This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include QB Jacob Clark of Missouri State; LB Gary Bryant III of South Dakota; QB Elijah Owens of Indiana State; RB/KR Angel Johnson of South Dakota State; and C Gus Miller of South Dakota State.



Offensive Player of the Week
QB Jacob Clark, Missouri State
6-5, 220, Sr., Rockwall, Texas (Rockwall HS) 
Clark led the Bears to a one-sided road win at No. 16-ranked Illinois State with the third-highest passing total of his career. Clark completed 24-of-31 passes for 343 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win. The victory marked MSU's first road victory against a ranked foe since 2021 (No. 7 SIU) with Clark leading the Bears scores in five of their first seven drives of the afternoon in Normal. The Bears led 17-0 after the opening quarter; 24-0 at the half; and 31-0 midway through the third. Clark completed eight straight passes in the second half before giving way to backup Brock Bagozzi in the fourth quarter. 



Defensive Player of the Week
LB Gary Bryant III, South Dakota
6-1, 230, R-So., Baltimore, Md (Good Counsel HS)
Bryant continued to lead the USD defense with 11 total tackles in the Dakota Days rout of Northern Iowa (42-17), which was tied for the game-high. To end a UNI threat right before the half, he secured his first-career interception to keep the Panthers off the board and keep it 28-10 with the momentum firmly with South Dakota. The sophomore was also living in the backfield, recording a tackle for loss as the Coyote defense held the Panthers to just 56 rushing yards. His team-best 47 tackles also sits top-10 in the MVFC in both total tackles and tackles per game. 



Newcomer of the Week
QB Elijah Owens, Indiana State
6-2, 225, R-Fr., Jacksonville, Ill. (Jacksonville HS)
Owens led Indiana State to the 31-27 win over Murray State on Saturday afternoon as he went 25-of-34 through the air for 218 yards and a touchdown pass, while adding 13 carries for 46 yards and another touchdown on the ground. Owens connected with Kai Rios on an 18-yard touchdown pass on Indiana State’s opening drive of the game, the first opening drive score for the Sycamores this season. Two drives later, Owens found the end zone with a two-yard touchdown carry giving Indiana State the 21-7 first-half lead. After Murray State rallied back to take a 27-24 lead with 1:57 remaining, Owens helmed the nine-play, 75-yard game-winning drive. The Jacksonville, Ill. native completed a pair of short passes to Rashad Rochelle, before moving the chains himself with 22 rushing yards on the drive to set up Rocco Ciocca’s game-winning touchdown plunge. Owens targeted and completed passes to nine different receivers in the win.



Special Teams Player of the Week
RB/KR Angel Johnson, South Dakota State
5-9, 195, Jr., Viborg, S.D. (Viborg-Hurley HS)
Johnson returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, setting the tone in South Dakota State’s 63-13 Hobo Day victory over Youngstown Stat on Oct. 12. Johnson’s kickoff return for TD was the first by a Jackrabbit since 2017.  For the game, Johnson tallied 114 yards on two kickoffs and added 42 rushing yards on three carries en route to a single-game career-high 156 all-purpose yards.



Offensive Lineman of the Week
C Gus Miller, South Dakota State
6-3, 295, Sr., Brookings, S.D. (Brookings HS)
Miller graded at 90 percent with five pancake blocks for a Jackrabbit offensive line that paved the way for SDSU to rush for 404 yards in a 63-13 victory over Youngstown State on Oct. 12. The Jackrabbits totaled 557 yards of offense and allowed only one tackle for loss in the game en route to averages of 16.2 yards per rush and 13 yards per play. SDSU's rushing total was its highest since racking up 446 yards on the ground in a 2021 FCS playoff game against UC Davis. 


OTHERS NOMINATED

QB Chase Mason, South Dakota State -- Mason rushed for a career-high 161 yards on only five carries and accounted for three touchdowns in helping spark the top-ranked Jackrabbits to a 63-13 Hobo Day victory over Youngstown State on Oct. 12. Mason took a handoff for a 38-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, then added a 48-yard touchdown run up the middle in the second quarter. Mason added a 69-yard run early in the fourth quarter that set up his 4-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Preston.  For the game, Mason averaged 32.2 yards per carry and was 2-for-2 passing for 12 yards. As a team, SDSU rushed for 404 yards.
 
