CFB-FCS: Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) Week 7 Release & Preview

WEEK 7 SCHEDULE

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Missouri State at Illinois State

12 p.m. ESPN+

Illinois State Notes

THE GAME
For the second straight week, No. 16 Illinois State will face off against another ranked FCS foe as the Redbirds welcome in No. 25 Missouri State for a home game at Hancock Stadium on Saturday. The Redbirds head into the contest after picking up a big 45-10 road win at Southern Illinois last weekend, while the Bears come into the game refreshed after a bye week. Fans are encourged to wear WHITE, as the Redbirds will be wearing their white jerseys as part of a WHITE OUT at Hancock Stadium.

THE SERIES
Illinois State and Missouri State will meet for the 43rd time in the series between the two schools, which dates back to 1971, with ISU leading 23-18-1. The two teams have split the last four contests in the series, however the Redbirds have won six of the last eight contests overall. ISU is 9-4 against MSU with Head Coach Brock Spack at the helm of the program, and have won four out the last five home games against the Bears.

THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 16th season as the head coach at Illinois State (105-72). Spack guided the Redbirds to back-to-back shares of the MVFC title in 2014-15 and an appearance in the 2014 FCS Championship game. He has led the ISU to five playoff appearances overall and became the program’s all-time wins leader in 2021.

Missouri State: Ryan Beard (Western Kentucky, 2012) is in his second season as the head coach at Missouri State (7-9). His elevation to head coach came on the heels of three seasons as defensive coordinator at Missouri State under former head coach Bobby Petrino. In his first season as head coach, Beard guided the Bears to a 4-7 overall record and a 3-5 ledger in the MVFC.

THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT

Missouri State University is located in Springfield, Mo., and has an enrollment of 25,038. The Bears are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play their home games at Plaster Stadium (17,337).
The Bears have cracked the American Football Coaches Association FCS Top 25 this week, debuting in Monday’s poll at No. 25. MSU was last ranked in the October 3, 2022 poll.
MSU is off to a 3-2 start to the season and are coming off a bye week. The Bears are winners of three-straight games after dropping their first two contests of the year at Montana and against FBS foe Ball State. They are coming off a bye week.
The three-game winning streak has come via a home win against Lindenwood (28-14), a road victory at UT Martin (31-24) and a thrilling home win in the MVFC opener against Youngstown State (38-31).
A five-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Clark to Lance Mason with eight seconds left in the game lifted the Bears to the victory over Youngstown State to move the Bears to 1-0 in MVFC play. Clark completed 21-of-29 passes for 325 yards with three touchdowns and also carried seven times for a team-high 63 rushing yards, which earned him MVFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE BEARS (NOV. 4, 2023)
As had been the case for Illinois State for the majority of the 2023 season, the game against Missouri State came down to the final seconds of the contest, with the outcome falling in favor of the Redbirds who converted a two-point conversion late in the contest to pick up a 36-35 road win against the Bears at Plaster Stadium to give head coach Brock Spack his 100th victory at Illinois State. Running back Mason King recorded his third 100-plus yard rushing effort of the season, finishing the game with 125 yards on 25 carries with a pair of touchdowns and Jalan Gaines led the way for the Redbird defense with 2.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and eight tackles along with a pass breakup in the contest.

NIEKAMP NAMED FCS NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Illinois State sophomore linebacker Tye Niekamp had a stellar day for the No. 18 Redbirds in their 45-10 road win at No. 19 Southern Illinois, and for his efforts he was named the Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week and the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week. The Normal, Illinois, native was all over the field for ISU and recorded a season-best 11 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and one pass break up against SIU. Following a pivotal interception from Niekamp, his second of the season, the ‘Birds got the ball back in Saluki territory and pulled out the trick double pass play where Daniel Sobkowicz took a backwards pass and stopped in his tracks to throw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Loyd to make the score 31-10 with 12:42 left in the game. On the night, Niekamp and the Redbird defense recorded eight tackles for loss, four sacks, and forced two turnovers against the nationally ranked Salukis on their home field.

FCS STATE TITLE SECURED
One of Illinois State’s preseason goals was to win the state title against the other three FCS schools from the Land of Lincoln on the schedule. After securing wins at home in back-to-back weeks against Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois in non-conference action, the Redbirds headed to Carbondale to take on No. 19 ranked Southern Illinois, who ISU had not defeated since 2019. Thanks to a dominant 45-10 win, ISU was able to go 3-0 against its in-state FCS foes for the first time since 2019, which also happened to be the last year the Redbirds made the FCS playoffs. There seems to be a bit of a correlation with the Redbirds going 3-0 against SIU, WIU and EIU and making the playoffs, as they also picked up the sweep in 2014 and 2015 on way to back-to-back MVFC titles and playoff appearances.

