NSIC Players of the Week: Week #11 (11/13)

[wscsuperfan]

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#0 Donald Austin (RB, 6-0, 220, Jr., Hartland, Wis. / St. John’s Northwestern HS) - SMSU
- Rushed for a season-high 184 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-10 win over USF
- Had a season-high 31 carries in helping SMSU snap a nine-game losing streak
- It was SMSU’s first win over USF in 11 games since the Cougars joined the NSIC
- Scored on runs of 4, 21 and 2 yards
- Second straight 100-yard rushing game and the fourth this season
- Finished the season leading SMSU with 965 rushing yards
- Ranks as the 10th highest in single-season team history

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#22 Mac Strand (LB, 6-0, 229, Jr., Appleton, Wis. / Xavier HS) - Minnesota Duluth
- Led the NSIC with 16 tackles against No. 9 Minnesota State Saturday
- Helped a Bulldog defense hold the Mavericks to 21 points, including just seven in the second half
- The 16 tackles in one game was a career-high for Strand
- Posted a season-best 1.5 sacks for four yards lost

NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#25 Jake Pecina (K, 5-10, 175, R-Fr., Forney, Texas / Sunnyvale HS) - Augustana
-Was perfect in splitting the uprights with a field goal and 5-of-5 on point after attempts for 8 points
- Connected on a career-best 52-yard field goal in Augustana’s 38-19 win over No. 12 Bemidji State
- Helped Augustana win the conference championship outright for the first time since 1959
- Finished the regular season 90 percent on field goal attempts
- Named NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season (10/16/23)

[wscsuperfan]

Others Under Consideration

OFFENSE

Jarod Epperson (AUGIE)
- Rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown in NSIC clinching win over No. 12 Bemidji State
- Received for 32 yards and a touchdown in Augustana's win over Bemidji State
- Ripped off a 54-yard rush to take a 24-19 lead and push it to 31-19 late in the fourth quarter.
- Averaged 5.3 yards per carry
- Surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in a single season for second time in career
- Led Augustana to its first outright conference championship since 1959

Brandon Alt (BSU)
- Threw for over 300 yards for the fourth game this season at Augustana
- Completed 26-51 for 356 yards and three touchdowns
- Found Dhel Duncan-Busby for a 75-yard touchdown to begin the second half
- Added a pair of touchdown passes to Brice Peters

Traivon Dyson (UMary)
- Caught a career-high 9 passes for 137 yards in the Battle for the Paddle at MSUM
- Longest reception covered 35 yards
- Finished the season with 47 catches for 649 yards and eight TDs

Hayden Ekern (MSU)
- Threw for 232 yards and a touchdown as he completed 21-of-42 passes
- Led the Maverick rushing attack with 61 yards and two touchdown carries

Madden Thorson (MSUM)
- Caught 10 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown in MSUM's 35-7 win over UMary
- Kicked off the scoring for MSUM with a 72-yard touchdown reception
- Averaged 14.6 yard per reception in the victory

Dakota Larson (NSU)
- Tallied a league leading 157 yards receiving in the season finale
- Recorded one touchdown with a 28-yard long
- Averaged 14.3 yards per reception
- Notched his third 100-plus yard game of 2023
- Closed out his time at NSU as the career record holder with 31 receiving touchdowns and 3,654 receiving yards

Nick Bohn (WSC)
- Accounted for 345 yards of total offense and four TD's in a 56-21 win at CSP
- Completed 18 of 21 passes for 319 yards and two TD's
- Added 26 yards rushing on 10 carries and two scores

DEFENSE

JayVian Farr (AUGIE)
- Recorded his best game statistically in his career in a game that counted the most
- Had a pick-six for a 61 yard touchdown that sealed the game in the fourth quarter
- Recovered a fumble in the first half for Augustana that stopped a scoring drive for BSU
- Recorded two pass breakups
- Totaled three tackles
- Helped Augustana to its first outright conference championship since 1959

Stephen Hoffman (BSU)
- Collected a pair of tackles for loss, a sack and five tackles, three solo at Augustana
- His tackles for loss netted six yards and his sack was a loss of four yards

Major Kelley (UMary)
- Posted 2.0 sacks in final collegiate game in the Battle for the Paddle at MSUM
- Produced losses of 14 yards
- Only had 0.5 career sacks entering the game

Dakota Smith (MSU)
- Recovered two fumbles against Minnesota Duluth and forced a fumble
- Led the Maverick defense with 12 tackles

Jared Kallenbach (MSUM)
- Made a pair of tackles in MSUM's 35-7 win over Mary on Saturday
- Intercepted his third pass of the season, returning it 36 yards for a touchdown
- Also had two pass break-ups in the Dragon victory

