This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include RB Plez Lawrence of Indiana State; DB Dathan Hickey of Youngstown State; PK Sebastian Lopez of Indiana State; RB Julius Loughridge of South Dakota State; and OL Seth Anderson of North Dakota.
 
Offense
RB Plez Lawrence, Indiana State, R-Jr., Kokomo, Ind.
Lawrence scored three second-half touchdowns in helping Indiana State take the season-opening win over McKendree on Thursday night. Lawrence scored two touchdowns (17-yard rushing, 75-yard receiving) in a decisive third quarter 21-0 swing against the Bearcats to give Indiana State a 34-12 lead. He added his final touchdown in the closing minute of the game with a four-yard rushing score to secure the 41-24 win. Lawrence finished with 225 total offensive yards (133 rushing, 92 receiving) marking a new career-high for the redshirt junior. His three touchdowns were the first by an Indiana State player since Lawrence recorded three scores back in 2023 against Murray State.
 
Defense
DB Dathan Hickey, Youngstown State, Sr., Bristol, Conn.
Hickey's YSU debut was impressive as he was credited with 13 tackles to go along with a key fourth quarter interception and a forced and recovered fumble in the second quarter. A transfer from Yale, Hickey had not played a collegiate game in 706 days. His interception came in the fourth quarter with 2:15 left and YSU clinging to a nine-point lead. He returned it 21 yards and YSU was able to run out the clock.
 
Special Teams
PK Sebastian Lopez, Indiana State, R-So., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Lopez converted the first two field goals of his Indiana State career on Thursday night against McKendree as the redshirt sophomore connected from both 40 and 28 yards in the first half to stake Indiana State to an early 13-3 lead. He added six touchbacks on nine kickoff attempts and was a perfect 5-for-5 in PATs.
 
Newcomer
RB Julius Loughridge, South Dakota State, Sr., Houston, Texas
In his Jackrabbit debut, Loughridge racked up 159 yards on 22 carries to lead the South Dakota State ground game in a 20-3 home victory over No. 14/15 Sacramento State. Six of the Fordham transfer’s carries went for 10-plus yards, including runs of 37 in the second quarter and 32 yards in the fourth quarter.  As a team, SDSU ran for 240 yards en route to its 30th consecutive home victory and a win in Dan Jackson’s first game as head coach.
 
Offensive Lineman
OL Seth Anderson, North Dakota, 5th, Moorhead, Minn.
In the 38-35 loss at No. 17/20 Kansas State, Seth Anderson and North Dakota’s offensive line helped NoDak accumulate 354 yards of offense, including 252 yards through the air. In Jerry Kaminski’s first collegiate start, he went 23-for-38 passing for 231 yards and a touchdown, while also punching in a pair of short-yardage scores. The blocking up front also allowed the Hawks to control the clock, racking up 31:14 minutes of possession in the game.