SPACK CLIMBING THE RANKS
Now in his 16th season at the helm of the Illinois State football program, Brock Spack has set nearly every coaching record in program history and hit another milestone against Missouri State in 2023. Already Illinois State’s program wins record holder, Spack picked up the 100th win of his career in the Redbirds’ thrilling 36-35 victory over the Bears to become just the fourth coach in MVFC history to reach 100 wins at a member school. Since that time, he’s moved his career mark to 105-72 (.594), with his most recent victory coming against No. 19 Southern Illinois by a score of 45-10. That gave Spack his 65th win in MVFC play, which now ties him for third all-time with former UNI and Missouri State head coach Terry Allen. With a victory against Missouri State, he would move into sole possession of third place behind UNI’s Mark Farley and South Dakota State’s John Stiegelmeier.

BIG PLAY OFFENSE
The Illinois State offense had another big day in its 45-10 win over No. 19 Southern Illinois, spreading the ball around while scoring touchdowns in impressive fashion. None of the Redbirds’ six touchdowns came cheaply, with each being scored on plays of 20 yards or more. ISU scored on passes of 38, 28 and 20 yards from quarterbacks Tommy Rittenhouse and Jake Rubley and wideout Daniel Sobkowicz, and tallied touchdowns on runs of 36, 29 and 26 yards by Rittenhouse, freshman Matt Lawson and transfer Seth Glatz. In all, six different Redbirds scored touchdowns in the victory and Rittenhouse (1 pass, 1 rush) and Sobkowicz (1 receiving, 1 pass) each accounted for two.

1-2 PUNCH
Last season, Daniel Sobkowicz was one of the best receivers in the Missouri Valley Football Conference last season but has been limited so far this season due to injury. However, the man who wears No. 2 on his jersey has returned from injury and bounced back in a big way, thanks to another dangerous option in the passing game who wears jersey No. 1 in Xavier Loyd. Sobkowicz’s reputation precedes him, but defenses now need to pay attention to Loyd on the opposite side of the field which makes the Redbird offense much more dangerous. The dynamic duo are the top two leading receivers for the Redbirds, with Loyd leading the way with 25 grabs for 375 yards and three scores, while Sobkowicz is right behind with 24 grabs for 308 yards and four touchdowns. They are the only pair of receivers from the same school to be ranked in the top 10 in the MVFC in yards and touchdowns.

FRESH FACES
A glaring number of first happened in Illinois State’s road win at Southern Illinois on the offensive side of the ball, with several fresh faces scoring their first touchdowns in Redbird uniforms. Freshman running back Matt Lawson was the first to get his name in the books as he ripped of the longest touchdown run of his career at ISU with a 29-yard score in the third quarter. Later in the fourth quarter, transfer quarterback Jake Rubley toss the first touchdown of his Redbird career to Braden Contreras, who is not a new face but hauled in his first career TD as a Redbird. The final highlight of the night came when transfer running back Seth Glatz scored his first touchdown at ISU on a 26-yard run to cap the scoring in the 45-10 win for the Redbirds.

Missouri State Notes

NOTES

After an idle week, No. 25 Missouri State returns to action this Saturday when the Bears travel to No. 16-ranked Illinois State for a Noon kickoff at Hancock Stadium. The Bears have won three straight and are looking to win their second straight matchup against the Redbirds in Normal.
Missouri State’s three-game win streak matches the 13th-longest active streak in the FCS ranks headed into this week’s competition. The Bears last won four straight contests under coach Bobby Petrino in the team’s memorable 8-4 playoff season of 2021 (Oct. 30 to Nov. 20).
Quarterback Jacob Clark (Sr., Rockwall, Texas) is coming off his second MVFC Offensive Player of the Week honor of the season after completing 21-of-29 passes for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns against Youngstown State (Sept. 28). He carried 7 times for 63 yards, giving him 388 yards of total offense in the win. He completed his first 10 passes of the game and was 10-of-11 in the first half. His 5-yard TD pass to Lance Mason with 8 seconds remaining proved to be the game-winner as Clark marched the Bears 53 yards on 5 plays in the game’s final minute. It marked Clark’s third 300-yard passing game of the season.
The Bears have three defenders in the top 7 in The Valley in tackles per game with Tahj Chambers (9.0) 3rd, Todric McGee (8.4) 5th and Dallas Winner-Johnson (7.4) 8th. Chambers (Sr., Arlington, Texas) ranks 19th among all FCS players in tackles per game.
MoState’s high-octane offense continues to rank among the national leaders in several categories, including: 3rd in passing yards (306.0), 9th in completion percentage (.696), 12th in pass efficiency (163.40), 15th in fewest interceptions (2), 16th in fewest turnovers (4), 22nd in total offense (403.8), 22nd in third-down efficiency (.446), 26th in scoring offense (31.0), 27th in yards per completion (13.08) and 28th in red zone offense (.889). Missouri State passing yards per game leads the MVFC, while the Bears are 2nd in The Valley in completion percentage, pass efficiency, fewest interceptions and yards per completion.
Missouri State’s 2.6 sacks per game currently leads the MVFC and ranks 22nd nationally among all FCS defensive units. Jalen Williams (Sr., Overland Park, Kan.) has 4.0 sacks this season and ranks 2nd in the MVFC in tackles for loss per game (1.1) and 3rd in sacks per game (0.80). The Bears also rank 10th nationally in turnover margin (+1.0), 27th in fumble recoveries (4), 31st in interceptions (5) and 37th in tackles for loss (6.0), all of which rank 2nd in the MVFC.
MSU’s receivers continue to rank among the league leaders in receptions per game and yardage per game with Hunter Wood (Sr., Springdale, Ark.) ranking 1st in receptions per game (5.4) and 7th in receiving yards (60.2) and Jmariyae Robinson (So., Cocoa, Fla.) ranking 3rd in the MVFC in receiving yards (69.2) and 7th in receptions per game (4.4). Meanwhile TE Lance Mason (Jr., Rockwall, Texas) ranks 15th nationally (1st among tight ends) in yards per receptions (20.46) which leads the MVFC.
The All-America tandem of punter Grant Burkett (Sr., Joplin, Mo.) and long snapper Caden Bolz (Sr., Overland Park, Kan.) will both be appearing in their 50th consecutive game this week.
Jacardia Wright (Sr., Decatur, Ill.) needs 60 rushing yards to reach 2,000 for his career. He also has 424 carries and 21 rushing TDs in 42 career contests at K-State and MoState. Wright is part of Missouri State’s “Thunder and Lightning” backfield along with Jayden Becks (So., Waxahachie, Texas) which has combined for 405 ground yards, 301 receiving yards and 8 total TDs through MSU’s first five ball games.
MoState officially cracked the FCS Top 25 this week for the first time since Oct. 3, 2022. The Bears are No. 25 in the AFCA poll this week. The Bears are 4-6 in “ranked vs. ranked” games since coach Ryan Beard joined the Missouri State staff in 2020. MSU’s last road win vs. a Top 25 club was 11/6/21 at No. 7 SIU.

