Western Illinois -- Recorded 161 all-purpose yards (87 kick return, 69 receiving) vs. Missouri State ... opened the game with a 39-yard kick return ... KR yardage based on three attempts ... added a touchdown on a two-yard run 

PK Adam Stage, North Dakota - Went 4-for-4 on extra points … Had five kickoffs and three of those went for touchbacks … Averaged over 64 yards per kick.

PK Jose Pizano, Missouri State -- Bears placekicker Jose Pizano converted all three field goal attempts and all three extra point tries to lift the Bears to a 30-24 win at Western Illinois. His 37-yard FG on MSU's opening possession of the third quarter tied the game, 17-17, before he gave the Bears the lead on their first drive of the fourth with a 43-yarder. Finally, his 33-yard attempt with 3:48 to play in the game split the uprights and gave the Bears a six-point cushion in the deciding moments. Pizano extended his string to six straight made field goals on the season and also averaged 51.6 yards on 7 kickoffs.

Braylen Brooks, Western Illinois - recorded seven tackles (six solo) and an interception in his Leatherneck debut as a true freshman 

CB Montrae Braswell, Missouri State -- In his first appearance for the Bears, Braswell registered a team-high 6 solo tackles from his defensive back patrol and snagged a key interception late in the second quarter to stop a Western drive. Braswell, a transfer from Central Michigan, was a huge part of MSU's defensive secondary holding the Leathernecks in check with no plays over 28 yards on the afternoon.