This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include QB Mitch Davidson of Youngstown State; LB Logan Kopp of North Dakota State; P/PK Hunter Dustman of South Dakota State; PK C.J. Elrichs of North Dakota; and OL Evan Beernsten of South Dakota State.
 
Offensive Player of the Week
QB Mitch Davidson, Youngstown State
6-4, 220, Senior, Salem, Ohio (Salem HS)
Davidson passed for a career-high 390 yards while tying a career best with four touchdown passes as the Penguins defeated Missouri State 44-28 on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium. Davidson completed 26-of-33 passes and connected with three different players for scores. He had touchdown passes of 51, 20, 10 and two yards in the victory. His previous high was 332 which came earlier this year at UNI. That total ranks third in school history for single-game passing yardage. He has 11 touchdown passes in the last three games.


 
Defensive Player of the Week
LB Logan Kopp, North Dakota State
6-1, 222, So., St. Louis, Mo. (Lindbergh HS)
Kopp made a team-high seven tackles and recorded his third interception of the season in North Dakota State’s 38-6 win over Murray State. Kopp had three solo tackles, one forced fumble, was part of one sack and two tackles for loss, and he had two other tackles for no gain. He leads NDSU with 51 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles this season.
 


Special Teams Player of the Week
PK/P Hunter Dustman, South Dakota State
6-4, 225, Jr., East Bethel, Minn. (St. Francis HS)
Dustman went 3-for-3 on field goals and scored a career-high 13 points in South Dakota State’s 37-3 road win at South Dakota on Oct. 28. His 49-yard field goal on the final play of the first half was a career long and gave the Jackrabbits a 17-3 halftime lead. He added field goals of 22 and 47 yards in the third quarter, and also was 4-for-4 on extra points as SDSU scored on its final seven possessions of the contest. To close out his performance, Dustman’s lone punt of the game traveled 49 yards.


 
Newcomer of the Week
PK C.J. Elrichs, North Dakota
6-2, 190, R-Fr., Olathe, Kan. (Olathe Northwest HS)
Elrichs played a large role in UND’s 36-33 overtime win over the Sycamores on Saturday. Elrichs trotted out for just the second field goal attempt of his career with seven seconds left and drilled a 32-yard field goal to even the game up at 30-30 with four seconds left, eventually sending the game into overtime. It was the first make of Elrichs’ career and he also went 3-for-3 on extra points in the victory.



Offensive Lineman of the Week
RG Evan Beerntsen, South Dakota State
6-4, 300, Sr., De Pere, Wis. (Appleton North HS)
Beerntsen graded at 88 percent and was credited with eight finish blocks as South Dakota State rolled up 473 yards of total offense in a 37-3 victory Oct. 28 at South Dakota. The Jackrabbits rushed for 270 yards in the contest and did not allow a sack in remaining unbeaten at 8-0 overall and 5-0 in league play. 

 
OTHERS NOMINATED

RB Lashaun Lester, Southern Illinois -- Lester rushed 10 times for a career-high 139 yards and three touchdowns in a 63-0 SIU win over Western Illinois. His first carry of the game was a 64-yard TD run. He added touchdowns from 12 and 39 yards out.

QB Jordan Pachot, Missouri State -- Pachot eclipsed his career-high with 341 passing yards on 25-of-38 passing attempts with a pair of touchdowns at No. 24 Youngstown State. His 25 completions also matched a career high. He upped his average passing yards per game as a starter to 278.5 per game.

RB Justin Dinka, Indiana State -- Dinka broke loose for a season-high 82 yards on 16 carries as the redshirt junior scored his first two touchdowns of the 2023 season this Saturday at North Dakota. Dinka scored both touchdowns within a 5:59 span as a part of Indiana State’s 20-point fourth quarter rally in the overtime loss against the Fighting Hawks. Dinka scored from 39 yards out following a turnover to pull the Sycamores back within 21-16 with 6:46 to play. He added a late one-yard touchdown run with 47 seconds remaining to put ISU ahead 28-27, and then caught the two-point conversion to give the Sycamores the 30-27 lead. His two-touchdown game was the first multi-touchdown contest of his career.

QB Zack Annexstad, Illinois State -- Annexstad continued his strong play of late for the Redbirds, throwing for a career-high in yards against UNI. The sixth-year senior from Minnesota recorded a career-high 292 yards on a career-best 33 completions and accounted for all three of the Redbird touchdowns on the day against the Panthers. Annexstad scored the first touchdown of the day for ISU on a 1-yard run, the proceeded to throw a pair of touchdown passes. The first was an 8-yard strike to Daniel Sobkowicz and second came with under a minute left in the game, a 17-yard connection to tight end Cam Grandy.