Series History

Illinois State leads the all-time series, 23-18-1.
The Bears are 9-12 in games played in Normal and 9-11-1 all-time at home against the Redbirds.
The teams have split the last four meetings, including a 41-20 Bears win on their last trip to Hancock Stadium in 2021.
In the most-recent meeting between the clubs in Normal, (10/2/21), Tobias Little racked up a career-high 90 rushing yards on 14 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead No. 16 Missouri State to a 41-20 road win. The Bears amassed 513 total yards and pitched a shutout in the second half. QB Jason Shelley passed for 319 yards and a pair of scores on 19-of-27 attempts. The win marked MSU’s first win at Hancock since 2012 and the Bears’ first 2-0 start in league play since 1997. Midway through the third, a blocked punt by Von Young set the visitors up at the Redbirds 40. Five plays later, Little carried it into the endzone from five yards out to make it a 27-20 game and MSU never looked back.
Last season in Springfield (11/4/23), MSU fell 36-35 on a final drive filled with the emotional extremes. A 28-yard touchdown run by Missouri State’s Celdon Manning with 3:03 left in the game put the Bears ahead 35-28. On the ensuing ISU drive, two video replays overturned potential game-ending stops by the Bears defense. Specifically, a fourth-and-five at the ISU 41 was marked short of the line to gain, turning the ball over on downs to MSU at the Illinois State 46. The spot was overturned on replay, which awarded the Redbirds a first down. Seven plays later, ISU scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds left with its failed two-point try also overturned on a replay. Jacardia Wright carried 19 times for 77 yards and two TDs for the Bears, while Raylen Sharpe caught 7 passes for 115 yards.

Murray State at Indiana State

12 p.m.

Quick Notes
Murray State at a Glance
Murray State enters the weekend’s matchup with a 1-4 overall record, 0-2 in MVFC play. The Racers have fallen in their two conference games to date with defeats to North Dakota (72-35) and South Dakota (59-0). The Racers’ lone win of the 2024 season to date has come courtesy of a 59-8 win at home against Mississippi Valley State.

Murray State was selected 11th overall in the MVFC’s preseason poll. The Penguins received 67 total points after a 2-9 overall record, 1-7 in MVFC play last season. Ashton Flynn (OL) and Kanyon Walker (DB) were both named to the MVFC Preseason All-Conference Honorable Mention team.

Murray State boasts one of the top punt coverage units in the country with the Racers sitting 11th in the NCAA FCS at 41.54 yards per kick. Murray State is one of the top red zone offenses in the country sitting third in the MVFC and 22nd in FCS at a 90.0% conversion rate. The Racers do not hurt themselves on the field. Murray State is 22nd overall in the FCS allowing just 26 penalties on the season.

Running Against the Racers
Indiana State has put together a strong history of running backs going off against Murray State over program history. Five different athletes have posted 170+ running yards against the Racers’ defense including Plez Lawrence setting a new career mark with 203 yards last season, the most by a back since Dominique Dafney ran for 244 yards and four touchdowns against Missouri State on November 23, 2019.

North Dakota State at Southern Illinois

2 p.m. ESPN+

North Dakota Notes

THIS WEEK: No. 2-ranked North Dakota State (5-1, 2-0 MVFC) is back on the road this week to face Southern Illinois (2-4, 0-2 MVFC) at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, at Saluki Stadium (15,000) in Carbondale, Ill.

THE SERIES: North Dakota State has a 12-4 lead in the all-time series with Southern Illinois dating back to 1963. The Bison have won three straight including a 34-10 victory in last year’s Harvest Bowl game at the Fargodome. NDSU has a 5-4 edge in Carbondale.

