This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week inlcude RB Celdon Manning of Missouri State; LB Riley Van Wyhe of UNI; DB Omar Brown of UNI; and QB Matt Struck of Missouri State.

Offensive Player of the Week
RB Celdon Manning, Missouri State
5-10, 180, Fr., Allen (Texas) Texas High
  Manning scored all four of Missouri State's touchdowns in Saturday's 30-27 win over No. 10 Southern Illinois to help the Bears to their third straight win over a top 25 foe. He racked up a game-high 117 yards on 6 pass receptions, including a 75-yard strike on the first play of the game, and also averaged 5.4 yards per carry on the ground with 12 touches for 65 yards. Manning scored on runs of 2, 3, and 23 yards in the second half, the last of which tied the game, 27-27, with 2:42 to play. He then ripped off a 13-yard pass reception, an 11-yard third-down rush for a first down and 35 total yards on MSU's game-winning drive that set up a game-winning field goal as time expired.



Defensive Player of the Week
LB Riley Van Wyhe, UNI
6-3, 230, Jr., Rock Rapids (Iowa) Central Lyon High
Van Wyhe recorded a team-high 11 tackles and picked up an interception and a pass breakup to lead UNI to a 34-20 win over Western Illinois. The Panther first team allowed just one offensive touchdown on the day. The Leathernecks scored a touchdown against the second-team unit in the waning moments of the game. 



Special Teams Player of the Week
DB Omar Brown, UNI
6-1, 200, So., Minneapolis (Minn.) North Senior High
Brown blocked a field goal attempt as time expired in the first half and returned it for a touchdown, resulting in a 10-point swing.  Western Illinois drove the field in the final 36 seconds of the half after a UNI score and attempted a field goal to try to the game, but Brown came off the edge and blocked the field goal.  He then gathered the bouncing ball and returned it 62 yards for the touchdown.  On defense, he added four tackles (including a tackle for loss) and broke up three passes.
 


Newcomer of the Week
QB Matt Struck, Missouri State
6-4, 220, Sr., Central Point (Ore.) Crater High / Idaho State
  In his second start at Missouri State, Struck completed 18-of-26 passes (69 percent) with no interceptions and 245 passing yards to lead the Bears to their third win over a ranked opponent in three weeks -- a task Missouri State had not achieved since 1989. Struck helped the Bears draw first blood with a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game, and then engineered scoring drives of 80, 51, 75 and 50 yards in the second half to help the Bears overcome a 12-point deficit at home. The Idaho State transfer was 12-for-16 for 142 yards in the second half alone, guiding MSU to four scores over its last five possessions to secure the win.


OTHERS NOMINATED

WR Isaiah Weston, UNI -- Caught three passes for 96 yards and a 75-yard touchdown on the opening offensive play of the game. It was just his second game back after an offseason injury and he set the tone for the UNI offense early when he beat three defenders down the sideline for the touchdown. 
 
QB Justin Fomby, UNI -- Fomby went 15-23 for 228 yards and a touchdown without an interception in his second game as the starting quarterback. He threw a 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and threw passes to six different receivers. 
 
QB Connor Sampson, Western Illinois -- Sampson broke his school record in single-game completions (40). He went 40-for-58 versus UNI with 355 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

DE Jordan Berner, Southern Illinois - Recorded 3.0 sacks for a loss of 18 yards versus Missouri State. His first sack, in the first quarter, resulted in points for SIU on a forced fumble that Missouri State recovered at its own 1. On the next play, SIU’s defense recorded a safety. Berner also added a pass breakup. Berner’s 3.0 sacks matched his sack total for the 2019 season.

DB Kyriq McDonald, Missouri State -- McDonald brought down a team-high 10 ball carriers for Missouri State to help lift the Bears to a dramatic 30-27 home win over Southern Illinois. McDonald also notched 8 solo stops, and a critical sack for Missouri State with time winding down in the second quarter. McDonald also had three special teams tackles in the contest and had 2 punt returns for 18 yards. 

PK Mason Laramie, Western Illinois -- Laramie tacked in seven points of his own with two field goals (34/40) and two PATs . The kicker leads the Leathernecks in scoring with 25 points. He's 5-for-7 on field goal attempts and 10-10 in PATs this season. 

PK Jose Pizano, Missouri State -- Pizano booted the game-winning field goal as time expired to lift Missouri State to a 30-27 victory over No. 10 Southern Illinois. It was Pizano's fifth straight field goal make of the spring season and his third fourth-quarter field goal (second game winner) in three weeks. Pizano also was 3-for-3 on extra points and averaged 57.8 yards on six kickoffs with three touchbacks.