2017 Valley Football Standings (thru Nov. 11) Schedule/Results

[Pages:9]For Immediate Release Nov. 13, 2017

Mike Kern

Illinois State?Indiana State?Missouri State?North Dakota State?Northern Iowa South Dakota ? South Dakota State ? Southern Illinois ? Western Illinois ? Youngstown State

1818 Chouteau Ave. ? St. Louis, MO 63103 ? (314) 444-4360 ? FAX (314) 444-4361

2017 Valley Football Standings (thru Nov. 11)

Team

MVFC W-L Pct.

North Dakota State 6-1

South Dakota State 5-2

Northern Iowa

5-2

South Dakota

4-3

Western Illinois

4-3

Illinois State

4-3

Youngstown State 3-4

Southern Illinois

2-5

Missouri State

2-5

Indiana State

0-7

.857 .714 .714 .571 .571 .571 .429 .286 .286 .000

Points For Opp

241 108 248 170 183 156 231 187 232 187 175 143 179 163 166 210 185 256 87 347

Overall W-L Pct.

9-1 .900 8-2 .800 6-4 .600 7-3 .700 7-3 .700 6-4 .600 5-5 .500 4-6 .400 3-7 .300 0-10 .000

Points For Opp

409 128 381 220 273 260 388 228 363 231 280 193 289 200 287 274 256 383 155 453

H A Stk.

6-0 3-1 W1 5-1 3-1 W4 3-1 3-3 W2 4-0 3-3 L2 1-2 6-1 W2 3-1 3-3 L2 3-2 2-3 W2 2-3 2-3 L3 2-3 1-4 L1 0-5 0-5 L10

? ? Media Services ? ?

Players of the Week

Each week a panel will select players of the week for offense, defense, newcomer, offensive line and special teams.

MVFC Media Vault

By Tuesday of each week, the league will collect school weekly coach press conferences (audio/video links) and PDF links to weekly notes in the MVFC Media Vault.

Statistics

Interactive school and league statistics are available, courtesy of the league's partnership with SIDEARM.

Weekly Features

The league produces weekly video segments (Two Minute Drill and The Extra Point) and a bimonthly audio podcast (First and Goal). Each is available by visiting the league's web site () - under the Multimedia tab on the main menu bar.

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ValleyFootball

@valleyfootball?@FCS_Insider @ESPNCFB?@NCAA_FCS

@FCS_STATS?@HeroSportsNews

Noteworthy

Ranked vs. Ranked

Before two games this weekend, there have

been 165 games in which two ranked MVFC

teams have faced one another. In those

games, the home team is 97-67 (there was

one neutral site game), and the higher ranked

team is 100-65. The NDSU-USD meeting

marked the 40th game in league history in

which both teams are ranked in the Top 10.

Ruling the Rankings

Seven MVFC teams rank in the Top 11 for

FCS schools in the Sagarin Rankings. HERO

Sports' BennettRank yields similar results --

with five MVFC schools ranked in the Top 11.

Seven Wins = Success in Playoffs

In the past six seasons, a total of 19 MVFC

teams with 7 or more regular-season wins

earned a playoff bid (the league had two oth-

ers with 6 wins get in). Those 7-win teams

have combined for a 40-14 playoff record, five

national titles and seven title-game appear-

ances. Notably, six of those 14 losses were

intra-conference playoff matchups, meaning

the MVFC's 7-win teams have gone 34-8

(.829) in non-league playoff games.

Schedule/Results

Saturday, Nov. 11

#5 S. Dakota St. 27, #17 Illinois State 24 (OT) #11 Western Illinois 45, Indiana State 0 #25 UNI 25, Missouri State 10 #5 N. Dakota State 49, #10 South Dakota 14 Youngstown State 28, Southern Illinois 20

Saturday, Nov. 18 (Times CT)

*Missouri State at Youngstown State, 11 am Youngstown, Ohio?ESPN3 *#4 North Dakota St. at #21 Illinois St., 12 pm Normal, Ill. ? NBC ND / NBCSCH / ESPN3 *Southern Illinois at #9 Western Illinois, 1 pm Macomb, Ill.?ESPN3 *#5 South Dakota St. at #15 South Dakota, 2 pm Vermillion, S.D. ? MidcoSN / ESPN3 *Indiana State at #24 UNI, 4 pm Cedar Falls, Iowa ? ESPN3

*denotes Conference game

Against the Best

Using HERO Sports BennettRank metrics to determine `top 25' teams, here's a snapshot at what leagues have done, as well as individual teams.

Top 25 Victories, By Team

5 -- North Dakota State 4 -- Weber State 3 -- South Dakota State, Southern Utah

UNI, Western Illinois, E. Washington Northern Arizona 2 -- South Dakota, Central Arkansas Illinois State, Elon, James Madison

Top 25 Victories, By League

MVFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Big Sky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 CAA Football . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Southland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 SoCon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Ivy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2017 Missouri Valley Football Conference Weekly Release (Nov. 13)

Players of the Week

Offense

QB Easton Stick, North Dakota State 6-2, 221, Jr., Omaha (Neb.) Creighton Prep HS One week after committing four turnovers in NDSU's only loss of the year, Stick went 11 of 12 passing for a career-high 307 yards and one TD with zero turnovers in North Dakota State's 49-14 win over South Dakota. Stick completed passes of 35, 40, 46, 50 and 77 yards as the Bison rolled up 647 yards of total offense and averaged 11.2 yards per play. He also rushed seven times for 39 yards and a TD. Stick completed his first 11 pass attempts, a career-high and fifth best in NDSU history.

Defense

CB Jalen Allison, North Dakota State 6-0, 184, Jr., Papillion (Neb.) Papillion-La Vista Allison tied a career-high with 10 tackles including seven solos in NDSU's win over South Dakota. He made two third-down stops to force punts and registered his third career sack to help the Bison defense hold USD to its lowest scoring output in two years.

