This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include QB DJ Williams of Southern Illinois; QB Jacob Clark of Missouri State; LB Garret Ollendieck of Indiana State; WR Keontez Lewis of Southern Illinois; P Hayden Futch of Illinois State; and C Chase Evans of Southern Illinois.



Co-Offensive Player of the Week
QB DJ Williams, Southern Illinois
6-3, 218, Jr., Harvey, Ill. (Thornton Township HS/Murray State)
Williams put on a show for the home crowd versus nationally ranked Incarnate Word, passing for 301 yards and rushing for 79 more, before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with an injury to his throwing hand, Williams had completed 19-of-27 passes with two touchdowns. He also added a 28-yard touchdown run and had a 50-yard run that set up another Saluki score, as SIU beat #12 Incarnate Word.



Co-Offensive Player of the Week
QB Jacob Clark, Missouri State
6-5, 220, Sr., Rockwall, Texas (Rockwall HS)
Clark broke a Missouri State single-game record for pass completion percentage by going 28-for-33 (84.8 percent) against Lindenwood in MSU's home opener while accounting for 302 passing yards. Clark engineered scoring drives on Missouri State's first three possessions, including two scoring passes -- a 32-yard strike to J’mariyae Robinson and a 10-yard pass to Lance Mason. Clark's third career 300-yard passing effort included completions to seven different receivers in a game in which the Bears did not turn the ball over and racked up 476 total yards.  He completed his first 11 passes to start the game; Also had a streak of 14 straight completions later in the game.  The 14-straight completions are tied for 13th-best all-time in MVFC history.



Defensive Player of the Week
LB Garret Ollendieck, Indiana State
6-2, 230, Sr., Cresco, Iowa (Crestwood HS/Iowa Central Community College)
Ollendieck set a new career-high with 16 tackles and added his second collegiate touchdown with a 12-yard scoop-and-score in the second quarter to help propel Indiana State to the 24-13 win over Dayton. He had five tackles and the fumble recovery for a touchdown over the first half, before turning it on in the second half of ISU’s strong defensive performance. He posted 11 tackles over the final 30 minutes including five tackles on a critical Dayton drive in the fourth quarter that ended on downs inside Indiana State territory. His 16 tackles were the most by a Sycamore player since Rylan Cole recorded 18 tackles back on Oct. 8, 2022, against North Dakota State. Ollendieck’s scoop-and-score made it a two-possession game midway through the second quarter in Indiana State’s first win of the 2024 season. He currently leads the MVFC with 11.7 tackles per game.



Newcomer of the Week
WR Keontez Lewis, Southern Illinois
6-2, 190, Jr., East St. Louis, Ill. (East St. Louis HS/Wisconsin)
Lewis led SIU’s high-powered offense that generated 547 total yards. The Wisconsin transfer caught eight passes for 148 yards, including a 37-yard TD strike that put the Salukis on the board in the first quarter. He also had a 57-yard touchdown run to put him over 200 yards of total offense for the game, as SIU beat #12 Incarnate Word.   His 205 all-purpose yards were second-best in the MVFC last weekend and tops among first-year MVFC players.



Special Teams Player of the Week 
P Hayden Futch, Illinois State
6-1, 175, RFr., Valdosta, Ga. (Berrien HS)
Futch put up career numbers for Illinois State in its 51-34 win over in-state rival Western Illinois. The Valdosta, Ga., native averaged a career-best 54 yards per punt on four attempts in the win against the Leathernecks and pinned WIU inside its own 20-yard line twice. His first punt of the day was his longest at 63 yards (also a career long) and he followed that with one for 56 yards that was fair caught by the WIU returner. His third and final 50-plus yard punt of the game was his last of the contest, which went for 56 yards and was downed at the WIU 13 yard line to pin them deep once again.



Offensive Lineman of the Week
C Chase Evans, Southern Illinois
6-4, 300, Sr., Mason, Ohio (William Mason HS)
Evans graded out at 91 percent on blocking assignments with five knockdowns and no sacks allowed in SIU’s 35-28 win over No. 12 Incarnate Word. The Salukis totaled 543 yards of offense, surpassing 300 yards through the air and 200 yards on the ground. A senior, Evans leads SIU with 41 career starts.



