This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include RB Isaiah Davis of South Dakota State; LB Logan Kopp of North Dakota State; PK Jake Andjelic of Indiana State; RB Tyshon King of Youngstown State; and LT Garret Greenfield of South Dakota State.
Offensive Player of the Week
RB Isaiah Davis, South Dakota State
6-1, 220, Sr., Joplin, Mo. (Joplin HS)
Davis rushed 20 times for a season-high 197 yards (9.8 ypc) and two touchdowns in South Dakota State’s 40-21 road win at Illinois State on Oct. 7. His touchdowns covered 3 and 2 yards, with his second score coming one play after a season-long 49-yard carry early in the fourth quarter. It was the 18th 100-yard game for Davis in his career, with the Jackrabbits improving to 17-1 in those contests. His performance on Saturday came against a Redbird defense that was allowing only 58 yards per game on the ground. As a team, the Jackrabbits racked up 374 rushing yards.
Defensive Player of the Week
LB Logan Kopp, North Dakota State
6-1, 222, So., St. Louis, Mo. (Lindbergh HS)
Kopp made nine tackles including one forced fumble and recovery in North Dakota State’s 38-10 win at Missouri State. He also added two pass breakups for the Bison defense, which had 11 PBUs and three interceptions. Kopp is NDSU’s leading tackler this year with 34 total stops and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Special Teams Player of the Week-
PK Jake Andjelic, Indiana State
5-9, 170, R-Fr., New Lenox, Ill. (Connecticut/Lincoln-Way East HS)
Jake Andjelic made his Indiana State debut on Saturday night against UNI as the redshirt freshman placekicker went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts in the Sycamores’ loss to Northern Iowa. The New Lenox, Ill., native took the field and converted an early 30-yard attempt in the first quarter to give Indiana State the 3-0 lead. He added a late 41-yard field goal conversion with 2:30 remaining to narrow the game down to 27-20 and provide ISU the opportunity for a late onside kick and final drive. Andjelic became the first ISU freshman to make multiple field goals in his ISU debut since teammate Ryan O’Grady went 3-for-3 in attempts in the 2022 season opener against North Alabama.
Newcomer of the Week
RB Tyshon King, Youngstown State
5-11, 210, Sr., Kankakee, Ill. (Bishop McNamara HS/Northern Michigan)
King rushed for 117 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns against one of the top rushing defenses in the nation as the Penguins clipped No. 5 Southern Illinois 31-3 on Saturday night at Stambaugh Stadium. King's third carry of the night resulted in a 40-yard touchdown run and YSU never looked back as the it earned its first win over at top five team since September 2017. He later added a two-yard rushing score with 10:21 left in the game to put the Guins on top by 21 points.
Offensive Lineman of the Week
LT Garret Greenfield, South Dakota State
6-7, 320, Sr., Rock Valley, Iowa (Rock Valley HS)
Greenfield graded at 93 percent with five finish blocks in South Dakota State's 40-21 victory at No. 22 Illinois State on Oct. 7. The Jackrabbits rushed for 374 yards in the game against a Redbird defense that had been allowing only 58 yards per game on the ground. Both Isaiah Davis (20 carries for 197 yards) and Amar Johnson (11 carries for 106 yards) topped the century mark as the Jackrabbits averaged 8.6 yards per carry on the evening.
OTHERS NOMINATED
QB Tommy Schuster, North Dakota -- In the 49-10 win over Western Illinois, Tommy Schuster went 17-for-23 passing for 206 yards. He has now attempted 209 passes without throwing an interception, dating back to the 28-19 win over South Dakota on Nov. 12, 2022. Schuster was only sacked once in the victory and rushed three times for 11 yards, including a six-yard touchdown run before intermission to bring the tally to 21-3 on Saturday.
WR Raylen Sharpe, Missouri State -- Sharpe hauled in a career-high 13 passes and racked up 153 receiving yards with a touchdown in Missouri State's effort against North Dakota State. Sharpe's performance marked the second-most receptions ever by a Missouri State player (one behind Malik Earl's 14 catches in 2017) and the second-most by any FCS player this season. He hauled in MSU's first 8 pass receptions of the game and took over the Valley lead in receptions per game (7.00) and receiving yards per game (92.60). His 24-yard punt return in the game was also a career-best and gave him 177 all-purpose yards in the contest.
RB Travis Theis, South Dakota -- Theis carried 26 times for a career-high 190 yards and two touchdowns in South Dakota's 38-7 win against Murray State on Dakota Days. Became the 13th player in program history to eclipse 2,000 career rushing yards. The 190 yards are the most by a Coyote since 2009 and second-most by a Coyote at the Division I level. It was the fifth 100-yard rushing game of Theis' career.
QB Cam Miller, North Dakota State -- Miller was four yards shy of his career high completing 16 of 20 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns in North Dakota State’s 38-10 win at Missouri State. He added a 9-yard rushing touchdown on the second drive of the game as NDSU opened a 14-0 lead. Miller passed for 195 yards in the first half and the Bison had 351 total yards at halftime.
RB Harrison Bey-Buie, UNI - Bey-Buie posted a career day on the ground with 137 rushing yards on 20 carries and three rushing touchdowns, accounting for 37.9% of UNI's total offense in a 27-20 win at Indiana State, the Panthers' third straight victory. The second-year running back transfer from Eastern Illinois scored his second touchdown of the night on the final play of the first half on a one-yard run at the goal line and proved to be a key scoring opportunity as the Sycamores challenged the Panthers in the fourth quarter. Bey-Buie's 137-yard performance is the most rushing yards by a Panther since Dom Williams ran for 166 yards against Western Illinois in 2021, and are also the most rushing touchdowns scored in a game by one Panther since Williams last season vs. Utah Tech (4).