TWO RECORDS FOR MILLER: NDSU’s Cam Miller had his 15th career 200-yard passing game against Illinois State, surpassing the school record held by Brock Jensen, who passed for 200-plus yards in 14 games from 2010 to 2013. Miller picked up his 42nd career rushing touchdown against North Dakota, breaking the Missouri Valley Football Conference record for quarterbacks set previously by NDSU’s Easton Stick from 2015 to 2018.

MR. EFFICIENCY: Quarterback Cam Miller has passed for more than 200 yards in eight of NDSU’s last 12 games and has not thrown an interception in 235 attempts over that span. He leads the FCS in completion percentage (.769) and pass efficiency (186.1), ranks second in points responsible for (104), and is third nationally with 9.78 yards per passing attempt.

LONG BALL: NDSU quarterback Cole Payton‘s 73-yard touchdown run at Illinois State is the longest play of the season for NDSU and the longest of Payton’s career, which includes TD runs last year of 61 against Maine, 65 against Northern Iowa and 70 against Eastern Washington. Payton led the Bison last year with 10 touchdowns going 20 or more yards.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS: North Dakota State leads the FCS in fewest turnovers lost (2), ranks second in the FCS for completion percentage (.742), third down conversions (.593), total first downs (153) and time of possession (36:07), and third in team passing efficiency (180.75) in this week’s NCAA statistics. NDSU is ninth in the FCS for total offense averaging 457.7 yards per game, which is on pace to be the best season of total offense for the Bison since the 2019 team averaged 469.5 yards per game. Only four NDSU teams at the Division I level have averaged over 450 yards per game. The school-record is 474.6 yards per game by the 1969 national championship team.

BIG KICKS: Prior to his 54-yard field goal at East Tennessee State, Eli Ozick‘s 51-yard field goal on his first career attempt against Tennessee State was the longest field goal by a Bison kicker in eight years when Cam Pedersen hit from 52 yards in the 2016 season-opener against Charleston Southern. Ozick has booted 38 of 44 kickoffs into the end zone with 37 touchbacks helping the Bison limit opponents to just 52 return yards through six contests.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: North Dakota State is 84-6 against non-conference opponents since the beginning of its first FCS national championship season in 2011. Two losses were to FBS opponents (31-28 at Arizona in 2021 and 31-26 at Colorado in 2024) and two were in the playoffs to the eventual national champion (27-17 to James Madison in 2016 and 24-20 at Sam Houston State in 2020-21). Montana’s 31-29 double-overtime win in the 2023 FCS semifinals and 38-35 victory in the 2015 FCS Kickoff are NDSU’s only other non-conference loss the past 13 years.

BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 192-29 record in the Fargodome, 34-6 at home against FCS Top 10 ranked teams, and winners of 84 of the last 86 home games over non-conference opponents. North Dakota State has a 35-1 record in the Fargodome during the NCAA playoffs and has won 17 straight home playoff games since the 2016 semifinal loss to eventual national champion James Madison. NDSU’s 32-game home winning streak September 2017 through April 2021 was fourth longest in FCS history.

Southern Illinois Notes

Southern Illinois hosts No. 2-ranked North Dakota State in a Homecoming matchup on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Saluki Stadium in a game televised on ESPN+.

For the first time in 35 years, the Salukis (2-4) will start a true freshman at quarterback. Jake Curry will make his starting debut for Southern on Saturday.

The Edwardsville, Ill. native came off the bench last week versus Illinois State, replacing injured starter Hunter Simmons in the third quarter. Curry completed 8-of-19 passes for 133 yards and two interceptions. At Edwardsville High School, he was a Class 8A First-Team All-State pick in 2023, and passed for 5,042 career yards and 62 TDs, plus 25 rushing TDs.

The last true freshman to start for SIU was Brendon Prenger, a walk-on QB, who started at Northern Iowa on Nov. 11, 1989. He passed for 159 yards in a 38-14 loss to the Panthers.

Simmons started the last three games for the Salukis, replacing DJ Williams, who had surgery on his throwing hand after injuring it during the win over Incarnate Word on Sept. 14.

Hall of Fame Day
The 2024 Saluki Hall of Fame class featuring Jorge Delgado (Swimming), Korey Lindsey (Football), Rick Murray (Baseball), Rishonda Napier (Women’s Basketball), Sally Perkins (Athletic Trainer) and Rick Walker (Swimming & Diving Coach) will be honored during the first quarter of the game.

Men’s Basketball posters and autographs
The 2024-25 men’s basketball schedule posters will be available, and the team will be on-hand to sign the posters from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Saluki Plaza by the south entrance to Saluki Stadium.

Series versus North Dakota State
The Salukis are 4-12 all-time versus the Bison, including a 4-5 mark at home. NDSU has won 11 of the last 12 meetings, with Southern’s lone win coming in 2020. That Saluki victory was the first-career start for quarterback Nic Baker and the 38-14 win ended a 39-game winning streak for the Bison, which was ranked No. 1 at the time.