Special Teams

PK Chase Vinatieri, South Dakota State 6-1, 210, So., Sioux Falls (S.D.) Roosevelt High Vinatieri kicked two field goals, including the game-winning 43-yarder in overtime, as South Dakota State prevailed over Illinois State, 27-24, on Nov. 11. Vinatieri's first field goal of the day was a 34-yarder early in the second quarter. He also was successful on all three of his PAT attempts for a total of nine points in the game, while adding a pair of touchbacks on five kickoffs.

Newcomer

LB Angelo Garbutt, Missouri State 6-2, 235, So., Carrollton (Texas) Hebron High transfer from Iowa Garbutt turned in a career game for the Bears Saturday against UNI, logging a Missouri State season-high 17 tackles in the 25-10 setback. Garbutt also recorded a sack and 1.5 total TFLs, as well as two quarterback hurries in his third-consecutive double-digit tackle performance for the Bears. The Carrollton, Texas product's 17 stops matched the fourth-best single-game tackle total by a Valley defender this season and helped the MSU defense limit the Panthers to 116 second-half yards and just three points after intermission.

Offensive Lineman

C Tanner Volson, North Dakota State 6-4, 301, Jr., Balfour (N.D.) Drake-Anamoose Volson had a team-high seven knockdowns and did not allow a quarterback hurry or sack in North Dakota State's 49-14 home win over South Dakota. He graded out at 97 percent assignment, 83 percent technique, and helped the Bison roll up 647 yards of total offense in the victory. NDSU passed for a season-high 307 yards and had its best rushing performance since Week 2 at Eastern Washington rushing for 340 yards and six touchdowns after being held to season-lows each of the last three contests.

Final Saturday

All five games this weekend will be available on ESPN3. The league's ESPN3 exclusive production is the UNI-Indiana State contest at 4 pm CT. Brad Wells, Danan Hughes, Don Patterson and Kelly Burke are on the call from Cedar Falls.

Fit to Be Tied?

North Dakota State claimed at least a share of its 7th-straight MVFC crown with its 49-14 win against South Dakota this past Saturday. A win at Illinois State secures an outright crown for the Bison, and NDSU can still earn the league's AQ into the FCS playoffs with a loss -- the Bison hold the multiteam tiebreaker in the event that NDSU, UNI and SDSU tie for the title (NDSU is 4-0 against common opponents, while UNI and SDSU are both 3-1 against common opponents, which include Missouri State, South Dakota, Western Illinois and Youngstown State). The Bison win the head-to-head tiebreaker against UNI (in the event of a twoway tie for first place at 6-2). And SDSU wins the head-to-head tiebreaker against NDSU (in the event of a two-way tie for first). If there is a first-place tie, co-champions will be declared (the tiebreaker is only implemented to identify the MVFC's AQ.)

MVFC Championship Summary, Outright Titles

UNI....................................................................10 Western Illinois...................................................4 North Dakota State............................................2 Southern Illinois.................................................2 Eastern Illinois................................................... 1 Illinois State....................................................... 1 Missouri State................................................... 1 Youngstown State.............................................. 1

MVFC Championship Summary, Shared Titles

UNI (1990) (95) (03) (05) (08) (11)..................6 North Dakota State (2011) (14) (15) (16)....... 4 Southern Illinois (2003) (2005) (2008)...........3 Illinois State (2014) (2015)...............................2 Eastern Illinois (1995).......................................1 Missouri State (1990)....................................... 1 South Dakota State (2016)...............................1 Western Illinois (2002)......................................1 Western Kentucky (2002).................................1 Youngstown State (2005)..................................1

Total Titles (Outright and Shared, Combined)

UNI....................................................................16 North Dakota State* .........................................7 Southern Illinois.................................................5 Western Illinois...................................................5 Illinois State........................................................3 Eastern Illinois....................................................2 Missouri State....................................................2 Youngstown State...............................................2 South Dakota State............................................1 Western Kentucky..............................................1 *includes this season

6 MVFC Teams in Top 25

The MVFC enters the final weekend of the regular season with six ranked teams. This week, three league schools are in the Top 10 (North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Western Illinois). HERO Sports' BennettRank is also listed below and is a computer predictive metric that ranks all FCS teams. The Sagarin ranking ranks all 254 DI teams, but the number listed is each team's position in the FCS.

Team

FCS STATS HERO SAG.

North Dakota State 6 4

1

1

South Dakota State 5 6

6

3

Western Illinois

10 9

7

4

South Dakota

16 15 11 6

Illinois State

25 21 25 11

UNI

rv 24

8

5

Youngstown State

-- rv 21 9

Southern Illinois

-- -- 41 31

Among conferences, the MVFC is the top-rated league in the FCS, but also ranks ahead of a number of FBS leagues, including the Mountain West (West Division), the C-USA (both the East and West divisions), the MAC (East Division), and the Sun Belt.

Sagarin Rankings, Conference Leaders (FCS)

1. MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL 2. Big Sky 3. CAA Football 4. Southern 5. Ohio Valley 6. Ivy League 7. BIg South

Against the FCS

The MVFC is 18-5 against FCS schools this year, which includes two road losses to ranked FCS teams, one of which (Liberty) is transitioning to FBS. The MVFC is 2-2 against non-league FCS ranked teams.

Against the FCS | Breakdowns

Here's a breakdown of what MVFC schools have done vs. FCS schools (league and nonleague), vs. FBS schools, and vs. the Top 25 (league and non-league FCS schools).

