Missouri Valley Football Weekly Notebook - 10-14-2025 - Missouri Valley Football Conference

Missouri Valley Football Weekly Notebook - 10-14-2025

UND's Malachi McNeal Earns Stats Perform FCS Football National Award -- Click Here
7 Different MVFC Teams Ranked in Top 25 This Week -- Click Here
Dakota Marker Game Returning To Prime Time National Television -- Click Here
Valley Football Announces Weekly Player Honors -- Click Here

Saturday, Oct. 18
*#1/1 NDSU at Indiana State [ABC ND/ESPN+]	12 PM CT
*#22/RV South Dakota at UNI [ESPN+]	1 PM CT
*#9/11 UND at #12/12 Southern Illinois [ESPN+]	2 PM CT
*RV/#25 YSU at #10/9 Illinois St. [Marquee/ESPN+]	2 PM CT
*#2/2 SDSU at Murray State [ESPN+]	6 PM CT

FCS rankings listed are Stats Perform/AFCA Coaches polls;
*denotes MVFC contest

Ranked vs. Ranked -- This week, there are two MVFC games that feature ranked teams playing one another. In Conference history, there have been 249 games in which two league teams ranked in the top 25 played one another. Of those previous 249 games, 73 times the meeting involved teams that were both ranked in the Top 10 at the same time. Twenty meetings have occurred in the playoffs. The home team is 140-107 in those games; the higher-ranked team is 159-89. Those figures include two neutral-site games, and one game in which the teams were both No. 25
Winning Against No. 1 -- Indiana State is looking to earn the league’s 23rd MVFC victory against a No. 1 team as it hosts NDSU on Saturday. Thirteen of the previous 22 MVFC wins vs. a top-ranked team have been league games. MVFC programs have a 9-15 all-time mark against non-conference No. 1-ranked teams
And Then There Were Eight -- Only eight FCS programs enter this weekend with unblemished records -- two of those eight are from the MVFC.

South Dakota Unveils Native American Heritage Helmet -- On November 1, South Dakota will celebrate the Native Heritage Day football game as the Coyotes host North Dakota. In collaboration with USD’s Native Student Services, the football team will wear custom helmet decals designed by Sadie Red Wing (Spirit Lake Dakota). The helmet will feature the word Sungmanitu, which is Lakota for Coyote, as well as a design along the top that represents the Oceti Sakowin, more commonly known as the Seven Council Fires.
Another National Honor -- For the sixth time this season an MVFC player has earned National Player of the Week honors from Stats Perform. LB Malachi McNeal of UND earned the organization’s top defensive honor. McNeal collected 10 tackles, including nine solos, as North Dakota defeated Youngstown State 34-17.
Home Sweet Home -- Three Missouri Valley Football Conference programs are among the national FCS leaders for consecutive home victories (active streaks). South Dakota State has the nation’s longest streak with 33-straight wins.
Two MVFC Teams Start 6-0 -- In MVFC history, 18 teams have started a year 6-0 - all 18 reached the playoffs.
What’s the Rush? -- A pair of MVFC players are among the top four in the FCS in rushing yards per game. L.J. Phillips Jr. of South Dakota leads the MVFC and ranks second nationally (140.9). QB Beau Brungard of Youngstown State is fourth nationally (121.2), but he’s the top rusher for quarterbacks. His 727 total rush yards is climbing the all-time leaderboard in league history for rushing by a QB.

FCS Leaders, Rushing Yards Per Game
1. Rodney Nelson, Monmouth (CAA)144.0
2. L.J. Phillips Jr., South Dakota (MVFC)140.9
3. Joshua Dye, Southern Utah (ASUN)130.7
4. Beau Brungard, Youngstown St. (MVFC)121.2
5. Eli Gillman, Montana (Big Sky)118.8

Catching It -- MVFC receivers are among the active career leaders in both receiving yards and receiving TDs. Daniel Sobkowicz of Illinois State is No. 1 in both categories. Max Tomczak of Youngstown State ranks fourth among active FCS players for receiving yards, while Bryce Lance of NDSU ranks fourth among active FCS players for receiving TDs. Only 10 former MVFC players have eclipsed 3,000 career receiving yards. Only seven in MVFC history have grabbed 30 TD receptions.

FCS Active Leaders (career receiving yards)
1. Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois St.2,984
2. Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate2,675
3. Dominic Kibby, Presbyterian2,576
4. Max Tomczak, Youngstown St.2,480

FCS Active Leaders (career TD receptions)
1. Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois St.29
2. Joey Isabella, Duquesne25
3. Kylon Harris, SFA22
4. Bryce Lance, North Dakota St.21

On the Clock -- Led by South Dakota State (34:09), two MVFC teams rank among the national leaders in time of possession. SDSU ranks fourth in the FCS.
Mighty Defenses -- Top-ranked North Dakota State ranks in the Top 8 in the FCS in three major defensive categories (rushing yards per game, scoring defense, and total defense). South Dakota State also ranks among the Top 11 in all three of those statistical categories.
MVFC in the NFL -- A total of 43 alums from current Missouri Valley Football schools made NFL opening-day rosters in 2025.
2024: Another Title -- Last season, the MVFC extended its FCS-record to 14-straight title-game appearances as NDSU defeated No. 1 seed Montana State in Frisco for the crown. Notably, the 2024 season marked the 20th title appearance for a league team. The league is 14-6 in title games, although Youngstown State (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994) and Southern Illinois (1983) both played in the championship prior to joining the league. All 20 of the league’s title-game appearances have occurred since 1997.
MVFC Playoff Dominance -- The league has established itself as a leader among FCS conferences. Counting last year, an MVFC member has reached the FCS semifinals 23 times in the past 14 seasons (and 37 times overall). The MVFC has had two semifinal teams eight times since 2014 (and three in 2024). The MVFC is 107-48 (.690) since 2010 in the playoffs -- which includes 18 intra-conference games (meaning the league is 89-30 against teams from other leagues for a phenomenal .748 winning percentage).

Conference Members