This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include RB Mason Blakemore of Illinois State; DT Nick Gaes of South Dakota; S PJ Jules of Southern Illinois; PK Griffin Crosa of North Dakota State; WR Griffin Wilde of South Dakota State and LT Hunter Zambrano of Illinois State.
 
Offensive Player of the Week
RB Mason Blakemore, Illinois State
6-1, 215, Jr., Centralia, Ill. (Centralia HS / Northern Illinois)
Transfer RB Mason Blakemore had a performance to remember on his 21st birthday in Macomb in a 34-18 win over the Leathernecks. The NIU transfer rushed for a career-high 170 yards on 19 carries and scored three times to lead the way for the Redbirds. Late in the second quarter, Blakemore broke free for a 42-yard touchdown run and then later tacked on a 51-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter to give the Redbirds some breathing room. To cap off a great birthday, he added a 6-yard touchdown run with 1:17 left in the game. He now has three touchdown runs of over 40 yards in just two games at Illinois State.  His 3 TDs and 170 yards are both single-game bests in the MVFC this season.
 


Co-Defensive Player of the Week
DT Nick Gaes, South Dakota
6-4, 275, Jr., Alta, Iowa (Alta-Aurelia HS)
Gaes had 3.0 sacks, 5.0 tackles-for-loss and seven total tackles in leading South Dakota to a 24-0 win against St. Thomas Saturday. It was the first time the Tommies failed to score in nearly 12 years. Gaes became the second Coyote since 2001 to record five TFLs in one game. He is the second Coyote at the Division I level to record three sacks in a game. St. Thomas was limited to 166 yards of total offense.  His 5 TFLs are the most in the FCS in a game this year.


 
Co-Defensive Player of the Week
S PJ Jules, Southern Illinois
6-1, 209, Sr., Orlando, Fla. (Jones HS)
Jules was the leading tackler on an SIU defense that held Northern Illinois to an average of just 1.9 yards per carry in a 14-11 SIU win. Jules had 12 stops, including 2.5 tackles for loss. He was also instrumental in the passing game with a career-high three pass breakups, which moved him into 10th place all-time at SIU with 21 career PBUs. The Salukis became the first FCS school to beat an FBS opponent in 2023 and extended their streak of in-state wins to seven, including a victory at Northwestern in 2022.  One of his PBU’s was a key stop that came on 4th-and-5 at the SIU 47 with eight minutes left in the game.


 
Special Teams
K Griffin Crosa, North Dakota State
6-1, 177, Sr., Dublin, Ohio (Dublin Scioto HS)
Crosa converted three field goals and five extra-point kicks in North Dakota State’s 44-7 home win over Maine. Crosa connected from 27, 40 and 31 yards to help the Bison open a 9-0 lead in the first half. The five PATs extended his streak to 99 made in a row, eighth most in MVFC history.  His 14-point game is a league high for a kicker this season.


 
Newcomer of the Week
WR Griffin Wilde, South Dakota State
6-2, 190, Fr., Sioux Falls, S.D. (Jefferson HS)
Wilde scored the game-winning touchdown on a 35-yard catch and run with 1 minute and 30 seconds remaining as South Dakota State rallied for a 20-16 victory over third-ranked Montana State on Sept. 9. Wilde caught the ball at the line of scrimmage and slipped through a pair of arm tackles before outracing the rest of the Bobcat defense to the end zone. He ended the night with two catches for 49 yards and now has a touchdown reception in each of his first two collegiate games.


OTHERS NOMINATED:

WR Sergio Morancy, UNI -- Morancy recorded the second-most receiving yards in his career with a 120-yard performance against No. 9 Weber State on six catches, including a long of 31 yards and 57 total yards after contact. His performance accounted for 38.4% of UNI's aerial attack against the Wildcats and helped set up key scoring plays for the Panthers in the red zone. Morancy ranks second on the UNI roster in receiving yards behind only Sam Schnee (131) and eighth overall early in the league.

QB Jacob Clark, Missouri State -- In just his second collegiate start (first vs. FCS opponent), Clark racked up 370 yards of total offense to lead the Bears all the way back from a 24-7 halftime deficit at UT Martin with an amazing second-half surge. Clark finished with 332 passing yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions, including 274 aerial yards in the second half. 

QB Aidan Bouman, South Dakota -- Bouman completed 16-of-28 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns in South Dakota's win against St. Thomas. He threw a 30-yard touchdown to Jack Martens and a 3-yard score to JJ Galbreath

QB Tommy Schuster, North Dakota -- In the 37-22 win over Northern Arizona, Tommy Schuster went 21-for-30 passing for 259 yards and a touchdown. It was his 21st game of his career with 20-or-more completions and his second game of the season with 20+ completions. Schuster showed off his elusiveness and was only sacked once, also rushing six times for 12 yards. He put in the final touchdown for UND with his legs on a one-yard scamper to bring the tally to 37-9 in the fourth quarter. Schuster has now accounted for at least one touchdown in 23 of his last 25 games. 

QB Matt Morrissey, Western Illinois -- Went 23-of-41 for 205 yards and 1 touchdown against Illinois State on Saturday.

S Todric McGee, Missouri State -- McGee was Missouri State's top defender for the second straight week as he racked up a game-high 15 total tackles against UT Martin. The sophomore safety collected 8 solo stops, broke up 3 passes and had a QB hurry to spark the Bears defense in a valiant second-half comeback.

LB Ted Mullin, North Dakota -- In UND’s 37-22 win over NAU on Saturday, Ted Mullin recorded six tackles (all solo), a TFL and one quarterback hurry. He also had one of the most electric plays of the game, scooping up the ball on a Northern Arizona two-point conversion attempt and returning it the whole way for two points. With his points from the defensive two-point conversion, it helped shift momentum back to North Dakota with the score being 22-9 in favor of the Hawks at the time.