Five-straight ranked opponents
The Salukis are in the midst of a five-game stretch against ranked, FCS opponents. That’s only happened twice in school history — 1999 and 2005. In addition, SIU’s FBS opponent this season, BYU, is currently 5-0 and ranked No. 19. To date, Southern has faced the third-toughest schedule in the FCS.

WR Keontez Lewis leads MVFC
After recording a career-high 153 receiving yards last week versus Illinois State, WR Keontez Lewis leads the MVFC and ranks third in the nation in receiving yards (575). The Wisconsin transfer also leads the league and ranks 10th in the nation in receiving yards per game (95.8)

LB Ben Bogle is 2nd in nation in TFL, 13th in sacks
Sophomore LB Ben Bogle ranks second in the nation with 12.5 tackles for loss. He also ranks 13th in the nation in sacks with 5.5. Both marks lead the MVFC. Bogle had a school-record 3.5 sacks at Austin Peay in Week 2, in which he earned FCS national player-of-the-week honors. SIU’s single-game season record for TFL is 18.0 (Bart Scott, 2001) and for sacks is 12.0 (James Phillips, 1978).

Illinois State recap

The Salukis out-gained Illinois State, 487-407.
SIU had seven drives that ended inside the Illinois State 30. The drives resulted in 1 TD, 1 FG, 2 missed FG, 2 INTs and 1 turnover on downs.
Keontez Lewis’ 153 receiving yards were the most by a Saluki since Avante’ Cox had 187 at SEMO in 2021.
Jake Curry’s 60-yard completion to Lewis was SIU’s longest play from scrimmage this season.

Salukis in the national rankings
For the first time since the end of the 2022 season, the Salukis are not nationally ranked, breaking a streak of 19-consecutive weeks. They were ranked in all 13 polls released in 2023 (as high as #5), and were ranked in the first six polls released in 2024 (as high as #7).

Dawg bytes

The Salukis are one of only eight FCS team who have not lost a fumble through the first six games.
The Salukis rank 17th in the nation in passing offense (259.3), 24th in total offense (401.2), 92nd in scoring offense (20.5) and 121st in red zone scoring (0.583).
Three of SIU’s four captains have missed the last four games due to injuries — TE Aidan Quinn, DE Dewey Greene and LB Colin Bohanek. The only captain to play was C Chase Evans.
Simmons did not throw an interception in 128 pass attempts before suffering a season-ending broken left tibia versus Illinois State on Oct. 5

Northern Iowa at South Dakota

2 p.m.

Northern Iowa Notes

The UNI football team hits the road for the first time in conference play and heads to Vermillion, South Dakota where it will take on the no. 4 South Dakota Coyotes inside the DakotaDome. The Panthers’ MVFC dome tour continues Saturday, October 12 as UNI will play in their second of seven matchups inside a dome over the course of the conference slate. The Panthers are coming off a 41-3 loss against #1 South Dakota State on October 5th. The matchup inside the UNI-Dome came over Northern Iowa’s Family Weekend which brought in the Panthers’ biggest crowd (12,611) since Oct. 7, 2017, against Western Illinois. In that matchup, Aidan Dunne finished the game with 113 passing yards on eight-of-15 completions, with Matthew Scheklman throwing for 67 yards on nine completions. Sergio Morancy hauled in 73 receiving yards on six catches as JC Roque Jr. recorded 46 yards on five receptions. On the ground, Tye Edwards ran for 62 yards on 12 carries with Amauri Pesek-Hickson carrying the ball eight times for 23 yards. The Panthers are now 17-6 in games coming off the bye week under Farley and 15-10 in MVFC opening games. Saturday was just the second time in school history Northern Iowa opened league play against the nation’s top-ranked team (Last: 2004 at No. 1 Southern Illinois | L, 40-36). Northern Iowa fell to 3-11 all-time against the number-one-ranked team in the nation. UNI’s last win over the top team in the country came in 2014 with a 23-3 win against North Dakota State. The Panthers head to Vermillion, South Dakota to take on the Coyotes for USD’s annual Dakota Days celebration. UNI holds a two-game win streak against South Dakota in Vermillion. The last four times the Panthers have suffered a loss to the no. 1 team in the nation, UNI has bounced back and been victorious in their next matchup (2023 – 27-0 vs. #9 North Dakota, 2022 – 58-14 at South Dakota, 2019 – 42-27 vs. RV South Dakota, 2018 – 42-28 at #24 South Dakota). The Panthers remain one of the cleanest teams in the MVFC with just 26 penalties the season. That mark is the second-best in the Valley behind 20 total penalties by Indiana State. UNI leads the Valley with an opponent fourth down percentage of 25%.