QB Tommy Schuster, North Dakota -- In the 36-33 overtime win over Indiana State on Saturday, Tommy Schuster went 26-for-35 for 285 yards and four touchdowns. He also had a 21-yard rush in the final minute of regulation to help set-up a 32-yard C.J. Elrichs field goal to send it into overtime at 30-30. Schuster’s four touchdown passes moved him up to No. 2 in UND’s all-time history for touchdown passes thrown in a career with 56. He passed Kevin Klancher (1994-97), who threw for 52 touchdown passes in his career. Schuster is only three TD passes away from breaking the all-time record (58), held by Kelby Klosterman (1999-02). It was also the first time in Schuster’s career that he threw for four touchdowns in a game. It was his 22nd game of his career with 20-or-more completions and he has now accounted for at least one touchdown in 28 of his last 31 games.

RB Amar Johnson, South Dakota State -- Johnson ran for a pair of 20-yard touchdowns as South Dakota State remained unbeaten with a 37-3 victory at No. 4/9 South Dakota on Oct. 28. Johnson’s first touchdown gave SDSU a 14-3 lead, with his second score coming midway through the fourth quarter. For the game, Johnson rushed eight times for 66 yards (8.2 ypc) and added a key 8-yard reception on a third-down play to extend the Jackrabbits’ first scoring drive of the game. 

RB Amauri Pesek-Hickson, UNI -- In his second career start at running back, Pesek-Hickson racked up 107 rushing yards at Illinois State, breaking the 100-yard barrier for a second consecutive week to help the Panthers improve to 4-1 in league play. Averaging 3.6 yards per carry, Pesek-Hickson recorded his first multi-touchdown game of his career with a three-yard run on UNI's first offensive possession of the game, and again in the early second quarter on a one-yard run. Pesek-Hickson's performance marks the first time that Northern Iowa has posted consecutive games with a 100+ yard rusher since 2017 (Marcus Weymiller, 105 vs. Indiana State / J'Veyon Browning, 136 vs. Monmouth).

QB Cam Miller, North Dakota State -- Miller accounted for four touchdowns in North Dakota State’s 38-6 win over Murray State. Miller was 18 of 24 passing for 192 yards and two TDs while rushing six times for 55 yards and two scores. He ran 25 yards on the game’s first snap and capped the five-play scoring drive with a 15-yard TD run. He scored from 9 yards out on NDSU’s second drive before throwing TD passes of 8 and 15 yards to help the Bison build a 28-0 second quarter lead. Miller is tied for the league lead with nine rushing touchdowns.

DB Edwin Dearman, UNI -- Dearman led the Panthers with 12 total tackles, including four solo stops in UNI's 24-21 win at Illinois State. The fourth-year defensive back made a key play on just the fifth play from scrimmage in the game, forcing his first fumble of the season and second of his career near midfield, a turnover which helped set up the Panthers' first scoring drive of the game. Dearman ranks ninth in the MVFC with 59 total tackles, and ninth in tackles per game (7.4).

S Tucker Large, South Dakota State -- Large tallied four tackles (3 solo) and contributed an interception and pass breakup in South Dakota State's 37-3 victory Oct. 28 at South Dakota. Large's interception came in SDSU territory in the closing minutes of the first half and led to a Jackrabbit field goal. Large was part of a Jackrabbit defense that picked off a pair of passes and limited USD to 183 yards of total offense.
 
LB Wyatt Pedigo, North Dakota -- In the 36-33 win over the Sycamores, Wyatt Pedigo accounted for seven stops (all solo) and also recorded two sacks and a pair of quarterback hurries. One of his hurries helped lead to the first interception of Devin Hembry’s career in the third quarter.

LB Lavoise-Deontae McCoy, Illinois State -- McCoy had a career day against UNI at Hancock Stadium. The sophomore from Flossmoor, Illinois, recorded a career-high 14 tackles and also tallied a half sack and a pass breakup against the Panthers. 

DB Troy Jakubec, Youngstown State -- Jakubec had a key interception that helped stave off a late Missouri State comeback attempt on Saturday. With the contest 38-28 early in the second quarter and MSU driving, his interception in the end zone ended a Bears threat. From that point YSU added two field goals while the Guins went on to win by 16 points. He finished the game with four tackles, including three solo stops.