DL Cordarrius Bailey, UNI -- Bailey recorded his second three-sack game of his career on Saturday, helping push back a resilient Indiana State offense in the second half in a 27-20 win over the Sycamores. His three stops in the backfield accounted for a total loss of 23 yards on the night, which included back-to-back sacks on Indiana State's second possession of the third quarter. Bailey is just the fifth player in UNI history to record at least three sacks in multiple games in his career (Karter Schult, Matt Mitchell, Andre Allen, William Freeney) and the third in Panther history with multiple three sack games in a single season (Matt Mitchell, Andre Allen).
OLB Cade Shupperd, Murray State -- Shupperd led all tacklers in the Racers game with South Dakota with 11 tackles in the performance including seven solo tackles. The redshirt senior picked up his first tackle for loss this season as he now has 25 tackles overall.
LB Jason Freeman, South Dakota State -- Freeman made a successful return to his home state by registering nine tackles (six solo) and recovering a fumble in South Dakota State’s 40-21 victory at Illinois State on Oct. 7. Freeman’s fumble recovery came with Illinois State driving in an attempt to cut the deficit to one score in the closing minutes of the third quarter.
S Dennis Shorter, South Dakota -- Shorter forced a fumble near the goal line in the third quarter that preserved USD's 21-7 lead with less than five minutes to go in the third quarter. South Dakota recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchback and marched down the field to kick a field goal to make it a three-score game in the fourth quarter. Shorter totaled four tackles on the game.
S Todric McGee, Missouri State -- McGee took over the MVFC lead in tackles per game (10.60) with a game-high 13 stops against North Dakota State, including 7 solo tackles. It marked his third double-figure tackle performance of the season and complemented a tackle for loss, pass break-up and QB hurry in the contest.
DE Dylan Wudke, Youngstown State -- Wudke picked up two sacks and keyed a strong defensive effort by the Guins in an impressive 31-3 win over Southern Illinois on Saturday night at Stambaugh Stadium. YSU held SIU QB Nic Baker to just 94 yards passing and 12 completions. The Guins held SIU to mind-boggling 100 yards or total offense on the night, thanks to seven sacks, their most in a game since Oct. 29, 2016. Wudke had not registered a sack on the season until Saturday night's strong effort. He also had a QB hurry on the night, one of four by the Guins.
LB Ted Mullin, North Dakota -- In UND’s 49-10 win over WIU on Saturday, Ted Mullin helped the defense get things going in the second half, jumping a route on the first play after intermission and scoring on a 33-yard pick-six to bring the tally to 28-3 just 15 seconds into the second half. It is the first touchdown of his career and he has now scored eight points on the season, also returning a two-point conversion attempt in the 37-22 win over Northern Arizona earlier this season. Mullin finished the day with two solo stops to go with the touchdown.
RB Charles Pierre Jr., South Dakota -- Pierre Jr. earned the first touches of his career and ran 13 times for 80 yards and two touchdowns Saturday in a 38-7 win against Murray State on Dakota Days. His second career carry went eight yards for a touchdown to cap USD's second drive of the game. He scored from 10 yards out in the fourth quarter.
RB Grant Romfo, North Dakota -- Sophomore Grant Romfo scored the first touchdown of his career in the final moments of the 49-10 victory over Western Illinois on Saturday. Romfo brought the tally to 49-10 with a four-yard rush with 23 seconds remaining in the contest. In the game, Romfo rushed twice for 11 yards. He previously was at North Dakota State before transferring to North Dakota. Last season, he did not see the field at UND as a redshirt freshman.
LB Kanye Young, Missouri State -- Seeing his first significant playing time of the season, Young racked up 10 total tackles against No. 7 North Dakota State, including 5 solo stops, a tackle for loss and a hurry. The transfer from Reedley College had three key defensive stops in the game on third down and trailed on teammate Todric McGee for the game-high in total tackles.
LG Donny Ventrelli, North Dakota -- Ventrelli helped the Fighting Hawks put up 461 yards of total offense in the 49-10 win over Western Illinois on Saturday. With the help of his blocking, UND rushed for 224 yards and passed for 237 yards. The Leathernecks only got to UND QB’s on one occasion in the game and the Fighting Hawks scored on six of their eight offensive possessions, going a perfect 6-for-6 in the red zone. Ventrelli graded out at 88 percent overall, with 100 percent on assignment, 85 percent on technique and 79 percent finishing. He had 24 finishing points.
OL Jared Penning, UNI -- Penning's efforts in the trenches paid dividends in helping the Panther offense escape Terre Haute with a 27-20 win over Indiana State on Saturday. UNI racked up 361 total yards of offense, including a season-high 148 yards rushing that featured 137 yards and three touchdowns scored by Harrison Bey-Buie. Despite not finding the endzone, UNI's passing game remained effective with 213 yards through the air to help move the Panthers down the field while only allowing one sack for a loss of three yards on the night.
RG Jake Kubas, North Dakota State -- Kubas played 62 snaps with no quarterback hurries, sacks or tackles for loss allowed in North Dakota State’s 38-10 win at Missouri State. He graded out at 92% and led the Bison offensive line in physicality points as NDSU rolled up 351 of its 534 total yards in the first half to build a 28-7 lead. The Bison finished 18 of 24 passing for 276 yards and had seven ball carriers combine to average 6.4 yards per carry while running for 258 yards.