This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include RB L.J. Phillips Jr., South Dakota; LB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State; K/P Paul Geelen, Southern Illinois; WR Ayden Price, UNI; and RT Brock Woolf, South Dakota.

Offensive Player of the Week
RB L.J. Phillips Jr., South Dakota, 5-9, 225, R-So., Wichita, Kan.
Phillips Jr. carried the ball 35 times for 301 yards (8.6 yards per carry) and a pair of TDs in the home win against Northern Colorado.  The record-setting performance sees him sit second-best in South Dakota history in rushing yards in a game, while setting a USD Division I FCS mark.  He also becomes just one of five MVFC rushers to have 300+ yards in a contest, the first to do so since 2012, as he sits fifth in Valley history after the performance.  He set career highs in carries (35), rushing yards (301), and longest rush (47 yards) and his two rushing TDs matches his career-high (last done in 2023) and is his second multi-rushing touchdown game of his career.
 
Defensive Player of the Week
LB Tye Niekamp, Illinois State, 6-3, 240, Jr., Normal, Ill.
Niekamp had a career day in Illinois State’s 42-30 win over in-state rival Eastern Illinois in the 113th Mid-America Classic. He recorded a career-high 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and was credited with two tackles-for-loss and a quarterback hurry in the victory over the Panthers. The Redbird defense was busy on the day, forcing two turnovers, recording two sacks and seven tackles-for-loss while holding EIU to just 35 yards rushing in the contest.
 
Special Teams Player of the Week
K/P Paul Geelen, Southern Illinois, 6-6, 205, Jr., Utrecht, Netherlands
In the SIU road win at UT Martin, Geelen made his lone field goal attempt (28 yards), and he also ran a fake punt for 29 yards for a Saluki first down.  Geelen averaged 48.5 yards on two punts with a long of 53 yards.   He had six kickoffs, and all six were touchbacks as SIU improved to 2-1 on the season.
 
Newcomer of the Week
WR Ayden Price, UNI, 6-0, 198, R-So., West Des Moines, Iowa (Iowa)
Price finished with six receptions for 135 and a TD in the Panther 17-10 victory against visiting Eastern Washington.  The touchdown came on a 63-yard reception, the second-longest Panther play of the season.  He established a career high with his 135 receiving yards.
 
Offensive Lineman of the Week
RT Brock Woolf, South Dakota, So., Brewster, Kan.
Woolf was the highest-graded Coyote in Saturday’s 24-17 overtime win over Northern Colorado. He graded out at 93.1, per PFF, as the Yotes posted 307 yards rushing in the victory. He was instrumental on the OL at right tackle, opening up massive holes for three 20+ yard rushing plays with a long of 47 yards as South Dakota averaged 6.2 yards per rush.