JC Roque Jr. is the conference’s third-best punt returner, averaging eight yards per punt return. On the ground, Tye Edwards continues to be a force with 7.19 rushing yards [per carry. That is the 11th-best mark in the nation and second-best in the conference, just 0.2 yards per carry behind Beau Brungard of Youngstown State. Edwrads’ 83.4 rushing yards per game is the fourth-best mark in the Valley. Sergio Morancy has recorded an average of 19.6 yards per kickoff return. That number is the third-best mark in the MVFC. South Dakota is coming off a 59-0 victory at Murray State last Saturday. This was the first MVFC road shutout in USD program history as the Coyotes put up a season-high 582 yards of total offense against the Racers. The defense on the day forced a season-high four turnovers, two interceptions, a forced fumble in the red zone, and a muffed punt recovery deep inside Murray State territory. Of those turnovers, it led directly to 17 USD points. On the afternoon, the Yotes rushed for 361 yards, notching 350+ rushing yards for the first time since the 2021 Cal Poly game. The seven rushing scores on the day is the most in the Division I FCS era, last putting up seven scores against Culver-Stockton (Mo.) back in 2008. USD has won their first two MVFC games in each of the last two seasons, looking to make it three-straight for the second-straight year with a 16-6 record inside the Dakota Dome since the 2021 season. The Yotes have hung their hat with their defense early in the season with five interceptions as a team coming from four different players. Gabriel Hardman picked up his first pick as a Coyote last week against Murray State. The five team interceptions sits 31st-best in the nation. LB Gary Bryant III leads the defense with his 36 tackles this season. Nick Gaes leads the team in sacks (4.5), while Gaes and Mi’Quise Grace sit tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (5.5). The duo up front sit tied for second in the MVFC in TFLs per game (1.10), while Gaes sits second in the Valley with 4.5 sacks.

South Dakota Notes

The No. 4-ranked University of South Dakota football team (4-1, 2-0 MVFC) looks to continue their string of efficient offense and stingy defense as they play host to the (RV) University of Northern Iowa Panthers (2-3, 0-1 MVFC) for the 2024 Dakota Days battle inside the DakotaDome on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. and you can watch the game on ESPN+ or Midco Sports Plus.

GAME STORYLINES

DEFENDING THE DOME: Since the 2021 season, South Dakota is 16-6 inside the DakotaDome.
MVFC NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: Quaron Adams put up a career-best 83 yards against Murray State to earn his first-career MVFC weekly honor.
USD has won their first two MVFC games in each of the last two season, looking to make it three-straight for the second-straight year.
The Yotes remain No. 4 in both polls (AFCA Coaches’ & STATS Perform) entering Week 7 – marking the eighth game as a top-5 team in the Division I FCS era.
South Dakota has scored 40+ points in all three home games this season.
They’ve also scored 40-straight points in three-straight games for the first time in the MVFC era and doing so for the first time since the 2005-06 seasons.
The Coyote rushing attack jumped up to 7^th in the FCS (248.8 yards per game) after a stellar 361 yards on the ground in the Murray State win.
The Coyote defense leads the MVFC in scoring defense at 9.2 ppg (third in FCS) and total defense at 276.4 total yards per game (7th in FCS).
Teams have struggled to score against the Yotes in the red zone, converting only 60% of the time (ninth in the FCS).
HC Bob Nielson has coached in 91 career games at South Dakota, sitting at 46 career wins at USD.
Six more wins for Nielson will put him fourth all-time in program history for games won at USD.

YOTES TO NOTE

Aidan Bouman has thrown for at least 200 passing yards and one touchdown in the last three games.
Quaron Adams has been a spark in the wide receivers group, averaging an MVFC-best 24.6 yards per catch.
The rushing attack of Travis Theis (96.0) and Charles Pierre Jr. (89.4) sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the Valley in rushing yards per game.
Gary Bryant III leads the defense with his 35.0 tackles per game, while Dennis Shorter has a team-best two interceptions.

HIGH SCORING COYOTES!

South Dakota has put up 40+ points in three-straight home games, including the last two weeks.
The overall streak is up to three-straight games, as the Yotes now lead the MVFC in points per game (40.2).
It’s the first time putting up 40 or more points in three-straight games since 2006-06.
It marks the first time putting up 40+ points in three-straight home games in the Yotes MVFC era, last doing so back in 2009.

DOMINANT RUSHING GAME

Back-to-back 300-yard rushing games to open MVFC play has seen South Dakota jump up 17 spots national in rushing yards per game since heading into Valley play two weeks ago.
The backfield of Theis & Pierre Jr. have combined for four 100-yard rushing games (both did so against SIU).
The two running backs have combined for 75% of the team’s rushing yards this season, plus over 60% (62.5%) of the team’s offensive touchdowns.
Charles Pierre Jr. recorded a career-best three rushing scores in the win at Murray State.

TOUT DEFENSE

The Yotes have hung their hat with their defense early in the season.
South Dakota has five interceptions as a team with four different Yotes having one; Gabriel Hardman picked up his first pick as a Coyote last week against Murray State.
The five team interceptions sits 31^st-best in the nation.
LB Gary Bryant III leads the defense with his 36 tackles this season.
Nick Gaes leads the team in sacks (4.5), while Gaes and Mi’Quise Grace sit tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (5.5).
The duo up front sit tied for second in the MVFC in TFLs per game (1.10), while Gaes sits second in the Valley with his 4.5 sacks.

INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES & MILESTONES

Keyondray Jones-Logan is one of two FCS athletes to return two kickoffs back for touchdowns this season.
At Wisconsin, Aidan Bouman cracked the top-10 in program history for career passing yards.
Last week against SIU, he became the ninth Coyote to eclipse 4,000 career passing yards.
He sits eighth with 4,329 passing yards, aiming to move into seventh this week (Dante Warren, 4,361).
Bouman now also sits in sole possession of T9th all-time in program history in career passing touchdowns (27).
Travis Theis continues to move up the USD rushing record book, entering the week: second in carries (619), fourth in rushing yards (2,974), and T6th in rushing touchdowns (28).
He needs just 26 yards to become the third Yote with 3,000 career rushing yards.
Carter Bell moves up to fourth in receiving yards (2,368) and T5th in touchdown receptions (16).
He also now sits third in career receptions (154), now eyeing the program’s all-time receptions lead (Brooks Little, 2004-07, 165 receptions).

INSIDE THE NORTHERN IOWA SERIES

South Dakota and Northern Iowa will meet for the 53^rd time on Saturday. The Panthers lead the all-time series, 31-20-1.
It will be the 24^th meeting in Vermillion with UNI leading 13-10.
This is just the fourth meeting in USD’s Division I era where the Panthers have not been ranked nationally inside the top-25.
It’s also the fourth meeting where the Yotes themselves have been ranked, including once inside the top-10 (2017).

NORTHERN IOWA QUICK HITS

UNI enters the contest with a 2-3 record, falling in their last three games (Nebraska, Hawai’i, and No. 1 SDSU) under 24^th year head coach Mark Farley.
The Panthers rank 120^th in the FCS in scoring offense (13.0ppg) of 123 FCS programs.
The UNI defense hangs their hat on the rushing defense, allowing just over 100 rushing yards per game (117.6) that sits 22^nd in the nation (5^th in the MVFC).

Youngstown State at South Dakota State

2 p.m. Midco Sports

Series History
All-Time Series: SDSU leads 17-7
At SDSU: SDSU leads 703
Win Streak: SDSU, 5 games
Last Meeting: SDSU 34-0 (2023)

Youngstown State Notes

The Youngstown State football team visits top-ranked South Dakota State this Saturday. Kickoff at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, S.D., is set for 3 p.m. Eastern time/2 p.m. Central time. The game is available on ESPN+, WKBN 570 AM and iHeartRadio.
   The Penguins (2-4 overall, 1-1 in the MVFC) picked up a hard-fought 21-14 victory over Indiana State last Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium. YSU scored 21 first-half points before holding off the Sycamores comeback bid in the second half.
   YSU took a 7-0 lead on Ethan Wright’s two-yard scoring run in the first quarter. In the second, the Guins tacked on a pair of scores as Beau Brungard tossed an eight-yard TD pass to Latrell Fordham and Wright added his second two-yard scoring run of the half.
   However, the Sycamores scored twice in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 21-14. Last in the fourth, Indiana State had 1st-and-10 at the YSU 12, but the defense stiffened and forced a turnover on downs in the final two minutes to seal the win.
   South Dakota State (4-1, 1-0) thumped UNI, 41-3, in the UNI-Dome last Saturday. The Jackrabbits scored the first 24 points of the game and were never threatened in the impressive win. The 38-point road win extended SDSU’s winning streak to 31 straight vs. FCS opponents.
   At UNI, the Jacks forced four turnovers and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against the Panthers. QB Mark Gronowski threw for 223 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.
   This is YSU’s first visit to Brookings since March 13, 2021. The Penguins hung tough in that contest losing on a final-play field goal, 19-17. The last two meetings have been in Youngstown, including a 34-0 triumph by the Jackrabbits last November. YSU’s last win in Brookings was October 2014.
   The Penguins face a daunting schedule their next four contests. They return home to face two more top-10 foes in the coming weeks. YSU faces fourth-ranked South Dakota on Oct. 19 before taking on ninth-ranked North Dakota on Oct. 26. The Guins open the month of November at No. 16 Illinois State.

The Wright Stuff

TB Ethan Wright has been a huge addition to the program after transferring from Cincinnati.
   Wright has started at tailback each of the past two games for the Penguins. In each of the past two games he has rushed for season highs.
   Against Indiana State, he had 81 yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns At Missouri State, he rushed for 76 yards on a season-high 17 carries and added a touchdown.
   In five of the six games this year, Wright has rushed for 61 yards or more.
   In 32 career games played at UC from 2020-23, he had 215 yards on 44 attempts and caught five passes for 44 yards. After six games at YSU, he has 71 carries for 393 yards and 11 catches for 63 yards.

Hunting Down Quarterbacks

Senior DE Hunter Allen registered two sacks and had two QB hurries in the win against Indiana State.
For the contest he had four solo tackles. His final QB hurry came on the ISU’s last play, a 4th-and-23 from the YSU 25 with just over a minute and a half left.
In his YSU career, he has played in 44 games registering 64 total tackles and 10 sacks. He has a career-high four sacks this season.

Johnson Nearing Career High

Senior LB Devin Johnson is closing in on a career-high for tackles. Johnson has 23 stops through six games, including 18 solo stops. His previous career best was 25 in 2022.
In 44 games played during his career, he has been credited with 77 tackles (51 solos).

