This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include QB Nic Baker of Southern Illinois; S Cole Wisniewski of North Dakota State; P Kaedin Steindorf of North Dakota State; RB Tyshon King of Youngstown State; and LT Easton Kilty of North Dakota.
 
Offensive Player of the Week
QB Nic Baker, Southern Illinois
5-9, 202, Sr., Rochester, Ill. (Rochester HS)
Baker completed 16-of-23 passes for 219 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions in a 49-23 win over Austin Peay, a team also receiving votes in the preseason top-25 rankings. The Salukis led 35-0 until pulling their starters midway through the third quarter. Baker added five carries for 16 yards and became the school’s career record holder in completions with 574. He surpassed Saluki Hall of Fame QB Joel Sambursky.
 


Defensive Player of the Week
S Cole Wisniewski, North Dakota State
6-4, 217, Sr., Sparta, Wis. (Sparta HS)
A former linebacker, Wisniewski made a game- and career-high 11 tackles and recorded his first career interception as North Dakota State’s starting strong safety in a 35-10 win over Eastern Washington. Wisniewski made seven solo tackles and also had one pass breakup.


 
Special Teams Player of the Week
P Kaedin Steindorf, North Dakota State
6-1, 201, Jr., Sherwood, Ore. (Sherwood HS)
Steindorf led all MVFC punters this week with an average of 47.2 yards per punt in North Dakota State’s 35-10 win over Eastern Washington. He pinned the Eagles inside the 20 on three of his four attempts and had a long of 49 yards. Steindorf also handled all six kickoffs for NDSU with an average of 62.0 yards and two touchbacks, and was the holder on five successful PAT kicks.


 
Newcomer of the Week
RB Tyshon King, Youngstown State
5-10, 210, Sr., Kanakee, Ill. (Bishop McNamara HS/Northern Michigan)
In his YSU debut, King rushed for 111 yards and had two touchdowns in the Penguins’ 52-10 win over Valparaiso. King scored on a 62-yard run in the first quarter before adding a one-yard score in the fourth period. 

Offensive Lineman of the Week
LT Easton Kilty, North Dakota
Jr., 6-5, 305 (Stratford, Wis.)
Kilty helped the Fighting Hawks rack up 652 yards of total offense in the 55-7 win over Drake on Saturday. With the help of his blocking, North Dakota registered 364 yards through the air and 288 yards on the ground. It is the most offensive yardage put up by the Fighting Hawks since Oct. 23, 2021, when North Dakota put up 607 yards of total offense in a 34-10 win over Western Illinois. Quarterbacks Tommy Schuster (22-for-26, 262 yards, 3 TD’s) and Trey Feeney (4-for-5, 102 yds, 1 TD) both threw for over 100 yards in the contest.  During the week, Kilty graded out at 76 percent overall. He had 88 percent on assignment, 67 percent on technique and 74 percent on his finish.


OTHERS NOMINATED:

WR Bo Belquist, North Dakota -- In the 55-7 win over Drake on Saturday, Bo Belquist hauled in seven receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Belquist recorded a nine-yard touchdown grab to put UND up 14-0 with 5:20 left before intermission. Late in the third quarter, Belquist caught a pass from Schuster at the DU 25 and then put the defense on skates, breaking five tackles before finding the end zone to put North Dakota up 34-0.  With the 110 yards receiving, Belquist put together his fourth 100-yard receiving game of his career in the win. It was also just his third two-touchdown game of his career.

QB Zack Annexstad, Illinois State -- Annexstad and the Redbird offense came out firing and scored on five of the first six drives of the game in a 41-0 rout of Dayton in the season opener. The sixth-year senior completed finished the game 23-for-30 (76.6 percent) while throwing for 255 yards and a touchdown, highlighted by a 47-yard touchdown strike to wideout Daniel Sobkowicz in the first quarter. 

QB Mark Gronowski, South Daokta State -- Gronowski led South Dakota State on touchdown drives on each of its first three possessions in a 45-7 season-opening victory over Western Oregon on Aug. 31. He ended the night 8-of-10 passing for 121 yards and a touchdown, while adding two carries for 11 yards and a score on the ground. It marked the 15th time in 26 career starts in which Gronowski passed and ran for touchdowns in the same game. 
 
QB Cam Miller, North Dakota State -- Miller accounted for 257 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in North Dakota State’s 35-10 win over Eastern Washington. Miller completed passes with six different receivers and finished 18 of 25 for 174 yards with touchdown passes of 7 and 3 yards to tight end Joe Stoffel. He averaged 9.2 yards per carry rushing nine times for 83 yards including a 14-yard TD.

WR Taylor Shields, Murray State -- Shields picked up where he finished last season as he hauled in two catches that both went for touchdowns. The redshirt junior hauled in his first catch of the season for an 18-yard score before breaking open a 51-yard trip to the end zone. The 2022 all-conference performer now has seven touchdown grabs in his last 12 games. Shields was the lone receiver in the game to find the end zone as he averaged 34.5 yards per catch in the Racers 41-10 victory over Presbyterian.

CB Myles Harden, South Dakota -- Harden notched his first interception of the season and returned it 23 yards to setup the Coyotes’ lone touchdown in Thursday’s contest at Missouri. It was Harden’s sixth collegiate interception. He was also credited with four tackles, all solo, including one for loss.