Carson Chrisman (MINOT)
- Career-high 8 tackles
- First career fumble recovery
- Second career interception

Jake Adams (NSU)
- Led Northern State with a career high 15 tackles in their win against Northern Michigan
- Recorded 11 solo stops, as well as 0.5 tackle for a loss
- Added one interception, one pass break-up, and one fumble recovery
- Ranks in the top-15 in total tackles this season in the league with just eight games played

Jalani Jefferson (SMSU)
- Had two interceptions and recorded two solo tackles in SMSU's 28-10 victory over Sioux Fall
- Finished the season with a team-high four interceptions and ranked fourth in tackles with 52
- The 10 points scored by USF was its third lowest output of the season

Larsen Dexter (WSC)
- Had team-high eight tackles with 20-yard fumble return for TD in 56-21 win at Concordia-St. Paul
- Credited with five solo tackles, three assisted stops
- Also recovered onside kick on special teams

Clay Schueffner (WSU)
- Had 10 total tackles vs. the Beavers, including 4 solo stops
- Racked up 2.5 tackles for loss, including a sack, good for 10 TFL yards
- Completed his career with 361 total tackles and 208 solo stops
- The 208 solo tackles is second all-time in NSIC history
- At 361 total tackles, Schueffner is tied for 4th all-time

SPECIAL TEAMS

Elliott Lowney (BSU)
- Executed a 26-yard fake punt run to help pick up a fourth-and-20
- Also punted four times for 132 yards, with a long of 41 yards and had a punt downed at the one

Cox Curt (UMD)
- Led the NSIC in points by a kicker with nine of UMD's 33 points in its upset win over No. 9 MSU
- Had two FGs on two attempts, including a season-long 45 yarder to wind down the first half
- Was also perfect on PAT, going 3-of-3 and continued his 10-game make streak on PAT attempts
- Has made 41 consecutive PAT in the past 10 games

Joey Hughes (MSUM)
- Made a pair of tackles in MSUM's 35-7 victory over Mary on Saturday
- Recovered a blocked punt and returned it 11 yards for a Dragon touchdown

Hank Kraft (NSU)
- Recorded an 88-yard kick return for a touchdown in the Wolves victory over Northern Michigan
- The score gave Northern a 37-6 lead
- Added 79 yards rushing, averaging 15.8 yards per carry with a 49-yard long
- Tallied a rushing touchdown as well in the third quarter

Morgan White (WSU)
- As a long snapper, Morgan White anchored the only perfect PAT unit in the NSIC in 2023
- WSU was 34-of-34 on kicked point after touchdown attempts this season, including 1-for-1 vs. MINOT
- The Winona State kicking unit hit two field goals vs. the Beavers, the difference between the two teams in a 13-7 Warrior win
- With White as a long snapper, WSU has been 69-of-70 in PATs over his two seasons with the Warriors
- In 2023, as of week 11, Winona State leads the NSIC in made field goals with 13

[BulldogFan]

Strand had a huge performance on Saturday. Was awesome to watch.

On the others under consideration I struggle sometimes to understand how that works. Ekern listed but not Walljasper? Durocher with 7 for 152 yards and a TD not there?

Jimmy Durocher (UMD)
- Caught a career-high 7 passes for 152 yards and 1 touchdown
- Longest reception covered 62 yards

Kyle Walljasper (UMD)
- Threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns as he completed 10-18 passes
- Led the Bulldogs rushing attach with 79 yards and 1 touchdown carry

[laker]

Strand had a huge performance on Saturday. Was awesome to watch.

On the others under consideration I struggle sometimes to understand how that works. Ekern listed but not Walljasper? Durocher with 7 for 152 yards and a TD not there?

Jimmy Durocher (UMD)
- Caught a career-high 7 passes for 152 yards and 1 touchdown
- Longest reception covered 62 yards

Kyle Walljasper (UMD)
- Threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns as he completed 10-18 passes
- Led the Bulldogs rushing attach with 79 yards and 1 touchdown carry

When I heard the name of Jimmy Durocher, I thought of a cross between Leo Durocher and Jimmy Durante. First he catches lightning in a bottle (Leo's quote), then tells you "nice guys finish last" (Leo again), then "Inka Dinka Doo" (Jimmy) and at the end of the game "Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are."

Walljasper could have scored in the last two minutes of the game. You could see that he appeared to give himself up even before the kneel downs after picking up the last first down. Team first, personal stats second. Classy move.

[vikingfaithful]

Northern's Jake Adams Defense player and Hank Kraft, special teams had both a great game.