Team

All vs. FCS vs. FBS Top 25

Illinois State

6-4 6-4

0-0

2-2

Indiana State

0-10 0-9

0-1

0-6

Missouri State

3-7 3-6

0-1

0-6

North Dakota State 9-1 9-1

0-0

5-1

UNI

6-4 6-3

0-1

3-2

South Dakota

7-3 6-3

1-0

3-2

South Dakota State 8-2 8-2

0-0

3-1

Southern Illinois

4-6 4-5

0-1

1-3

Western Illinois

7-3 6-3

1-0

2-3

Youngstown State 5-5 5-4

0-1

1-3

NON-MVFC ONLY 20-10 18-5 2-5 2-2

ALL GAMES

55-45 53-40 2-5 20-28

*Indiana State fell at No. 21 Tennessee (FBS) and that result is also included here.

2017 Missouri Valley Football Conference Weekly Release (Nov. 13)

vs. Non-Conference (20-10)

Home: 11-1 / Away: 9-9 / Neut: 0-0

NCAA FCS Teams (18-5)

Big Sky.................................................... 5-3 Cal Poly........................................................1-0 Eastern Washington....................................1-0 Montana State.............................................1-0 North Dakota...............................................1-1 Northern Arizona.........................................1-1 Southern Utah.............................................0-1 Big South................................................ 0-1 Liberty.......................................................... 0-1 Northeast................................................ 4-0 Central Connecticut....................................1-0 Duquesne.................................................... 1-0 Robert Morris..............................................2-0 Ohio Valley.............................................. 4-1 Eastern Illinois.............................................1-1 Murray State................................................1-0 Southeast Missouri State...........................1-0 Tennessee Tech...........................................1-0 Pioneer Football..................................... 3-0 Butler........................................................... 1-0 Drake........................................................... 2-0 SWAC....................................................... 2-0 Mississippi Valley State..............................2-0

NCAA FBS Teams (2-5)

ACC.......................................................... 0-1 Pittsburgh.................................................... 0-1 American................................................. 0-1 Memphis...................................................... 0-1 Big 12...................................................... 0-1 Iowa State....................................................0-1 Mid-American......................................... 1-0 Bowling Green.............................................1-0 SEC.......................................................... 0-2 Missouri....................................................... 0-1 Tennessee................................................... 0-1 Sun Belt.................................................. 1-0 Coastal Carolina..........................................1-0

vs. Ranked (FCS) Teams (2-2)

#2 NDSU at #6 Eastern Washington, W, 40-13 Missouri State at #11 North Dakota, L, 34-0 #10 North Dakota at #23 South Dakota, W, 45-7 Indiana State at #19 Liberty, L, 42-41

vs. Ranked (FBS) Teams (0-1)

Indiana State at #21 Tennessee, L, 42-7

Playoff Bids - MVFC History

The MVFC has had a league-record five teams selected to the playoffs twice (2014 and 2015). In the past three seasons, the MVFC has had a total of 14 bids. Only CAA Football has had as many as 5 bids (three times).

Playoff Selections - MVFC History

5 -- twice (2014, 2015) 4 -- twice (2003, 2016) 3 or more -- 7 times (03, 06, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16) 2 or more -- 25 times (in 32 seasons) 2 or more playoff bids every year since 1995

The Power 5

In the past seven playoffs (2010-16), five leagues (Big Sky, CAA Football, MVFC, Southern and Southland) have combined to win 126 of 149 total games. The MVFC has 44 of those wins (35 percent).

Dominance By Decade

The Missouri Valley Football Conference has recorded a 44-19 record since 2010 in the playoffs -- better than any other league. Over the last two-plus years the MVFC has a 25-12 record in the playoffs, which includes six intraconference games, meaning the league is 19-6 vs. the rest.

By Decade*85-89 90-99

MVFC Big Sky Big South CAA MEAC Northeast Ohio Valley Patriot Pioneer Southern Southland

6-6 8-11 0-0 2-8 0-2 0-0 6-9 0-0 0-0 14-9 13-6

18-16 23-20

0-0 16-23

4-9 0-0 7-16 1-5 0-0 36-20 16-20

00-09 10-pres. ALL

24-22 24-21

0-1 47-29 0-11

0-0 1-14 6-12 0-0 35-19 9-17

44-19 92-63 17-20 84-77 8-10 8-11 31-26 100-92

0-8 8-32 1-7 1-7 7-13 31-58 6-9 13-26 1-4 1-4 17-18 106-70 17-15 60-62

Great West 0-0

0-0

1-2

SWAC

0-6

0-6

0-0

Ind.

22-14 29-13 3-2

0-0 1-2 0-0 0-18 0-0 64-45

*does not include pre-MVFC seasons (1978-84)

MVFC's All-Time Best

The Coyotes' offense this year (513.5 yards/game) would eclipse the league's alltime mark, established by Southern Illinois in 2004 (502.7 yards/game).

MVFC's Single-Season Total Offense Leaders

Team (Season)

Yards Avg.

1 South Dakota (2017) 2 Southern Illinois (2004) 3 Southern Illinois (2015) 4 Illinois State (2005) 5 Northern Iowa (1999)

5,135 6,032 5,479 5,253 5,235

513.5 502.7 498.1 477.5 475.9

Road Warriors

North Dakota State saw its FCS-best road winning streak end at 12-straight with its loss at South Dakota State on Nov. 4. Western Illinois notched its sixth road win of the year at Indiana State on Nov. 11. That had never before accomplished in its 113 seasons of football prior to 2017. Notably, only 21 teams in league history (including Western this year) have won five road games in a season and all of the previous teams participated in the FCS playoffs. The league record for road wins in a season, including the playoffs, is six -- accomplished by UNI (2007) and Illinois State (2012).

NCAA Leaders (FCS), Road Wins (2017)

6 - North Carolina A&T, Western Illinois 5 - Central Arkansas, Weber State, Wofford

Road Warriors, Non-Conference

MVFC teams combined to post nine nonconference road wins, among the best in the league's 32-year history (the totals below also include playoff games.)