OTHERS NOMINATED

QB Cam Miller, North Dakota State -- Miller scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard run with 50 seconds left in the game and completed a 2-point conversion pass to lift North Dakota State to a 38-35 win at East Tennessee State. Miller finished 21 of 33 passing for 250 yards and one touchdown while rushing 15 times for 47 yards and two TDs, tying former NDSU quarterback Easton Stick’s conference record of 41 career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Miller passed for 157 yards in the fourth quarter, including a 38-yard completion under pressure on 4th-and-10 with 2:20 left in the game and the Bison down by 12. He has gone nine games and 174 passing attempts without an interception.

WR Bo Belquist, North Dakota -- Belquist led North Dakota with eight receptions for 165 yards and a touchdown in the 52-28 win over Idaho State. With his eight receptions, Belquist broke the UND Division I record for receptions in a career, bringing his total up to 224. He broke the record of Greg Hardin (2010-13), who hauled in 216 receptions in his career. Belquist’s 165 yards receiving was a new career best. He also had the most receiving yards by a UND player since Greg Hardin put up 179 yards at UC Davis on Nov. 16, 2013.

RB Jacardia Wright, Missouri State -- Wright logged his third career 100-yard rushing game and racked up a game-high and career-high 208 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns to pace Missouri State's win on Saturday. The standout running back averaged 6.8 yards per carry with scoring efforts of three and four-yards to put the win on ice. He also averaged 13.5 yards per catch with five receptions for 65 yards (60 yards after catch) with a long of 27. He was instrumental in 26 of MSU's 68 plays on the evening.  Saturday marked his sixth career game scoring multiple touchdowns

QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State -- Rittenhouse had another solid game for the Redbirds in their 51-34 win over in-state rival Western Illinois. The Geneva, Illinois, native completed 72 percent of his passes (16-of-22) for 201 yards and two touchdowns while also running for another in the Redbirds’ first home game of the season. On the first drive of the game, Rittenhouse connected on a 59-yard strike to Xavier Loyd for a touchdown and on the next offensive drive for the Redbirds, he called his own number and ran it in from six yards out for the score. His final touchdown pass of the day came to one of his favorite targets, as Daniel Sobkowicz caught a 23-yard TD early in the fourth quarter to give ISU a 16 point lead at the time.

DB Devin Hembry, North Dakota -- In the 52-28 victory over Idaho State, Devin Hembry helped the Fighting Hawks jump out to an early lead, intercepting a pass at the UND 8 and returning it 92 yards for a pick-six to bring the score to 14-0 early. Hembry also also had three solo tackles and two pass breakups in the win.

LB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State -- Niekamp was all over the field for the Redbirds in their 51-34 win over Western Illinois at Hancock Stadium on Saturday. The Normal, Illinois, native finished the game with 10 tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, two pass breakups and an interception against the Leathernecks. He was one of three Redbirds with 10 or more tackles in the contest.

LB Tahj Chambers, Missouri State -- He tallied a career-high 13 tackles in MSU's victory over visiting Lindenwood in its home opener. had 4 solo stops, 1.5 tackles for loss and a QB hurry for a team-high tackle total. Chambers was instrumental in stopping the run, as Lindenwood was held to 127 rushing yards on the night, while the Bears defense capitalized on a balanced pass rush to force three second-half turnovers that preserved the win.

LB James Camden, Murray State -- Camden impressed in week three, leading the Racers defense with 12 tackles and three pass break-ups in the 59-8 win over Mississippi Valley State. The redshirt senior also had a tackle for loss and a half sack in the performance. Camden now leads the Racers with 24 tackles on the year with 14 solo stops.

S Jorge Valdes, Indiana State -- Valdes set the tone for the Indiana State defense on Saturday evening as the redshirt freshman stepped in front of a Dayton pass at the Sycamores’ 10-yard line late in the first quarter. Valdes weaved his way through the Dayton offense on his way to a 90-yard pick-six utilizing a late Maddix Blackwell block to go in for the score. His 90-yard pick-six marked Indiana State’s first pick-six since Garret Ollendieck went 26-yards on a score last season at Illinois State, while the 90-yard return was the longest by a Sycamore since Travis Starks took one back 100 yards against SEMO back on Sept. 19, 2015. Valdes finished the game with a season-high four tackles in addition to his interception return.