DB Bradyn Smith, Western Illinois -- Had a team and career-high 14 tackles and forced one fumble against Illinois State.

S Cole Wisniewski, North Dakota State -- Wisniewski had two interceptions on back-to-back defensive plays in the third quarter of North Dakota State’s 44-7 home win over Maine. The former linebacker had 26 return yards and made three tackles in his second game at strong safety. He was part of a defense that limited Maine to 85 yards in the first half and 140 yards through three quarters.

DB Maddix Blackwell, Indiana State - The redshirt sophomore was Indiana State’s leading tackler for the second consecutive game, while adding a 75-yard scoop-and-score for ISU’s points against Indiana on Friday night. Blackwell finished the evening with nine total tackles to pace both teams in the contest, while his fumble recovery marked the second consecutive game the safety has been a part of a turnover on the year. Blackwell’s 75-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown marked ISU’s first defensive score since Lucas Hunter returned a 15-yard fumble last season against Montana. Blackwell leads the Sycamores with 20 tackles on the season sitting with an average of 10.0 per game.

DB Edwin Dearman, UNI -- Dearman posted a game and career-high 12 tackle performance in UNI's home opener against No. 9 Weber State, the second-most by a defender in the MVFC this week. He also racked up one tackle for loss for a loss of five yards. Dearman currently leads the Panthers with 16 total tackles on the season, tied for fifth most in the league.

LB Saiveon Williamson, South Dakota State -- Williamson shared game-high honors with 10 tackles in South Dakota State’s 20-16 victory over third-ranked Montana State on Sept. 9 at a sold-out Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. One of Williamson’s tackles was an assisted stop with Aaron Kusler at the goal line after the Bobcats took over after a blocked punt at the SDSU 1-yard line. Montana State had to settle for a field goal on the drive, which tied the game at 13-all. 

S Keondre Jackson, Illinois State -- Jackson lived in the Western Illinois backfield on Saturday, as the Redbirds picked up a big road win to open MVFC play. The Freeport, Illinois, native set career highs in tackles (10), sacks (2) and tackles-for-loss (4) in the Redbirds’ 34-18 win over the Leathernecks. His final sack of the day came late in the fourth quarter for a loss of 10 yards and forced a 4th-and-long that resulted in a turnover on downs back to the Redbirds, who would drive back downfield for the game’s final score. Jackson’s two sacks were among seven on the day for the Redbirds, their in a game since 2019.

P Brendon Kilpatrick, Youngstown State -- Kipatrick had an impressive afternoon against Ohio State averaging 45 yards per punt on six attempts. He had punts of 58, 53, 44, 41 38 and 36 against the Buckeyes. His 58-yard boot was a career-long. He had three punts inside the OSU 10-yard line pinning the Buckeyes at the 10, nine and seven-yard lines.

P Tyler Ebel, South Dakota -- Ebel pinned three of his five punts inside the 20-yard line in South Dakota's 24-0 win against St. Thomas Saturday. He netted 40.0 yards per punt and had a long of 57.

P  Grant Burkett, Missouri State -- Missouri State's standout punter averaged 45.5 yards on four punts -- all in the first half -- to keep UT Martin within reach and give the Bears a chance in a near-miss road effort. He racked up a long of 55, three punts of 43+ yards, and one punt inside the 20 to flip the field.

WR Jay Parker -- Parker returned two punts for 53 yards, including a long of 45. Parker's lone kickoff return went for 42 yards. 

CB Marcus Sheppard, North Dakota State -- Sheppard made three tackles and recovered a fumble on the third play of the game in North Dakota State’s 44-7 home win over Maine. Sheppard gained five yards on the return, which led to an NDSU field goal. He was part of an NDSU defense that limited Maine to 85 yards in the first half and 140 yards through three quarters.

OL Donny Ventrelli, North Dakota -- Ventrelli helped North Dakota put up 448 yards of total offense in the 37-22 win over Northern Arizona on Saturday. With his blocking, the Hawks rushed for 150 yards and passed for 298. Tommy Schuster went 21-for-30 for 259 yards and a touchdown and was only sacked once in the contest.  During the week, Ventrelli graded out at 84 percent overall.

LT Jalen Sundell, North Dakota State -- Sundell graded out at 93% with zero sacks or pressures allowed in North Dakota State’s 44-7 home win over Maine. Sundell led the NDSU offense in physicality points against Maine and has helped the Bison average 300.5 rushing yards over the first two contests. NDSU scored five rushing touchdowns last week.

P Orion Phillips, Murray State -- At Louisville, Phillips punted 10 times for an average pf 43.7 yards per punt and booted his longest punt of the season with an effort of 55 yards. The MSU record for punts in a single game is 13, by Landon Stratton at Jacksonville State in 2017.

S Ubayd Steed, Southern Illinois -- Towson State transfer safety Ubayd Steed intercepted a Rocky Lombardi pass at the SIU 9 with 33 seconds left in the game to preserve a 14-11 SIU win. It was one of three interceptions in the game for the Saluki defense. Steed was also a key factor in run defense with six tackles, as Southern held Northern Illinois to an average of just 1.9 yards per carry.

DL Jake Saltonstall, North Dakota -- University of New Mexico transfer Jake Saltonstall helped the Hawks keep momentum before intermission in the 37-22 victory over the Lumberjacks. Josh Navratil slammed the doors shut on NAU’s final drive before intermission, recording a strip-sack of Kai Miller that Saltonstall recovered and returned 32 yards. Saltonstall had two tackles in the victory.

P Jared Campbell, Western Illinois -- Had seven punts, averaging 38 yards. Campbell had two punts of over 50 yards, including a long of 56. Campbell also had two punts downed inside the 10.