Non-Conference Road Wins, All-Time

11 - 2014 (11-12) [includes 4 playoff road wins] 10 - 1999 (10-10) [includes 2 playoff road wins] 9 - 2017 (9-8) 9 - 2007 (9-7) [all were in regular-season play] 9 - 2016 (9-9) [includes 2 playoff road wins]

2017 Valley Football Teams in the Top 25

Team

Pre S4 S11 S18 S25 O2 O9 O16 O23 O30 N6 N13

Illinois State 18 15 14 12 8 7 15 24 16 12 17 21

Indiana St. rv -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Missouri St. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --- -- -- --

NDSU

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 5 4

UNI

18 21 18 24 20 21 rv rv 25 rv 25 24

S. Dakota rv rv 23 13 10 6 4 4 6 6 10 15

SDSU

4 4 4 4 4 8 7 13 8 8 5 5

S. Illinois

rv rv rv rv rv -- -- rv rv -- -- --

W. Illinois 25 22 20 19 13 15 14 10 12 15 11 9

Youngstown 8 6 5 5 5 3 8 9 19 rv rv rv

*Rank represents highest position in the two polls (STATS or FCS Coaches polls)

2017 Missouri Valley Football Conference Weekly Release (Nov. 13)

Acklin Climbing The Charts

Western Illinois WR Jaelon Acklin leads the MVFC and ranks No. 3 in the FCS in receiving yards with 1,160. He is just 25 yards away from setting the WIU single-season record. He's the 33rd receiver in league history to reach 1,000 yards in a season.

MVFC Single-Season Leaders, Receiving Yards

1,472, Jake Wieneke, S. Dakota State, 2015 (12g) 1,465, Laur?nt Robinson, Illinois State, 2005 1,419, Cornell Craig, Southern Illinois, 1999 1,404, Jake Wieneke, S. Dakota State, 2014 (14g) 1,319, Tyrone Walker, Illinois State, 2012 (13g) 1,316, Jake Wieneke, S. Dakota State, 2016 (13g) 1,293, Dallas Goedert, SDSU, 2016 (13g) 1,291, Mike Furrey, UNI, 1997 1,290, Anthony Warrum, Illinois State, 2015 (13g) 1,200, Calvin Pierce, Eastern Illinois, 1986 1,195, Eddie Berlin, UNI, 2000 1,191, Zach Vraa, North Dakota State, 2013 (15g) 1,184, Lance Lenoir, Western Illinois, 2015 (13g) 1,179, Mike Furrey, UNI, 1999 1,169, Dedric Ward, UNI, 1996 1,164, Dedric Ward, UNI, 1995 1,160, Jaelon Acklin, W. Illinois, 2017 (10 games) 1,154, Rickey Garrett, Illinois State, 1998 1,145, Lito Senatus, Western Illinois, 2010 (13g) 1,103, Stacy Coleman, W. Illinois, 2002 (13g)

Streveler Ranks Ninth-Best

QB Chris Streveler ranks ninth in MVFC history for single-season total offense with 3,520 yards in USD's first 10 games. He is second in the FCS this year, trailing only Richmond's Kyle Lauletta (3,598 yards).

Most TDs (Pass + Rush) in FCS

4,250, Tre Roberson, Illinois State, 2014 (15g) 4,049, Taryn Christion, SDSU, 2016 (13 games) 3,911, Mark Iannotti, S. Illinois, 2015 (11 games) 3,859, Matt Barr, Western Illinois, 2010 (13g) 3,753, Carson Wentz, NDSU, 2014 (16g) 3,532, Nick Hill, Southern Illinois, 2007 (14g) 3,528, Ryan Helming, UNI, 2000 3,522, Matt Brown, Illinois State, 2012 (13 games) 3,520, Chris Streveler, South Dakota, 2017 (10g) 3,469, Ryan Helming, UNI, 1999

The Big D

Dallas Goedert of South Dakota State set a league record for receiving yards by a tight end last year with 1,293 in 13 games. That was also the best in Division I. He leads all DI tight ends in receiving yards again this year with 849 in 10 games. He has 2,726 receiving yards in his career, surpassing SIU's MyCole Pruitt (2,601 from 2011-14) for the Conference record for career receiving yards by an MVFC tight end.

2017 Receiving Leaders, Yards by Tight End

1. Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State 849

2. Donald Parham, Stetson

817

2. Mark Andrews, Oklahoma

745

4. Adam Breneman, UMass

685

5. Jacquet McClendon, Indiana State

560

Tackle Machine

LB Brett Taylor had an FCS-best 28 tackles in Western Illinois' game vs. South Dakota. That number ranks 5th all-time for a single game in league history. He currently leads the FCS in tackles per game (13.4). Including Taylor, only 15 players in MVFC history have reached 425 career tackles, while Taylor ranks 2nd among active FCS players with 441 career stops. He's 12th in league history with those 441 career tackles.

FCS Leaders - Tackles Per Game

Name, School

Total P/G

1 Brett Taylor, Western Illinois 134

2 Garrett Dolan, Houston Baptist 131

3 Brandon Bryant, Lafayette

124

4 Anthony Smith, Norfolk State 115

13.4 13.1 12.4 11.5

Active Career Leaders - Total Tackles

1. Garrett Dolan, Houston Baptist

526

2. Brett Taylor, Western Illinois

441

3. Allan Cratsenberg, VMI

419

4. Mike Basile, Monmouth

413

5. Sam Denmark, Abilene Christian

390

Career Leaders - Total Tackles (MVFC)

580, Boomer Grigsby, Illinois State, 2001-04 565, Tim Carver, Eastern Illinois, 1992-95 528, Galen Scott, Illinois State, 1997-00 500, P.J. Jones, Missouri State, 1998-01 487, Corky Martin, Missouri State, 1997-00 475, Lee Russell, Western Illinois, 2000-03 472, Edgerton Hartwell, Western Illinois, 1998-00 470, Wilbert Brown, Illinois State, 1988-91 457, Dylan Cole, Missouri State, 2013-16 453, Ryan Doak, UNI, 1997-00 443, Chris Stevens, Illinois State, 1992-95 441, Brett Taylor, Western Illinois, 2014-pres.

