For Immediate Release
Monday, October 23, 2023
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#0 Jarod Epperson (RB, 6-0, 195, Sr., Omaha, Neb. / Skutt Catholic HS) - Augustana
- Accounted for 201 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns a 28-10 win over No. 3 Minnesota State
- Rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown, his second-straight 100-plus yard game
- Had 65 yards receiving with a touchdown
- Averaged 7.6 yards per carry and 21.6 yards per reception
- Scored on an 86-yard rush, the third longest rushing score in program history
- Augustana is 8-0 for the third time in program history
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#54 Jake Adams (LB, 6-0, 220, Fr., Pulaski, Wis. / Pulaski HS) - Northern State
- Tallied a team leading 11 tackles, including ten solo stops in a 28-26 win over WSC
- The 10 solo stops topped the NSIC last week, and the 11 total tackles tied for second best
- Recorded a 15-yard pick-six in the third quarter for the Wolves first touchdown of the game
- Added a pass break-up in the fourth quarter, which resulted in a pick-six for teammate Luke Gunderson
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#43 Avery Book (P, 5-10, 190, Jr., Ironton, Ohio / Ironton HS) - Augustana
- Punted six times for an average of 45.2 yards per punt
- Had three punts travel 50 plus yards with a long of 59 yards
- Half of his punts were into a brisk 20 mph wind
- Leads the NSIC in punt average by more than a yard
Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Ali Mohamed (BSU)
- Rushed 10 times for 77 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-3 win over CSP
- Averaged 7.7 yards per attempt and had a long carry of 24 yards
- On one drive alone, carried the ball four times and accounted for all 64 yards and a TD
Sofian Massoud (UMARY)
- Responsible for 313 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-34 loss to No. 13 Davenport
- Passed for 267 yards and three touchdowns
- Through touchdowns to three different receivers
- Finished 28-of-55 on his pass attempts and didn’t throw an interception
- Ran for 46 yards and a touchdown (6 yards) with a long run of 25 on nine attempts
Jaylen Mcknight (UMD)
- Ran for a career high 109 yards and three touchdowns in 46-7 win at Minot State
- Tied for the league high in TDs, points (18) and ranked sixth among all rushers
- Averaged 6.81 yards per carry over 18 attempts
Cair'ron Hendred (WSU)
- Had two touchdown runs of 75+ yards
- Scored on a 75-yard TD in the 1st quarter and a 77-yard TD in the 2nd quarter
- Scored three touchdowns overall on the day
- Amassed 178 total rushing yards on 8 rushes, averaging 22.3 yards per carry
- Had the 38th-best single-game rushing performance in WSU football history
- Racked up the 4th and 5th longest rush in the NSIC so far this year
DEFENSE
Haden Wallace (AUGIE)
- Led Augustana with nine tackles
- Recorded a sack for a loss of eight yards
Max Buduris (BSU)
- Tallied seven tackles (four solo), along with a tackle for loss
- Added a sack, two pass breakups and an interception
- His interception was returned for a touchdown 10 yards
McKale Pierson (MSUM)
- Tallied four tackles and an interception in MSUM's 34-17 win over Southwest Minnesota State
- Registered one tackle for loss (for 29 yards) and forced a fumble in the victory
- Scored his first career touchdown, recovering the fumble he forced for a 10-yard score
Isaiah Bigby (MINOT)
- Had two interceptions against Minnesota Duluth
- Tied the Minot State single-game NCAA Division II-era school record for picks in a game
- Added four tackles on the day
Avery Johnson (SMSU)
- Recorded four tackles for loss with three sacks and one forced fumble in SMSU's 34-17 loss to MSUM
- Finished the game with six total tackles, including five solo
- A strip sack in the first quarter set-up SMSU's first touchdown of the game
- The three sacks is the highest total by a Mustang player in a game since the 1998 season
Darius Manuel (WSU)
- Had three tackles for loss against the Cougars
- One of Manuel's TFLs was a sack for six yards
- Also was credited with a pass breakup
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kevin Powell (UMary)
- Converted field goal attempts of 26 and 29 yards
- Made both his extra point attempts in the Marauders 44-34 loss to No. 13 Davenport
- Averaged 44.0 yards on five punts, with a long of 66, and downed two inside the 20
- The Panthers only managed 18 yards on four punt returns and 33 yards on two kick returns
Knylen Miller-Levi (MINOT)
- Recorded his second kick-off return for a touchdown in his career at Minot State
- Became the fourth player with a 100-yard return, taking it 101 yards for a touchdown for the Beavers
- A starting defensive back for the Beavers, added 5 tackles, including 1 for a loss
- Bemidji State blocked three punts on three straight attempts by the Golden Bears
- Marcus Hansen, Stephen Hoffman and Jacob Drietz all collected blocked punts
- The blocked punts resulted in 19 points
Drew Smook (NSU)
- Kicked the game winning field goal against Wayne State with three seconds remaining
- The field goal was a 21-yarder and Smook's seventh of the season
- Added 270 yards on kickoffs, averaging 54.0 yards per boot
Jacob Scott (WSU)
- Was a perfect 6-for-6 on PATs
- Is the only kicker in the NSIC with a 100% conversion rate on PATs with more than 10 attempts
- Had 7 kickoffs for 373 yards, with two touchbacks
Week 8 Results
Football Pages
NSIC Football Players of the Week
9/5/23
O: #9
Shen Butler-Lawson – Minnesota State
D: #2
Hunter Bohannon – SMSU
SP: #2
Devon Jones – Augustana
9/11/23
O: #12
Kyle Walljasper - Minnesota Duluth
D: #5
Griffin Wiegel - Winona State
SP: #8
Jacob Scott - Winona State
9/18/23
O: #4
Nick Bohn - Wayne State
D: #47
Josiah Behm - MSU Moorhead
SP: #45
Drew Smook - Northern State
9/25/23
O: #4
Nick Bohn - Wayne State (2)
D: #7
Max Buduris - Bemidji State
SP: #81
Curtis Cox - Minnesota Duluth
10/2/23
O: #9
Casey Bauman - Augustana
D: #41
Jacob Daulton - Minnesota State
SP: #11
DaShaun Ames - Minnesota Duluth
10/9/23
O: #4
Nick Bohn - Wayne State (3)
D: #35
Trey King - Northern State
SP: #40
Matthew Jaeger - Minnesota State
10/16/23
O: #1
Ryan Bieberdorf – MSU Moorhead
D: #47
Josiah Behm - MSU Moorhead (2)
SP: #25
Jake Pecina - Augustana
10/23/23
O: #0
Jarod Epperson - Augustana
D: #54
Jake Adams - Northern State
SP: #43
Avery Book - Augustana
About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 15-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in 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 union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 110 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.
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