WEEK 9 SCHEDULE
Saturday, Oct. 26
*Southern Illinois at Indiana State (ESPN+) 12 pm CT
* #1/1 NDSU at Murray State (ABC ND/ESPN+) 1 pm CT
* /#18 Missouri State at UNI (PSN TV/ESPN+) 4 pm CT
* #7/7 UND at Youngstown St. (Midco/E+) 5 pm CT
* #4/4 South Dakota at #3/3 SDSU (ESPNU) 6:30 pm CT
MVFC NOTEBOOK
Ranked vs. Ranked
One conference game this week feature ranked MVFC teams playing one another. In Conference history, there have been 238 games in which two league teams ranked in the top 25 played one another. Of those 238 games, 68 times the meeting involved teams that were both ranked in the Top 10 at the same time. Nineteen meetings have occurred in the playoffs. The home team is 133-103 in those games; the higher-ranked team is 150-87. Those figures include two neutral-site games, and one game in which the teams were both No. 25.
Winning Against No. 1
Murray State is looking to post the league’s 21st all-time win vs. a No. 1-ranked team when it faces top-ranked NDSU. League schools have a combined 8-14 record in non-league games against the nation’s top-ranked team. Eleven of the previous 20 MVFC wins against a No. 1 team have been league games.
Players of the Week
Offense
QB Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State 5-11, 205, Jr., Geneva, Illinois (St. Francis HS)
Rittenhouse accumulated 475 yards of total offense and accounted for three TDs in Illinois State’s 40-32 victory at Murray State. He completed 27-of-38 passes for a career-high 347 yards with a TD and added a career-best 128 yards and two scores on the ground. Rittenhouse started the scoring on the day with a 40-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter and added his second rushing touchdown of the day early in the third quarter.
Defense
LB Logan Kopp, North Dakota State 6-1, 220, Jr., St. Louis, Mo. (Lindbergh HS)
Kopp’s made six tackles and his second interception of the season sealed North Dakota State’s 13-9 victory over South Dakota State in the annual Dakota Marker game. Kopp picked off Mark Gronowski at the NDSU 38 with 1:00 left after the Jackrabbits picked up three first downs and advanced to midfield. The interception was the first turnover forced by NDSU in the series since 2019, helping the Bison snap a five-game losing streak to SDSU.
Newcomer
R Xavier Loyd, Illinois State 6-2, 195, Jr., Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs)
Loyd had his best receiving performance as a Redbird in Illinois State’s 40-32 win on the road at Murray State. The Blue Springs, Missouri, native averaged 29.6 yards per catch and finished the game with five grabs for a career-best 148 yards in the win over the Racers. He had receptions of 42 yards from Rittenhouse and a 38-yarder from Jake Rubley, which set up a Redbird touchdown two plays later.
Special Teams
P Kaedin Steindorf, North Dakota State 6-1, 202, Sr., Sherwood, Ore. (Sherwood HS)
Steindorf averaged 43.8 yards on five punts in North Dakota State’s 13-9 victory over South Dakota State in the annual Dakota Marker game. Steindorf’s two longest punts both went 47 yards, including one out-of-bounds at the SDSU 4 as Steindorf and the Bison limited the Jacks to zero return yards in the punt game.
Offensive Lineman
OL Jack Kuntz, North Dakota Sr., 6-4, 320, Devils Lake, N.D.
In the 31-7 win over Northern Iowa, Jack Kuntz and North Dakota’s offensive line helped UND rack up 386 yards of offense with 267 yards rushing and 119 yards passing. The blocking up front also allowed the Fighting Hawks to have 75 plays with the ball, while limiting the Panthers to only 44 plays. In the first half alone, UND ran 49 plays to UNI’s 14. The Panthers only got to QB Simon Romfo once in the contest. Kuntz graded out at 92 percent with four knockdowns and no pressures or sacks allowed.