ILB Nick Walker, Murray State -- Walker shined bright for the Murray State defense in week one as he led the team with seven tackles. The linebacker picked up two tackles for loss along with his second career sack as the Racers held Presbyterian to just 196 yards of total offense. MSU held the Blue Hose to a sub-100 yard day on the ground ( 97 yards) and through the air (99 yards).

S Tucker Large, South Dakota State -- Large returned an interception 64 yards for a touchdown and added a solo tackle in South Dakota State’s 45-7 victory over Western Oregon on Aug. 31. Large’s interception return for TD was the second of the game for the top-ranked Jackrabbits, pushing their lead to 28-0 early in the second quarter. Large also returned a punt 25 yards in the contest. 

S Todric McGee, Missouri State -- McGee matched a career-high and logged a game-high 12 total tackles in Missouri State's season opener at FBS Kansas. McGee also matched a career-high with 10 solo tackles in the contest, in which the Bears stayed within 10 points of the Jayhawks until late in the fourth quarter. McGee also recovered a key fumble in the first quarter that led to Missouri State's first touchdown of the season. Six of his total tackles came in clutch situations on second and third down.

S Maddix Blackwell, Indiana State -- Blackwell posted the first double-digit tackling game of his collegiate career and added an interception in Indiana State’s Thursday night loss to Eastern Illinois. The redshirt sophomore safety came through with a career-high 11 tackles to pass the ISU defense and added a late interception and 35-yard return ending an EIU drive inside Indiana State territory.

LB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State -- Starting in his first career game at middle linebacker, Tye Niekamp led the Redbird defense with a strong effort in a 41-0 win over the Dayton Flyers. The redshirt freshman from Normal, Illinois, was forced into action due to injury and made the most of his opportunity by leading the team with nine tackles, a half sack and two tackles for loss in the victory over Dayton. Niekamp was also credited with a pass breakup in the shutout win, which was the first for ISU since a 46-0 win in the 2018 season opener against Saint Xavier.

LB Ted Mullin, North Dakota -- North Dakota scored 27 unanswered points in the third quarter and defeated Drake 55-7 inside the Alerus Center on Saturday. Ted Mullin helped jumpstart the third quarter scoring with an interception off a pass deflection, which set up the second touchdown of the quarter for the Hawks.  In the game, Mullin had three total tackles, a half a TFL and an interception.

LB Branson Combs, Southern Illinois -- Combs had five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack to help lead a Saluki defense that did not surrender a first down to Austin Peay until four minutes remained in the second quarter. SIU’s run defense allowed just 39 yards, as the Salukis built a 35-0 third quarter lead. SIU had 10.0 TFLs and 4.0 sacks and forced three turnovers.

LB Alex Howard, Youngstown State -- Howard had a game-high nine tackles, including a career-best eight solo stops and three TFLs in the Penguins 52-10 season opening win over Valparaiso. YSU held the Beacons to just 40 yards rushing on 26 attempts.

DB Bradyn Smith, Western Illinois -- Smith had a career-high 13 tackles, seven solo, in Western's opener at New Mexico State.

DB Jaylen Castleberry, Youngstown State -- Castleberry returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in the Penguins’ 52-10 win over Valparaiso at Stambaugh Stadium. Earlier in the third quarter, the short seven-yard TD return ignited the Penguins who were leading 17-10 at the time. He finished with three tackles on the evening in his YSU debut after sitting out as a transfer last season. 

K/P Ian Wagner, Illinois State -- Wagner did it all for the Redbirds in their 41-0 victory over Dayton, serving as the team’s primary placekicker and punter in the victory for ISU. The sophomore scored a total of 11 points for the Redbirds, going 5-for-5 on extra point attempts and was 2-for-2 in field goal tries. Wagner connected on field goals from 28 yards in the second quarter and from 43 yards in the third quarter in what would be a very busy day. He also averaged 32.3 yards per punt on three attempts, with a long of 44 yards while also handling kickoff duties for the Redbirds.

RB Donavan Hunt, North Dakota -- Donavan Hunt, a transfer from Jackson State, recorded three rushes for 65 yards and two touchdowns in the 55-7 win over Drake. Hunt scored on a seven-yard rush late in the third quarter to extend the Fighting Hawk lead to 41-0. He would also score UND’s final touchdown of the game on a 58-yard rush.

RB Jaelin Benefield, Southern Illinois -- Eastern Illinois transfer Jaelin Benefield caught three passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. He also added six carries for 15 yards. His 54-yard TD catch in the third quarter put SIU up, 35-0, after which Southern pulled most of its starters.

QB Matt Morrissey , Western Illinois -- Morrissey, making his first start for his new team, completed 16-of-30 passes for 215 yards and two TDs in the Leatherneck opener at New Mexico State.

WR Griffin Wilde, South Dakota State -- Wilde opened the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown reception and ended his collegiate debut with team bests of four receptions and 79 receiving yards in South Dakota State’s 45-7 win over Western Oregon on Aug. 31. Wilde added a second 31-yard reception in the second half to set up a Jackrabbit field goal. 

OG Evan Beerntsen, South Dakota State -- Beerntsen graded at 88 percent and recorded five knockdown blocks in the Jackrabbits' 45-7 season-opening win over Western Oregon. SDSU finished with nearly a 50-50 split in total offense, rushing for 209 yards and passing for 194 yards.