LB Garret Ollendieck, Indiana State -- Ollendieck posted his second double-digit tackling effort of the 2023 season as the linebacker was all over the field on Saturday afternoon. Ollendieck posted nine solo tackles among his 12 stops on the field, while adding two tackles for loss and his fourth sack of the season. The Cresco, Iowa native leads the Sycamores with 9.5 TFLs and 4.0 sacks on the season. 

S Todric McGee, Missouri State -- McGee's fourth double-figure tackle effort of the season (in 8 games) included game-highs 12 total tackles and 6 solo stops in addition to a tackle for loss as the Bears held No. 24 Youngstown State to 93 total yards in the third quarter and forced three straight three-and-outs to make a late run.

PR Jayden Price, North Dakota State -- Price had a 66-yard punt return touchdown in North Dakota State’s 38-6 win over Murray State. It was Price’s fourth career punt return touchdown, the most among active FCS players and tied for the NDSU career record. Price averaged 46 yards on two attempts including a 26-yard return.

PK Andrew Lastovka, Youngstown State -- The reigning MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week continued his strong play making three field goals and five PATs in YSU's 44-28 win over Missouri State. He made a career-long 44-yarder while adding a 29-yarder in the fourth quarter. He kicked a 27-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. This year Lastovka is 9-of-9 on field-goal attempts and is 34-of-35 on PATs. 

K Jake Andjelic, Indiana State -- Andjelic was a perfect 3-for-3 on kicks at North Dakota as the redshirt freshman remained perfect on the year. Andjelic connected from 22 yards out in the third quarter to give the Sycamores the 10-7 lead. He later added a 39-yard field goal in overtime to give ISU the 33-30 lead on their possession in the extra period. He also converted his first extra point of the season in the second quarter. Andjelic is 5-for-5 in field goals in 2023 after assuming the primary kicker role on October 7 against Northern Iowa.

LB Marcus Gulley, North Dakota State -- Gulley, part of NDSU’s special teams unit and a backup linebacker, was NDSU’s second leading tackler with five total tackles including one sack in North Dakota State’s 38-6 win over Murray State. It was the second straight game with a season-high in tackles for Gulley, who made four stops in NDSU’s win over Western Illinois.

TE Cam Grandy, Illinois State -- Senior transfer TE Cam Grandy has been a bright spot for ISU all season long, and had his best day as a Redbirds against UNI. Grandy recorded an ISU-best 11 receptions for 112 yards with a touchdown against the Panthers, with 64 of those yards coming after contact. He made big grabs all day while playing with a cast on his left thumb, but none bigger than his 17-yard touchdown grab with just 27 seconds left in the game from quarterback Zack Annexstad that trimmed the UNI lead to a field goal.

QB Elijah Owens, Indiana State -- Pressed into the quarterback role midway through the third quarter, Owens led three Indiana State touchdown drives over the final 6:46 of the fourth quarter in helping the Sycamores overcome a 21-10 deficit and sending the game into overtime at North Dakota this past weekend. Owens was 7-of-13 through the air for 113 yards and a touchdown in the loss against the Fighting Hawks. His 50-yard touchdown pass to Dakota Caton at the 4:10 mark answered a North Dakota scoring drive, while the freshman nearly scored the go-ahead touchdown with a 20-yard carry in the final minute before getting tackled at the UND 1. After the Justin Dinka touchdown, Owens found the ISU running back for the two-point conversion.

LB Ben Bogle, Southern Illinois -- Led SIU with 8 tackles in a 63-0 win over Western Illinois, including one sack for a six-yard loss. The SIU defense held Western to 152 yards of total offense and shut-out a Valley opponent for the first time since 2012. 

DB Corry Thomas Jr., UNI -- For a second straight week, Corry Thomas Jr. came up with a big defensive play, intercepting Illinois State quarterback Zack Annexstad in the second quarter of UNI's 24-21 win on the road against the Redbirds, a takeaway that helped slow Illinois State's offense momentum late in the first half. The Eastern Michigan transfer, who also totaled five tackles (four solo), is the first Panther with interceptions in consecutive games since Benny Sapp III last year against Western Illinois and Indiana State.

OL Tristan Roper, UNI -- On the ground, Roper's blocking helped open up lanes for Amauri Pesek-Hickson to run for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the first time UNI has had a 100+ yard rusher in consecutive games since 2017. Through the air, his protection of quarterback Theo Day helped the MVFC's leading passer account for 289 yards and one touchdown pass to Desmond Hutson. In total, the Panther offense notched 389 yards with 22 first downs.