QB Aidan Bouman, South Dakota -- Bouman (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.) hit a new season-best with 284 passing yards in the 42-17 win over (RV) Northern Iowa on Dakota Days. He was 17-for-20 (85.0%) through the air with a long of 49 yards, plus tying his season-best with a pair of touchdown passes. The 49-yard completion resulted in a touchdown as the Coyote offense put up 42 points for the fourth-straight game and eclipsed 500 yards of total offense for the third-straight game. 

DT Eli Mostaert, North Dakota State -- Mostaert made six total tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and one of NDSU’s four sacks in a 24-3 road win over Southern Illinois. Four of Mostaert’s six tackles were for zero or lost yardage. The Bison limited SIU to 4 of 10 on third down and 35 net yards rushing.

S Tavier Williams, Missouri State -- In his first career start, the senior safety snagged two second-half interceptions (for 29 yards) in MSU's win at No. 16 Illinois State and led the squad with a career-high 8 total tackles in the 41-7 victory. Williams' second pick of the game set up a fourth-quarter touchdown for Missouri State four plays later and put the game out of reach. Filling in for the injured Todric McGee, the ULM transfer had four stops on third down in the contest.

LB Garret Ollendieck, Indiana State -- Ollendieck notched his fourth double-digit tackling effort of the 2024 season as the Cresco, Iowa native posted a game-high 12 stops and added 2.5 tackles-for-loss in the win against Murray State. Ollendieck was active throughout the conference as the MVFC’s leading tackler coming into the game recorded seven solo tackles including a drive-ending stop in the backfield in the first quarter, as well as teaming up with Kendrick Milford for another three-yard TFL in the second quarter at the INS 31. He saved his best play for the end of the game as he posted tackles on three consecutive plays inside the Indiana State 20 yard line, one that saved a Murray State go-ahead touchdown, while the other two stopped the ball at the line of scrimmage on 2nd- and 3rd-and-1 from the Indiana State 9 that led to a Murray State field goal attempt. Ollendieck remains among the national leaders in tackles per game with 11.5 per contest.

WR Justice Hill, Murray State -- Hill became the first Racers wide out with 100+ yards in a game since September of 2022. The Little Rock, Arkansas native hauled in seven catches for 103 yards and a touchdown in the matchup vs. Indiana State. Hill is the Racers leading receiver this season with 223 yards on the year.

RB CharMar Brown, North Dakota State -- Brown had a game-high 20 carries and 95 yards rushing with one touchdown in North Dakota State’s 24-3 road win over Southern Illinois. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry and scored on a 9-yard run in the fourth quarter. NDSU’s leading rusher with 544 yards and seven TDs, he has lost only nine yards on 115 attempts this year.

WR Dash Luke, Missouri State -- Luke had a team-high 6 pass receptions for a career-high 88 yards in Saturday's win at No. 16 Illinois State. Luke's 88 all-purpose yards led Missouri State, which pulled off its largest margin of victory against the Redbirds since 1989.

P Grant Burkett, Missouri State -- Missouri State's standout punter averaged 53.7 yards on three punt attempts to help the Bears to a 41-7 road win at No. 16 Illinois State on Saturday. His career-long 78-yard punt in the fourth quarter was one yard shy of the program record, while all three of his attempts were downed inside the 20. Likewise, all three of his punt attempts were 42 yards or greater. Burkett was also MSU's holder on all five (successful)PAT attempts and both (successful) field goals on the afternoon.

C Cash Hudson, Missouri State -- Hudson was pivotal in Missouri State's road win at No. 16 Illinois State on Saturday, anchoring a Bears' offensive line that produced 468 total yards, including 358 passing yards. In 70 plays, Hudson did not allow any pressures or sacks, while grading out at 100 percent from the coaching staff in assignment, 98 percent in effort and 94 percent in technique.  The Bears racked up a season-high 41 points in the victory and logged their second-highest offensive output of the season.