Jake Continues To Climb Charts

WR Jake Wieneke of South Dakota State passed Jerry Rice for third place all time in career receiving yards. He ranks No. 3 alltime in the FCS in both career TD receptions (54) and yards (4,782). He holds league career receiving records for TDs (54), yards (4,782) and is second in receptions (267). Lance Lenoir of Western Illinois holds the latter record with 273 career catches.

All-Time FCS Leaders, Career TD Receptions

Cooper Kupp, Eastern Wash. 2013-16

*73

David Ball, New Hampshire

2003-06

58

Jake Wieneke, SDSU

2014-pres. 54

Terrell Hudgins, Elon

2006-09

52

All-Time FCS Leaders, Career Receiving Yards

Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington (2013-16) Terrell Hudgins, Elon (2006-09) Jake Wieneke, SDSU (2014-present) Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley (1981-84) David Ball, New Hampshire (2003-06) R.J. Harris, New Hampshire (2011-14)

6,464 5,250 4,782 4,693 4,655 4,328

2017 Players of the Week

Sept. 2 Offense -- QB Chris Streveler, South Dakota Defense -- LB Quentin Moon, Western Illinois *Special Teams -- P Brady Schutt, South Dakota Newcomer -- QB Peyton Huslig, Missouri State Offensive Lineman -- OC Tanner Volson, NDSU Sept. 9 *Offense -- QB Chris Streveler, South Dakota Defense -- SS Robbie Grimsley, North Dakota State Defense -- LB Jared Farley, UNI *Special Teams -- PK Chase Vinatieri, SDSU Newcomer -- DE Justus Reed, Youngstown State Offensive Lineman -- LT Nick Jensen, South Dakota Sept. 16 *Offense -- WR Bob Pugh, Indiana State Defense -- S Ryan Neal, Southern Illinois Special Teams -- RS Deion Holliman, Missouri State Newcomer -- QB Cade Sparks, Indiana State Offensive Lineman -- C Jacob Ohnesorge, SDSU Sept. 23 Offense -- RB Lance Dunn, North Dakota State Offense -- QB Sean McGuire, Western Illinois Defense -- LB Brett Taylor, Western Illinois Special Teams -- P/K Sean Slattery, Illinois State Newcomer -- LB Jabril Cox, North Dakota State Offensive Lineman -- OL Austin Olsen, S. Illinois Sept. 30 *Offense -- WR Jaelon Acklin, Western Illinois Defense -- LB Brett Taylor, Western Illinois Defense -- LB Armand Dellovade, Youngstown State Special Teams -- RS Deion Holliman, Missouri State Newcomer -- FS Suni Lane, UNI Offensive Lineman -- YSU Offensive Line Oct. 7 Offense -- QB Sean McGuire, Western Illinois Defense -- DE Darin Greenfield, South Dakota Special Teams -- PK Ryan Weese, South Dakota Newcomer -- TE Skyler Cavanaugh, South Dakota St. Offensive Lineman -- C Jacob Ohnesorge, SDSU Oct. 14 Offense -- QB Sam Straub, Southern Illinois Offense -- QB Chris Streveler, South Dakota Defense -- LB Brett Taylor, Western Illinois Special Teams -- K Cam Pedersen, North Dakota St. *Newcomer -- LB Jabril Cox, North Dakota State Offensive Lineman -- LG Jackson Scott-Brown, UNI Oct. 21 Offense -- WR Spencer Schnell, Illinois State Defense -- DE Rickey Neal, UNI Special Teams -- PK Sean Slattery, Illinois State Newcomer -- WR/KR Cade Johnson, S. Dakota State Offensive Lineman -- C Dean Helt, Illinois State Oct. 28 *Offense -- QB Taryn Christion, South Dakota State Defense -- LB Christian Rozeboom, S. Dakota State Special Teams -- PK Zach Drake, Missouri State Newcomer -- QB Peyton Huslig, Missouri State Offensive Lineman -- RG Marquis Prophete, MSU Nov. 4 Offense -- QB Ricky Davis, Youngstown State Defense -- LB Keelon Brookins, UNI Special Teams -- RS Matt Rush, Missouri State Newcomer -- LB Keelon Brookins, UNI Offensive Lineman -- RT James Torgerson, WIU Nov. 11 Offense -- QB Easton Stick, North Dakota State Defense -- CB Jalen Allison, North Dakota State Special Teams -- PK Chase Vinatieri, S. Dakota St. Newcomer -- LB Angelo Garbutt, Missouri State Offensive Lineman -- C Tanner Volson, N. Dakota St.

* - denotes National Player of the Week

ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS

(6-4, 4-3 MVFC)

S2 Butler S16 at Eastern Illinois S23 *at Missouri State S30 *Indiana State O7 at Northern Arizona O14 *at Southern Illinois O21 *#4 South Dakota O28 *at #19 Youngstown St. N4 *#15 Western Illinois N11 *at #5 South Dakota St. N18 *#4 North Dakota State *MVFC game

W, 45-0 W, 44-13 W, 34-9 W, 24-13 L, 16-37 L, 7-42 W, 37-21 W, 35-0 L, 14-31 L, 24-27 (ot) NBCSCH / ESPN3

1-0, 0-0 2-0, 0-0 3-0, 1-0 4-0, 2-0 4-1, 2-0 4-2, 2-1 5-2, 3-1 6-2, 4-1 6-3, 4-2 6-4, 4-3

Noon

INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES

(0-10, 0-7 MVFC)