WR Xavier Loyd, Illinois State -- Loyd caught his first touchdown in an ISU uniform and led the Redbirds in receiving in their 51-34 win over Western Illinois. The newcomer from Kansas State got off to a quick start as he hauled in a 59-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Rittenhouse on the first drive of the game to give his team the early lead. Loyd would go on to finish the game with four catches for 85 yards to lead the Redbirds.

LB Riley Gerhardt, North Dakota -- In the 52-28 win over Idaho State, Riley Gerhardt recorded a strip-sack and a fumble recovery late in the first half that led to a Gaven Ziebarth touchdown reception to make the score 38-0 before intermission. 

P Kaedin Steindorf, North Dakota State -- Steindorf executed an onside kick to get North Dakota State the football back with 1:57 left as the Bison erased a 12-point deficit to beat East Tennessee State 38-35 on the road. Steindorf’s kick went 10 yards, hit an ETSU player, and was recovered by NDSU safety Darius Givance. The Bison went 58 yards in six plays for the go-ahead score. It was the first successful onside kick for the Bison since 2005 when NDSU came back from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to beat UC Davis.

PK James London, Murray State -- London set a new career-high with a 54-yard field goal in the Racers 59-8 victory over Mississippi Valley State, tying him for the longest FG in the MVFC this season. The Miami, Florida native also went 8-8 on PATs in the contest. London now holds three of the 20 longest field goals in MSU history and two of the four longest field goals in the MVFC this season

P Harry Traum, Indiana State -- Traum consistently flipped the field on Saturday evening against Dayton as the junior punter connected on nine punts for a career-high 393 yards, and added a 67-yard punt in the first quarter as one of his four punts that was downed inside the 20-yard line on the evening. Traum, an Aussie-style punter, utilized both traditional and Australian-style punts to stymie the Dayton return game on his way to posting a career-high 43.7 YPA average over the contest with punts downed at the Dayton 12, 20, 7, and 12. The Sycamore coverage until allowed just one return for two yards in the contest. Traum, also the Indiana State holder, was perfect on all four ISU field goal/point-after attempts on the day.

Jake Pope, Illinois State  -- Pope was the highest graded Redbird lineman in the team’s 51-34 victory over Western Illinois on Saturday. He graded out at 86 percent and did not allow a sack to the Leathernecks, as the Redbirds put up 50-plus points for the first time since 2018. the Redbird rushing attack averaged 5.4 yards per carry on the day and scored four times on the ground, led by Wenkers Wright’s second-straight 100-plus yard effort.

RT Seth Anderson, North Dakota -- Anderson’s blocking helped North Dakota pile up 442 yards of offense in the 52-28 thrashing of Idaho State. With the help of his blocking, Simon Romfo went 25-for-38 passing for 287 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Bengals only got to Romfo twice and Romfo’s 287 yards through the air are the most for a UND QB since Tommy Schuster threw for 292 yards in the 34-31 win over Abilene Christian on Oct. 29, 2022. With the help of Anderson’s blocking, Bo Belquist also hauled in eight grabs for a career best 165 yards and a touchdown. With Belquist’s eight receptions, he broke the UND Division I record for receptions in a career and is now up to 224. He broke the record of Greg Hardin (2010-13), who hauled in 216 receptions in his UND career.  On the ground, NoDak for 155 yards on 38 attempts. Sawyer Seidl led the rushing attack with 50 yards on 10 attempts and a touchdown. Donavan Hunt was the next-best rusher with 48 yards on three carries and a score. Seidl, Hunt, Isaiah Smith and Gaven Ziebarth each scored one rushing touchdown in the win.  Anderson graded out at 80 percent with two knock downs.

RT Grant Goodson, Missouri State -- In his third start of the young season, Goodson helped Missouri State rack up 476 yards of total offense from his right tackle position. He graded out at 97 percent on his assignment grade and technique grade for the week along with a 94-percent effort grade from the coaching staff. He allowed zero pressures in pass protection and also boasted three knockdown blocks on the evening. The Bears also amassed 28 first downs and maintained more than 36 minutes in possession time in Saturday’s home victory.