Shahid Having Breakout Year

First-year starter Makai Shahid is having a solid debut season in the Penguins’ secondary.
Shahid leads the team with 27 total tackles, including 20 solo stops so far this year.
He tied his season high with seven tackles against Indiana State. He also had seven tackles in the season opener at Villanova.

Tomczak Stepping Up

WR Max Tomczak is off to a great start to the 2024 season. Through five games he has 28 receptions for 392 yards and two touchdowns.
   He’s had at least four receptions in every game this season.
   In the win over Valpo, he had a career-high two touchdown receptions, hauling in four catches for 98 yards. At Pitt he had a season-high six catches for 48 yards.
    Tomczak caught 56 passes for 669 yards and a touchdown last year. In 2022, he had 26 catches for 430 yards and two TDs.
   For his career, he has 110 receptions for 1,491 yards and five scores.

Traugh Emerges At WR

   Redshirt freshman WR Cyrus Traugh has emerged as a go-to receiver this season.
   Through six games, Traugh has 19 receptions for 248 yards and a team-high three touchdowns.
   He had a breakout performance at Pitt with two touchdown receptions and four catches for 89 yards. At Pitt he had scoring catches of 44 and 25 yards accounting for both of YSU’s touchdowns in the game.
   His first career touchdown grab came at Villanova in the season opener.

The King Penguin

   Tailback Tyshon King has four rushing touchdowns in 2024. He had a season-high two scores against Duquesne.
   This season he has rushed for 254 yards on 69 carries, including a season-high 67-yard performance against Duquesne.
   In his first season at YSU last year, King rushed for 1,011 yards on 187 carries and scored nine touchdowns en route to earning second-team All-MVFC honors. Six times last year he has eclipsed the 100-yard mark.

Specialists Keep Excelling

The Penguins specialists are two of the most talented at the FCS level.
PK Andrew Lastovka, who was 17-of-20 on field-goal attempts in 2023, has made five of six attempts this season, including a season-long 46-yard boot at Pittsburgh. He is now 22-of-26 on field-goal tries in his career.
P Brendon Kilpatrick boomed a career-long punt of 65 yards in the opener at Villanova and added a punt of 63 yards at Pitt. He has 20 punts on the year and is averaging 47.8 per kick. He has nine punts of 50 yards or more.

Brungard Shows Off Run Skills

Sophomore QB Beau Brungard has rushed for 473 yards on 64 carries after six games. He is averaging an impressive 78.8 yards per game and 7.4 yards per rush.
Twice this year he has rushed for more than 100 yards – 194 vs. Valparaiso and 110 at Missouri State.
He has 10-or-more rushes in four of the first six games with a high of 16 vs. Villanova and Missouri State.

Kilpatrick Earns MVFC Honor

  Brendon Kilpatrick was named the Missouri Valley Football’s Special Teams Player of the Week following the Penguins’ 21-14 win over Indiana State on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.
   Against Indiana State, Kilpatrick averaged 47.8 yards on five punts. He had kicks of 52, 51, 50, 44 and 42 in the win. He had two inside the 20-yard line and placed one inside the 10. His last punt put the Sycamores at their own eight with under six minutes left.
   Through six games, Kilpatrick is averaging 46.3 yards per attempt on 20 kicks. He would rank sixth nationally, but is only averaging 3.3 punts per game, just below the NCAA’s minimum qualifications of 3.6 attempts a contest.

New Faces on Defense

This season, 13 different players have made their first career starts on defense for the Penguins.
   Most recently, CB Payton Edwards (Indiana State transfer) and DB Andrew Centofanti started at Missouri State. The week before, LB Preston Zandier started at Pitt. Against Duquesne, DT Tyler Bukur, DT Nehemiah Dukes and CB Jordan Rudolph were starters.
   Against Villanova in the season opener, first-time starters were SS Stephon Hall, FS Makai Shahid, DB Kerion Martin and CB Isaiah Hackett, LBs Mike Wells and Devin Johnson and DTs Joe Brown and Jaelen Crider.
   Previous starters were CB Jaylen Castleberry, DE Dawan Martin and DE Hunter Allen. Allen and Castleberry have started every game so far this year.

Father-Son QB Starters

QB Beau Brungard joined his father, Mark, as starting quarterbacks for the Guins.
Beau Brungard, a third-year sophomore, started for the first time in his career at Villanova. He has started all five games for YSU so far this season.
Mark made his starting debut on Sept. 2, 1993, at Western Michigan. Ironically both of those were season-opening Thursday night road games.

O-Line Features Experience

  YSU’s offensive line has a plethora of experience with three players starting more than 30 games.
   That group features right tackle Jaison Williams (45 starts), Aidan Parker (43 starts), left guard David Metzler (32 starts) and left tackle Desmeal Leigh (19).
   New to the lineup this year is Shane Keenan who has started six times at right guard. Van Keen, who started twice at center in 2023, started the past three contests along the line, including a start at center at Missouri State.

Grinding Down the Clock

The Guins, who ranked first in the FCS in time of possession averaging 35:06 per game in 2023, are currently first in the country again with an impressive TOP average of 36:37.
The Guins lead nationally in the category by 30 seconds ahead of North Dakota State.