A31 Eastern Illinois S9 at #21 Tennessee S16 at #19 Liberty S30 *at #8 Illinois State O7 *#2 North Dakota State O14 *at #4 South Dakota O21 *Southern Illinois O28 *at Missouri State N4 *Youngstown State N11 *#11 Western Illinois N18 *at #24 UNI *MVFC game

L, 20-22 L, 7-45 L, 41-42 L, 13-24 L, 0-52 L, 6-56 L, 24-45 L, 20-59 L, 24-66 L, 0-45 ESPN3

0-1, 0-0 0-2, 0-0 0-3, 0-0 0-4, 0-1 0-5, 0-2 0-6, 0-3 0-7, 0-4 0-8, 0-5 0-9, 0-6 0-10, 0-7 5:00 p.m. ET

First Time Pickers

The Redbird defense forced a pair of interceptions off of dangerous SDSU quarterback Taryn Christion, and both fell in the to the hands of players who had never recorded a pick to date. On South Dakota State's first possession of the game, defensive end Matt Swaine tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage and the ball popped up in the air before Devin Taylor dove under it for his first career INT. Then, at the end of the third quarter, senior defensive end Adam Conley batted an attempt at the line and fell under it for his first career pick.

He Could Go All the Way

Redshirt freshman Christian Uphoff became just the sixth player in Illinois State history to return a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. After South Dakota State took a 17-7 lead, Uphoff took the kickoff from five yards deep in the end zone and brought the ball out. He broke a tackle and then used a big block from Ty DeForest and raced down the sideline nearly untouched for the first kickoff return for a score for the Redbirds since 2014. Uphoff is the first ISU player to return a kickoff 100 yards for a score since Josh Burch achieved the feat against Indiana State in 2013.

Broadnax Earns First Career Start

All week long, redshirt freshman Malachi Broadnax took snaps with the first team unit preparing for a possible start against No. 5 South Dakota State. On Friday, he was told he would make his first career start behind center and he nearly led the Redbirds to an upset road win over the Jackrabbits on his first try. Broadnax was steady for the Redbird offense, as he completed 10-of-18 pass attempts for 102 yards, while rushing for 63 yards. He had a long run of 22 yards in the contest, and his 19-yard run late in the fourth quarter set up James Robinson's game tying touchdown that sent the game into overtime.

Looking for a Win

With one game remaining in the 2017 season, Indiana State is looking to keep itself out of the record book by picking up a win at Northern Iowa. ISU is winless this season and a loss to the Panthers would put the Sycamores at 0-12 for the first time since 2008 when Trent Miles took over an ailing football program that had won just one game in the three seasons prior.

Booker Keeps Rolling

Redshirt Senior LeMonte Booker is ninth in school history in career rushing with 1,821 total yards. Booker sits 177 yards from eighth place with one game remaining on the schedule. Booker also surpassed the 3,000-career all-purpose yardage mark, becoming the seventh player to do so in ISU history.

Big Play Bob

Wide receiver Bob Pugh is second in the country and tops in the MVFC with 27.60 yards per catch. This season Pugh has 25 catches for 690 yards and three touchdowns. The Foley, Alabama product is averaging 69 yards a game this season. Pugh and QB Cade Sparks have connected seven times this season for 40 or more yards, including a 44-yard catch on the first drive of the game last Saturday.

MISSOURI STATE BEARS

(3-7, 2-5 MVFC)

S2 at Missouri S9 at #11 North Dakota S16 Murray State S23 *#12 Illinois State S30 *at #2 North Dakota St. O14 *at #14 Western Illinois O21 *#9 South Dakota State O28 *Indiana State N4 *at Southern Illinois N11 *#25 UNI N18 *at Youngstown State *MVFC game

L, 43-72 L, 0-34 W, 28-21 L, 9-34 L, 11-38 L, 30-49 L, 30-62 W, 59-20 W, 36-28 L, 10-25 ESPN3

0-1, 0-0 0-2, 0-0 1-2, 0-0 1-3, 0-1 1-4, 0-2 1-5, 0-3 1-6, 0-4 2-6, 1-4 3-6, 2-4 3-7, 2-5 11:00 a.m.

NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON

(9-1, 6-1 MVFC)

S2 Mississippi Valley State S9 at #6 Eastern Washington S23 Robert Morris S30 *Missouri State O7 *at Indiana State O14 *at #8 Youngstown State O21 *#10 Western Illinois O28 *#25 UNI N4 *at #8 S. Dakota State N11 *#10 South Dakota N18 *at #21 Illinois State *MVFC game

W, 72-7 W, 40-13 W, 56-0 W, 38-11 W, 52-0 W, 27-24 (ot) W, 24-12 W, 30-14 L, 21-33 W, 49-14 NBC ND / ESPN3

1-0, 0-0 2-0, 0-0 3-0, 0-0 4-0, 1-0 5-0, 2-0 6-0, 3-0 7-0, 4-0 8-0, 5-0 8-1, 5-1 9-1, 6-1

Noon

Closing Time

Saturday's game at Youngstown State will mark the final chapter of the 2017 season for the Bears, who have dropped each of their last five season finales since defeating the Penguins by a 38-34 score at Stambaugh Stadium to close out the 2012 season. MSU has enjoyed its fair share of success in Youngstown, claiming two of its last three meetings with YSU at the Ice Castle since 2009.

Malik Leaving His Mark

Senior receiver Malik Earl moved to within seven receptions of Clay Harbor's Missouri State career record of 150 catches Saturday against UNI. Earl also climbed into the Bears' all-time top five for receiving yardage, passing Harbor (1,906) and Jason Cannon (1,913) with his three catches for 27 yards against the Panthers. Entering his final game as a Bear, he needs three more catches to match Julian Burton (146) in the No. 2 position on MSU's reception list and 17 receiving yards to climb to the No. 4 spot--also held by Burton--on the yardage chart.

