This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include RB Gaven Ziebarth of North Dakota; LB Isaiah Stalbird of South Dakota State; PK Will Leyland of South Dakota; RB/KR Luke Skokna of North Dakota; PK Owen Rozanc of Missouri State; and OL Chase Evans of Southern Illinois.
 
Offensive Player of the Week
RB Gaven Ziebarth, North Dakota
So., 6-0, 205, Cambridge, Minn. (Cambridge-Isanti HS)
In the 49-24 win over North Dakota State on Saturday, Ziebarth recorded 18 carries for 156 yards and a trio of touchdowns. He had a 59-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter that put the game away, bringing the score to 49-17 with 7:18 left. Earlier in the contest, Ziebarth had a five-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to put UND back on top at 14-7 and then a seven-yard rushing score with 7:13 left in the third quarter to make the score 35-17.  It was Ziebarth’s third 100+-yard rushing game of his career. He also had a five-yard grab in the win.


 
Defensive Player of the Week
LB Isaiah Stalbird, South Dakota State
6-1, 215, Sr., Kearney, Neb. (Kearney HS/Nebraska)
Stalbird registered a team-high nine tackles (eight solo) with two tackles for loss and a sack to lead a Jackrabbit defense that did not allow a touchdown to Northern Iowa in a 41-6 Hobo Day victory for top-ranked South Dakota State on Oct. 14. Stalbird also forced a fumble in the first quarter that led to a Jackrabbit touchdown for a 14-0 lead.  As a unit, SDSU forced five first-half turnovers (three fumbles, two interceptions) and recorded a season-high four sacks.
 


Co-Special Teams Player of the Week
PK Will Leyland, South Dakota
5-11, 205, So., Souderton, Pa. (Souderton HS)
Leyland made a 41-yard field goal as time expired to lift South Dakota to a 34-31 win against No. 20/23 Youngstown State. It was his second 41-yard make of the game which is his new career high. Leyland improved to 6-for-6 on field goals this season and hasn’t missed a kick of any kind all year.


 
Co-Special Teams Player of the Week
RB/RS Luke Skokna, North Dakota
5-9, 180, Sr., Hinsdale, Ill. (Hinsdale HS)
Skokna helped the Fighting Hawks set the tone in their 49-24 victory over the Bison, taking the opening kickoff 100 yards to put UND up 7-0 just 13 seconds into the game. He finished the contest with three touchdowns, also scoring on a 13-yard reception to bring the tally to 21-7 with 1:40 before intermission and then scored on a four-yard rush with 13 seconds left in the first half to bring the halftime score to 28-17. Skokna helped the Hawks have good field position throughout the game, rolling up 157 yards in kickoff return yardage. With his opening kickoff return for a touchdown, Skokna became just the third player in UND history to record a 100-yard return and was only the fourth player in program history to run back the opening kickoff. He was also the first UND player to return a kickoff for a touchdown since Evan Holm’s 99-yard score vs. Weber State on Oct. 27, 2018.


 
Newcomer of the Week
PK Owen Rozanc, Missouri State
5-10, 197, Sr., Sheffield Lake, Ohio (Brookside HS/Bowling Green)
Missouri State's place kicker accounted for 12 points with a pair of field goals and six extra points to help the Bears rout Western Illinois and secure their first road victory of the campaign. Rozanc's efforts helped the Bears put points on the board in each of their first seven possessions on Saturday in Macomb, including first-half field goals of 31 and 21 yards. The Bowling Green transfer's performance extended his personal success streak to five straight made field goals on the season and 37 straight extra points converted.



Offensive Lineman of the Week
Chase Evans, Southern Illinois -- The 6-foot-4, 292-pound junior has started 19-straight games for the Salukis. Last Saturday at Murray State, he graded out at 94 percent on blocking assignments with six knockdowns. He did not allow a sack.  SIU's offense rushed for a season-high 270 yards in the 27-6 win over the Racers. 


OTHERS NOMINATED

QB Aidan Bouman, South Dakota -- Bouman completed 24-of-29 passes for 369 yards and three touchdowns in leading South Dakota to a 34-31 win against No. 20/23 Youngstown State. It is the most passing yards by a Coyote since 2019. Bouman threw a 22-yard completion in the closing seconds to setup a game-winning field goal. His touchdown tosses went for 36, 10 and 56 yards.

RB Jacardia Wright, Missouri State -- Returning to his home state of Illinois, Wright eclipsed his career rushing high by halftime and provided a constant offensive threat for the Bears in their road rout at Western Illinois and the team's first road win of the season. Wright finished with 7.4 yards per carry and a career-high 163 yards on 22 carries. He had two first-half touchdowns to push the Bears up 20-7 at the break and finished the afternoon with three carries of 25+ yards, including a game-long of 33. He also had a game-high 180 all-purpose yards, also a career high. 

RB Justin Strong, Southern Illinois -- Rushed for 128 yards on 14 carries, including an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage.

QB Zack Annexstad, Illinois State -- Annexstad put together his best all-around game as a Redbird in the team’s 44-7 Homecoming win over Indiana State. The sixth-year senior from Norseland, Minnesota, set a career-high with four touchdown passes and recorded a career-best 79 rushing yards as the Redbirds scored 44 unanswered points to defeat the Sycamores.  After falling behind early, Annexstad rallied the Redbird offense and tied the game with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Carr. Just before halftime, he connected on a 10-yard touchdown shovel pass to send the redbirds into the locker room with a 23-7 lead. He would then tack on a 12-yard touchdown connection to Daniel Sobkowicz in the third quarter and capped off his day with a 2-yard touchdown flip to Javon Charles. Not known for his rushing prowess, Annexstad also used his legs well to pick up several key first downs, including a long run of 41 yards that set up a score.

