This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include QB Jacob Clark of Missouri State; CB Caleb Blake of Missouri State; K/P Ian Wagner of Illinois State; RB Jayden Becks of Missouri State; and LT Hunter Zambrano of Illinois State.
 
Offensive Player of the Week
QB Jacob Clark, Missouri State
6-5, 226, Jr., Rockwall, Texas (Rockwall HS / Minnesota)
Clark passed for 414 yards and matched a school-record with 5 touchdowns to lead Missouri State to a 59-14 win over visiting Utah Tech in the Bears' home opener. He was 17-for-21 for 356 yards in the first half alone with 4 TD tosses to push the Bears ahead 38-14 at the game's midway point. He finished his third college start with a 19-for-26 day overall with no interceptions and the second-highest passing yardage total in program history, engineering six consecutive MSU scoring drives (with five TD's) in the heart of the game.


 
Defensive Player of the Week
CB Caleb Blake, Missouri State
6-0, 187, Jr., Winter Haven, Fla. (Bishop Moore HS / Florida State)
MoState's standout cornerback had an elite effort in MoState's 59-14 home win over Utah Tech, registering 5 total tackles, an interception and 3 pass break-ups in his first start of the season. Blake picked off a Utah Tech pass on the first play of the second half to set up a Missouri State touchdown for his first career pick. Blake also had a 7-yard tackle for loss in the standout performance.   Blake’s receivers were targeted 10 times, and he only gave up 3 receptions (total 23 yards).


 
Special Teams Player of the Week
K/P Ian Wagner, Illinois State
6-2, 215, So., Sierra Vista, Ariz. (O’Fallon [Ill.] HS)
Redbird punter/kicker Ian Wagner did it all for the Redbirds in their 48-17 win over Lindenwood. The sophomore from Arizona handled punting, kickoff and placekicking duties for ISU and had strong performances in each area. Despite not having many opportunities to punt because of an explosive Redbird offense, he did average 43.5 yards per punt on two attempts with a long of 51 yards. He also recorded six touchbacks on eight kickoff attempts for the Redbirds and was 6-for-7 on extra point attempts, with the lone miss coming off a blocked from the edge rusher.
 


Newcomer of the Week
RB Jayden Becks, Missouri State
5-11, 185, Fr., Waxahachie, Texas (Waxahachie HS)
The Bears' true freshman running back was a spark off the bench for MoState with 21.7 yards per carry, a touchdown and the team's two longest plays of the game. Becks had a 50-yard touchdown rush in the fourth quarter for his first career score, capping an eight-play touchdown drive. He also was a cornerstone in team's longest passing play of the game, highlighting a 51-yard pass play from Jacob Clark to set up another MSU score two plays later. Becks finished with 134 yards on 5 all-purpose plays (3 rushes, 2 receptions) in an incredible home debut.



Offensive Lineman of the Week 
LT Hunter Zambrano, Illinois State
6-5, 300, Jr., Weston, Florida (University HS)
Redbird left tackle Hunter Zambrano had another strong performance anchoring the Redbird offensive line in their 48-17 win over Lindenwood. The junior from Florida was the top graded offensive lineman for ISU and was not credited with a sack, as the offense exploded for 521 yards of total offense for the first time since 2019. Zambrano and crew also helped the Redbirds rush for over 200 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, as backs averaged 5.0 yards per carry. The Redbird quarterbacks also had solid days, combining to complete 81 percent of their passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns in the dominant win over the Lions.


OTHERS NOMINATED

QB Zack Annexstad, Illinois State -- Annexstad was in full control of the Redbird offense from the get-go in Illinois State’s 48-17 win over Lindenwood. The Norseland, Minnesota, native had the best game of his career as a Redbird since transferring Minnesota prior to the 2022 season, throwing for a career-best 288 and accounting for three touchdowns in the win over the Lions. Annexstad completed 78.7 percent of his passes (26-of-33) with two passing scores and added a touchdown on the ground. His big strike of the day came on a 62-yard touchdown connection to Dan Sobkowicz in the second quarter.

S Keondre Jackson, Illinois State -- Jackson had another a strong game for the Redbird defense in their 48-17 win over Lindenwood. The junior from Freeport, Illinois, tied for the team lead with seven tackles and recovered a crucial fumble in the second half that led to an import insurance touchdown. The Redbird secondary helped limit Lindenwood to just 192 and just 13 completions in the game.

Juan DelaCruz, Western Illinois -- Had a team-high 10 tackles in Saturday's loss to Southern Utah. DelaCruz had a sack and a pair of tackles for loss for the Leathernecks.

Jaylin Jackson, Western Illinois -- Jackson had seven catches for 94 yards. Jackson added a 44-yard touchdown reception in Saturday's game at Southern Utah. 

RB Josh Robinson, Illinois State -- Robinson made the most of his opportunity in Illinois State’s 48-17 victory over Lindenwood on Saturday. The Bolingbrook, Illinois, native got an opportunity because of injuries for the Redbirds at the running back spot and did not disappoint, as he ran for team-best 84 yards on eight carries with a rushing touchdown. Robinson averaged 10.5 yards per rush against the Lions, with his long run of 37 yards setting up a 2-yard touchdown run by Zack Annexstad in the fourth quarter.