Garbutt Going Strong

Sophomore linebacker Angelo Garbutt has delivered in a big way for the MSU defense down the stretch, turning in double-digit tackle performances in each of the Bears' last three games. The Iowa transfer, who logged a Missouri State season-high 17 stops in the Bears' loss to UNI over the weekend, became the second Bear to top 10 tackles in three consecutive games in as many years. Dylan Cole accomplished the feat in each of MSU's final eight games last year, after logging double-digit tackles in the final seven games of the 2015 season as well.

Bison Seek Third Outright Title

North Dakota State clinched at least a share of its seventh straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship with last week's win over South Dakota. NDSU can win its third outright title (2012, 2013) with a win at Illinois State this week or losses by NDSU, South Dakota State and Northern Iowa. UNI is the only other MVFC team to win seven in a row (1990-1996). NDSU's longest streak of conference titles is seven straight (1964-1970). The Bison have won 34 conference titles altogether, including 26 in the North Central Conference and one in the Great West Football Conference (2006).

Defense Slows Down USD

Cornerback Jalen Allison had a team- and career-high 10 tackles and registered one of NDSU's four sacks in last week's win over South Dakota. Jabril Cox, Stanley Jones and Derrek Tuszka each had sacks and the Bison had four pass breakups and a season-high nine quarterback hurries while holding USD to its lowest scoring output in two years. NDSU leads the conference with 33 total sacks, including 3.57 per game in league play.

Rushing Game Returns

NDSU's 340 yards rushing against South Dakota were the most since running for 375 yards in Week 2 at Eastern Washington. Ty Brooks rushed nine times for a career-high 152 yards and three TDs, and the Bison scored six TDs on the ground.

Big Play Bison

NDSU had 10 plays from scrimmage go 20-plus yards against South Dakota, including four of its eight longest plays from scrimmage this year. Ty Brooks had two 54-yard runs including one for a TD, and tight end Jeff Illies made the two longest receptions of his career, 46 and 50 yards, Connor Wentz had a career-long 40-yard reception, Dimitri Williams sparked a 98-yard scoring drive with a 24yard run and career-long 77-yard reception, and RJ Urzendowski had catches of 21 and 35 yards. The Bison rolled up 647 yards of total offense and averaged 11.2 yards per play, including 7.4 per carry.

NORTHERN IOWA PANTHERS

(6-4, 5-2 MVFC)

S2 at Iowa State S9 Cal Poly S16 at Southern Utah S30 *at Southern Illinois O7 *#15 Western Illinois O14 *at #7 South Dakota St. O21 *#9 Youngstown State O28 *at #2 North Dakota St. N4 *#6 South Dakota N11 *at Missouri State N18 *Indiana State *MVFC game

L, 24-42 W, 45-38 (ot) L, 21-24 W, 24-17 L, 29-38 W, 38-18 W, 19-14 L, 14-30 W, 34-29 W, 25-10 ESPN3

0-1, 0-0 1-1, 0-0 1-2, 0-0 2-2, 1-0 2-3, 1-1 3-3, 2-1 4-3, 3-1 4-4, 3-2 5-4, 4-2 6-4, 5-2 4:00 p.m.

SOUTH DAKOTA COYOTES

(7-3, 4-3 MVFC)

S2 at Drake S9 at Bowling Green S16 #10 North Dakota S30 *at #13 Western Illinois O7 *#3 Youngstown State O14 *Indiana State O21 *at #24 Illinois State O28 *Southern Illinois N4 *at UNI N11 *at #5 North Dakota St. N18 *#5 South Dakota State *MVFC game

W, 77-7 W, 35-27 W, 45-7 W, 38-33 W, 31-28 W, 56-6 L, 21-37 W, 42-0 L, 29-34 L, 14-49 Midco / ESPN3

1-0, 0-0 2-0, 0-0 3-0, 0-0 4-0, 1-0 5-0, 2-0 6-0, 3-0 6-1, 3-1 7-1, 4-1 7-2, 4-2 7-3, 4-3 2:00 p.m.

Closing Out Strong

After winning four out of their last five games, the Panthers (6-4, 5-2 MVFC) look to cap the regular-season on a high not as UNI hosts winless Indiana State (0-10, 0-7) on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. CT. UNI has won the last two meetings against ISU, with head coach Mark Farley owning a 12-2 record against the Sycamores. For the month of November, head coach Mark Farley is an impressive 51-9 over his 17 seasons at UNI. The Panthers are 2-0 so far this season, with recent wins over No. 6 South Dakota and Missouri State.

Yotes Seek Third Top-10 Win

After seven weeks inside the top-10, the Coyotes are No. 16 in this week's FCS Coaches Poll. South Dakota will face its sixth top-25 team of the season when the Coyotes host No. 5 South Dakota State Saturday inside the DakotaDome. The Coyotes are 2-1 against top-10 teams this season, having defeated then-No. 10 North Dakota 45-7 and then-No. 3 Youngstown State 31-28. Both of those games took place inside the DakotaDome where USD is 4-0 this season. The Coyotes are 3-2 against top-25 opponents.

UNI Against the MVFC

The Panthers are 158-62 against the Missouri Valley Football Conference, with UNI going 87-40 during the Farley era.

Farley Remembers November

Over his 17 seasons at UNI, head coach Mark Farley has amassed a 51-9 mark in November. Farley has gone undefeated during November nine times (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) while having a losing record once during the month (2002). This season, the Panthers began November with a bang after upsetting No. 6 South Dakota to kick off this month's play.

Salute to the Seniors

UNI will have 15 seniors honored on Saturday, with team captains Jared Farley, Daurice Fountain, Adam Reth and Preston Woods highlighting the class. Keelon Brookins, J'Veyon Browning, Elijah Campbell, Lee Carhart, Rashadeem Gray, Xavier James, Sam Kuhter, Tyrell Lyons, Reggie Schulte, Bryce Sweeney and Malcolm Washington will also be honored on Saturday for Senior Day. This senior class has won 29 games overall, with 13 of those coming against ranked foes.