QB Mark Gronowski, South Dakota State -- Gronowski was an efficient 21-or-26 passing for a season-high 291 yards with three touchdowns in South Dakota State’s 41-6 Hobo Day victory over Northern Iowa on Oct. 14. He connected with eight different receivers in the contest, while tossing two touchdowns to tight end Zach Heins (6, 23 yards) and one to wide receiver Jadon Janke (16 yards).  In addition, Gronowski also rushed for a touchdown for the 11th consecutive game, opening the scoring with a 1-yard plunge on the Jackrabbits’ first drive of the game. Gronowski ended the the afternoon with 30 yards on seven carries, giving him 321 yards of total offense for the game. 
 
DL Devin Goree, Missouri State -- Missouri State's fourth-year defensive lineman had an impactful day for Missouri State in helping the Bears secure their first road win of the Ryan Beard era. Goree racked up a career-high 3.0 sacks in the win and helped hold the Leathernecks to just 55 total rushing yards and 1.8 yards per carry on the afternoon. Goree also recorded a second-half forced fumble that set up a MoState touchdown three plays later and put the exclamation point on an impressive Valley win.

S Keondre Jackson, Illinois State -- Jackson had another a strong game for the Redbird defense in their 44-7 win over Indiana State. The junior from Freeport, Illinois, finished the game with seven tackles, a tackle-for-loss and the first pick six of his career in the rout of Indiana State. Jackson’s TFL came on a near-sack on a fumbled shotgun snap by Indiana State quarterback Cade Chambers and then he put an exclamation point on the statement win for the Redbirds with a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

S PJ Jules, Southern Illinois -- Led the Salukis with 6 tackles, including a sack, a forced fumble and a QB hurry. Southern’s defense held Murray State to 33 rushing yards and 190 total yards in a 27-6 victory.

ILB Nick Walker, Murray State -- Walker led all tacklers in the Racers game with Southern Illinois with nine tackles in the performance with all nine being solo tackles. Walker leads the MSU defense with 41 tackles this season including 3.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack. 

CB C.J. Siegel, North Dakota -- Early in the third quarter, NDSU was driving down the field and looked to trim the deficit from 28-17, but C.J. Siegel slammed the doors shut on that drive with an interception that he returned 57 yards. His pick helped set up Gaven Ziebarth’s second touchdown of the day that brought the score to 35-17 with 7:13 left in the third quarter. UND went on to win, 49-24.  With his interception, Siegel moved into a tie for No. 4 in UND’s Division I history for career interceptions with six. He also had four solo stops and two pass breakups to go with his interception in the win.

K/P Ian Wagner, Illinois State -- Wagner fought blustery conditions and consistent rain on Saturday and scored eight points for the Illinois State in its 44-7 win over Indiana State. The Sierra Vista, Arizona, native was 5-for-5 on PAT tries and connected on his only field goal attempt of the day from 30 yards to help the Redbirds score 44 unanswered points against the Sycamores. Wagner also punted four times on the day, mostly directly into the win, and had a long of 39 yards while also booting five kickoffs out of the endzone for touchbacks.

P/K Hunter Dustman, South Dakota State -- Dustman booted a pair of 42-yard field goals and made all five of his extra-point attempts for a total of 11 points in South Dakota State’s 41-6 Hobo Day victory over Northern Iowa on Oct. 14.  The Jackrabbits were forced to punt only one time in the contest and Dustman responded with a 46-yard attempt that resulted in a fair catch. 

LB Amir Abdullah, Illinois State -- Abdullah has been a disruptive force for the Redbird defense all year long and continued that in the 44-7 win over Indiana State. The Chicago native tallied two sacks and finished the day with four total tackles including two solo stops. Those two sacks upped his total to 8.5 on the year, which should keep him in the top 10 nationally in sacks and tackles for loss per game.

RB Keyondray Jones, South Dakota -- Jones led South Dakota with 40 yards rushing on just three carries Saturday against No. 20/23 Youngstown State. He took a sweep 34 yards untouched for the first touchdown of the game and his second touchdown of the season. 

LG Donny Ventrelli, North Dakota -- Ventrelli helped North Dakota rack up 328 yards of total offense in the 49-24 win over North Dakota State, with 215 of those yards coming on the ground. He helped open the holes for Gaven Ziebarth to have his third 100+-yard rushing game of his career, putting down 156 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 18 touches. His blocking also allowed Tommy Schuster to have another efficient game, going 9-for-12 for 113 yards and two touchdowns. The Fighting Hawks went a perfect five-for-five in the red zone in the win. Ventrelli graded out at 91 percent overall, with 100 percent on assignment, 80 percent on technique and 93 percent on his finish. He finished the week with 28 finishing points.

RT Jake Pope, Illinois State -- Pope had one of his best games in an ISU uniform in the team’s dominant 44-7 win over Indiana State. The Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, native graded out at over 90 percent, was credited with eight pancake blocks, had zero missed assignments and did not allow a sack against the Sycamores. That performance helped the Redbirds rush for over 200 yards for the third time this season, as they went for 244 yards and averaged 6.0 yards per carry, and helped them amass 416 yards of total offense on a blustery and wet day at Hancock Stadium. Pope also helped keep quarterback Zack Annexstad clean, allowing him to throw for a career-best four touchdowns and run for a career-high 79 yards on eight carries. For good measure, he recovered a fumble that helped keep a Redbird drive alive allowing the team to score a touchdown.