WEEK 11 SCHEDULE
Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024
*UNI at Youngstown State (ESPN+) 11 am CT
* #17/16 Illinois State at Indiana State (ESPN+) 12 pm CT
*#5/5 S. Dakota at RV/RV N. Dakota (Midco/E+) 12 pm CT
Murray State at Kentucky (SECN+/ESPN+) 12:30 pm CT
*Southern Illinois at #3/3 SDSU (Midco/ESPN+) 2 pm CT
*#14 Missouri State at #1/1 NDSU (ABC ND/ESPN+) 2:30 pm CT
MVFC NOTEBOOK
vs. Non-Conference (23-19)
Ranked vs. Ranked
This week, Missouri State and NDSU face one another in a matchup of two top-25 MVFC programs. In Conference history, there have been 240 games in which two league teams ranked in the top 25 played one another. Of those 240 games, 69 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 134-104 in those games; the higher-ranked team is 152-87. Those figures include two neutral-site games, and one game in which the teams were both No. 25.
5 MVFC Teams Ranked
Five league teams are ranked the Coaches poll and four are ranked in the Stats Perform poll this week. The league has three of the Top 5 in both the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches poll. All FCS ranked teams are in action on Saturday, which features three games that have two top-25 teams facing one another. There were three new ranked teams in the Stats Perform poll and four in the AFCA rankings.
Players of the Week
Offense Player of the Week
QB Jacob Clark, Missouri State 6-5, 220, Sr., Rockwall, Texas (Rockwall HS)
Clark passed for a career-high 431 yards and tossed four TD passes to lead Missouri State to season highs in total yards (579) and points (59) in Saturday’s win at Murray State. His effort moved him past Jay Rodgers (1999) for the Bears’ single-season touchdown record with his 25th of the campaign. He also moved into second place on MSU’s single-season passing yards list, just 176 behind Jason Shelley’s (2021) season standard (3,347), and completions (230), just five behind Shelley.
Defense Player of the Week
DL Mi’Quise Grace, South Dakota 6-4, 255, So., Cincinnati, Ohio (Princeton HS)
Grace was the biggest reason on the defensive line that Indiana State was held to a whopping (-3) rushing yards and just 129 total yards on the day. The 129 total yards allowed was a league-best in 2024 as was the 2.4 yards per play allowed and the minus-3 yards rushing. Indiana State did not have a rush longer than six yards in the contest — also the league best by USD. Grace set a new career-best with his 3.0 tackles for loss, along with 1.5 sacks coming early in the second half. He also forced a fumble on a strip-sack and was credited with three quarterback hurries, living in the Sycamore backfield all day.
Newcomer Player of the Week
QB Jake Curry, Southern Illinois 5-11, 185, Fr., Edwardsville, Ill. (Edwardsville)
Curry rallied SIU from a 28-0 deficit to beat Youngstown State, 37-33. It was the largest comeback in school history and tied for the largest in conference history. Curry completed 19-of-26 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns and also led the team in rushing with 10 carries for 78 yards and one TD. He threw two touchdown passes in the final three minutes — an 18-yard fade route to TE Colton Hoag, and a 20-yard seam route to Bradley Clark for the game-winner with 1:09 remaining.
Special Teams Player of the Week
K/P Hunter Dustman, South Dakota State 6-4, 225, Sr., East Bethel, Minn. (St. Francis)
Dustman scored eight points and averaged 44.5 yards on four punts as part of an all-around solid performance by South Dakota State in a 38-7 road win at North Dakota on Nov. 9. He put the first Jackrabbit points on the board with a 32-yard field goal late in the first quarter, then kicked five extra points in the middle two quarters. Dustman landed two of his four punts inside the UND 20-yard line with a long of 51.