Streveler Leads Nation's No. 2 Offense

The Coyotes, led by senior quarterback Chris Streveler, feature the second-ranked offense in the nation behind Sam Houston State. South Dakota is averaging 513 yards of offense per game and the team's 38.8 points per game average ranks fourth nationally. Streveler, a national player of the year candidate, has accounted for 31 TDs against four turnovers. He stands 99 yards shy of breaking the program's single-season record for passing yards set at 3,049.

Playoff Implications

South Dakota is seeking its first FCS playoff bid, which would return the Coyotes to the postseason for the first time since 2006. The Coyotes were No. 10 in the FCS Playoff Committee's rankings last week before a loss at North Dakota State Saturday. A win against South Dakota State would all but guarantee a postseason invitation, and perhaps one of the eight seeds granted by the committee.

Program Records

Coyote quarterbacks Chris Streveler and Austin Simmons have helped the Coyotes set single-season records for team passing yards (3,147), attempts (380) and completions (248). The two have combined to throw 25 touchdowns ? ninth-most nationally ? against four interceptions ? seventh-fewest nationally. South Dakota needs five first downs to set a new single-season record with 276.

SOUTH DAKOTA ST. JACKRABBITS

(8-2, 5-2 MVFC)

A31 Duquesne S9 at Montana State S16 Drake S30 *at #5 Youngstown State O7 *Southern Illinois O14 *UNI O21 *at Missouri State O28 *at #12 Western Illinois N4 *#2 North Dakota State N11 *#17 Illinois State N18 *at #15 South Dakota *MVFC game

W, 51-13 W, 31-27 W, 51-10 L, 7-19 W, 49-14 L, 18-38 W, 62-30 W, 52-24 W, 33-21 W, 27-24 (ot) Midco / ESPN3

1-0, 0-0 2-0, 0-0 3-0, 0-0 3-1, 0-1 4-1, 1-1 4-2, 1-2 5-2, 2-2 6-2, 3-2 7-2, 4-2 8-2, 5-2 2:00 p.m.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS

(4-6, 2-5 MVFC)

S9 Mississippi Valley State S16 at SE Missouri State S23 at Memphis S30 *#20 UNI O7 *at #8 South Dakota St. O14 *#15 Illinois State O21 *at Indiana State O28 *at #6 South Dakota N4 *Missouri State N11 *Youngstown State N18 *at #9 Western Illinois *MVFC game

W, 55-3 W, 35-17 L, 31-44 L, 17-24 L, 14-49 W, 42-7 W, 45-24 L, 0-42 L, 28-36 L, 20-28 ESPN3

1-0, 0-0 2-0, 0-0 2-1, 0-0 2-2, 0-1 2-3, 0-2 3-3, 1-2 4-3, 2-2 4-4, 2-3 4-5, 2-4 4-6, 2-5 1:00 p.m.

Working Overtime

The Jackrabbits improved to 3-1 in overtime games against MVFC opponents with their 27-24 victory over Illinois State on Nov. 11. SDSU has played an overtime game against a league opponent in every odd-numbered year since 2011, defeating Missouri State (W, 43-36) in 2011 and Northern Iowa (W, 37-34) in 2013. The Jackrabbits dropped a 30-24, two-overtime decision at Western Illinois in the 2015 season finale. All-time, the Jackrabbits are 4-5 in overtime games. Each of SDSU's previous overtime games had gone to at least two overtimes.

Vinatieri in the Clutch

Sophomore kicker Chase Vinatieri provided the winning score in South Dakota State's 27-24 overtime victory over Illinois State on Nov. 11 with a 43-yard field goal. It was the second game-winning kick of Vinatieri's career as he also booted a 40-yard field goal with 1:21 remaining in a 10-7 victory over Villanova in a 2016 FCS playoff game at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

Halftime Adjustments

During its current four-game winning streak, SDSU has dominated the third quarter by outscoring its opponents by a 45-7 margin. In 14 defensive possessions, the Jackrabbits have forced four turnovers (three fumbles, one interception) in the third quarter of those games, while forcing one turnover on downs and eight punts.

Knighton Makes Case for Rice Award

Anthony Knighton piled up five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble on Saturday. Earlier in the week, Knighton was added to the watch list for the Jerry Rice Award, which is given annually to the top freshman in the country. After Saturday's big game, Knighton ranks second in the nation among freshman in tackles for loss, and he's third in sacks.

DeSomer's Big Day

Quarterback Matt DeSomer led the Salukis in passing, rushing, and receiving on Saturday. DeSomer ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns. His 140 yards were the most for any SIU player since 2015 and the fourth-most ever by a quarterback. DeSomer also threw for 87 yards and caught a pass on a trick play for 34 yards.

Turnovers

The Salukis force four turnovers against Youngstown State on Saturday, bringing Southern's season total to 23 -- the most for SIU since forcing 24 turnovers in 2012. If the Salukis force two turnovers at WIU, it will mark the most for the program since forcing 33 turnovers in 2009. As a team, SIU ranks fifth in the nation in fumbles recovered and 12th in turnovers gained. Western Illinois is the only MVFC school who has forced more turnovers than SIU. Individually, Jeremy Chinn ranks fourth nationally in forced fumbles with four; he forced two last week against Youngstown.

Showdown Series Resumes

SDSU closes out the regular season this Saturday by traveling to in-state rival South Dakota for the South Dakota Showdown Series. Since the football series resumed in 2012, the Jackrabbits have won all five meetings. Each of the last two meetings between the Jackrabbits and Coyotes have been decided by a TD -- a 30-23 SDSU victory in Vermillion in 2015 and a 28-21 Jackrabbit win last season at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. The series began in 1889 with a 6-6 tie.

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