For Immediate Release
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#10 Jalen Sample (WR, 6-6, 200, Sr., Onalaska, Wis. / Onalaska HS) - Minnesota State
- Led the Maverick receivers with six catches for 92 yards in a 37-34 win at No. 22 BSU
- Caught two touchdown passes
- Hauled in the game-winning touchdown with 1:38 left in the fourth quarter
- His long catch of the day was 32 yards

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#7 Alijah McGhee (LB, 6-2, 195, Sr., Warner Robins, Ga. / Northside HS) - Minnesota State
- Scored twice in a 37-34 win at No. 22 BSU
- Returned a Bemidji State fumble 70 yards for a touchdown to put Mavericks up 20-13 in the second quarter
- Returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown right before the half to extend lead to 30-13
- Led the Maverick defense with eight tackles while breaking up one pass

NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#26 Payton Eue (K/P, 5-10, 175, Sr., Champlin, Minn. / Champlin Park HS) - Northern State
- Scored six points for Northern State in their 30-0 shutout victory over Upper Iowa
- Connected on a 49-yard field goal in the second quarter, the longest field in the NSIC this season
- Also punted for 143 yards, averaging a NSIC best 47.7 yards per punt
- Tallied 317 kickoff yards, averaging 63.4 yards per kick

Other Top Performances
OFFENSE
#4 Jarod Epperson (AUGIE) tallied a game-high 109 rushing yards and a touchdown. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry and tallied a long of 22 yards as Augustana won its season opener 28-14.
#6 Sage Booker (BSU) led the Beavers with 125 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns in the Beavers 34-47 loss to (RV) Minnesota State. He led the team with 35 rushing yards and one touchdown on 10 attempts. He also led the Beavers with 90 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns on three catches. He averaged 3.2 yards per rush and 30.00 yards per reception including a 66-yard touchdown reception.
#11 Danny Kittner (UMary) led the Marauders offense with 8 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown.  He also completed a pass for 29 yards to quarterback Logan Nelson. On the next play after his pass completion, Kittner caught a 37 yard scoring pass from Nelson for the Marauders first touchdown of the season. It was his 13th career 100+ yard reciving game. With 2,779 career receiving yards Kittner is 2 yards from tying Elby Pope’s career record (2,781).
#1 Ryan Bieberdorf (MSUM) caught five passes for 62 yards against Sioux Falls. He hauled in a touchdown pass for the Dragons’ first score of the season. He averaged 12.4 yards per catch. 
#11 Dawson Macleary (MINOT) led the way for the Beavers in their home and season debut, completing 55 percent of his passes, throwing for 184 yards and a touchdown.
#7 Adam Mullen (USF) went 24 of 40 for 309 yards and a touchdown.  
#24 Jesse Sherwood (SMSU) rushed for a game-high 156 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in SMSU’s 31-21 road loss to Minnesota Duluth. He also caught two passes for 17 yards. It was Sherwood’s third career 100-yard rushing game.
#15 Michael Bonds (NSU) threw for 198 yards with three touchdowns in the Wolves shutout win over Upper Iowa. He completed 21 of 30 passing attempts with a 36-yard long. He added four rushing yards.
#2 Anthony Watkins (WSC) rushed for 73 yards on 17 carries and two TD’s in Wayne State’s 33-28 win at University of Mary. He scored the game-winning TD on a 10-yard run with 1:46 to play. He also had a six-yard TD run in first quarter.
#4 Ty Gavin (WSU) put together an opener to remember to start the 2022 Winona State football season in a 24-10 Warrior win over Minot State. He rushed for 159 total yards on 18 carries including an 81-yard effort in the first half. He averaged 8.8 yards per rush. He also had a reception for seven yards.

DEFENSE
#17 Eli Weber (AUGIE) had two interceptions and a pass breakup to help lead the Vikings to victory. On the opening drive for CSP, Weber intercepted a quarterback that had just one turnover in 2021 and returned it 12 yards. He recorded his second interception of the game in the third quarter and returned it 16 yards. He nearly had a third interception, but went down as a pass break up as it was fourth down. Recorded two tackles including a tackle for loss.
#7 Dayvia Gbor (UMD) recorded two interceptions, two pass breakups and two tackles in the UMD win over SMSU.
#52 Devin Beck (UMary) led the Marauders with 2.0 tackles for a loss. He was third on the team with six tackles (3 solo).
#2 Marcus Gulley (MSUM) had seven tackles, including four solo stops, against Sioux Falls. He also added an interception and a pass breakup. 
#7 Isaiah Bigby (MINOT) led the way defensively with a team-high 12 tackles, one off his career-high, including one for a loss, and had an interception for the Beavers in their home and season opener.
#9 Ian Marshall (NSU) led the Northern State defense with six tackles in their shutout victory over Upper Iowa. He tallied 4.0 tackles for a loss, including 2.0 sacks for 23 yards lost.
#90 Zach Durfee (USF) had five tackles, including four sacks. He also forced two fumbles, had a quarterback hurry and a pass break up.   
#0 Onte Burns (SMSU), who has led the NSIC in tackles the past two seasons, racked up a game-high 12 tackles (six solo) with one for loss, in SMSU’s 31-21 road loss to Minnesota Duluth on Thursday night.
#5 Alex Kowalczyk (WSC) was credited with eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks in Saturday night’s 33-28 win at University of Mary.  He made five solo and three assisted tackles and had half-sack on final play to seal Wildcat win.
#39 Clay Schueffner (WSU) turned in a dominant performance on defense for Winona State in a 24-10 win over Minot State. He recorded 17 tackles, including eight solo in the win.  

SPECIAL TEAMS
#82 Brian Knudslien (MSUM) averaged 44.0 yards per punt against Sioux Falls. He had a long punt of 57 yards and placed three punts inside the 20.
#4 Justin Cash (MINOT) helped the Beavers win the field-position battle with seven strong punts, including a long of 53 yards and 2 punts inside the 20.
#27 Jacob  Scott (WSU) accounted for five points in the Winona State 24-10 win over Minot State in week one. He hit a 26 yard field goal and was a perfect 2-for-2 on PAT’s. He collected 306 total yards on kickoffs with two touchbacks.
 

NSIC Football Players of the Week
9/6/22
O:  #10 Jalen Sample - Minnesota State
D: #7 Alijah McGhee - Minnesota State
SP: #26 Payton Eue - Northern State

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 96 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.