For Immediate Release
Monday, October 30, 2023
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#15 Jack Strand (QB, 6-5, 220, So., Bloomer, Wis. / Bloomer HS) - MSU Moorhead
- Threw for a league-high 302 passing yards in MSUM’s 20-17 win over Winona State
- Tossed two touchdown passes, including a long of 44 yards to Brady Perryman
- Totaled 315 yards of total offense, second best in the NSIC this week
- Rushed for 13 yards, gaining three of MSUM’s six first downs on the ground
- Snapped MSUM’s single-season passing yards record in the win
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#8 Tanner Cooper (DB, 6-0, 200, Sr., Oakley, Calif. / Freedom HS) - Wayne State
- Had two interceptions with 111 return yards and a touchdown in a 14-12 win over No. 12 Augustana
- Had a 64-yard interception return for score in the second quarter giving WSC a 14-2 lead
- The first pick of the game was returned 47 yards
- Also recorded one pass break up and one tackle
- Named Egg Bowl Most Valuable Player
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#19 Payton Eue (K, 5-10, 195, Sr., Champlin, Minn. / Champlin Park HS) - Concordia-St. Paul
- Put together an 8-point outing in a 20-14 win over Northern State
- Hit a pair of second half field goals, making the go-ahead FG from 29 yards with 9:43 in the third quarter
- Added a season-long 45-yard field goal with 14:50 to play in the fourth quarter for a 20-14 lead
- Made both of his PATs and added a touchback
- Has made 10-of-14 field goals on the season and is 10-12 from inside of 50 yards
- Is second on the team with 47 points, one shy of the team lead
- Ranks second in the NSIC with 1.11 field goals made per game and fifth with a 71.4 field goal %
Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Sage Booker (BSU)
- Rushed just seven times for 120 yards and two touchdowns
- Averaged 17.1 yards per carry and had a long rush of 74 yards that went for a score
- Added a 30-yard TD run
- Second touchdown run ended up being the deciding score
Jaylin Richardson (CSP)
- Posted his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the year
- Rushed for a league-high 149 yards on 24 carries
- Added a 2-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14-14 late in the 2nd quarter in a 20-14 win
- Ranks 17th in the country & third in the league with 879 rushing yards
- Ranks 39th in Division II & third NSIC with 112.4 all-purpose yards per game, surpas-sing 1,000 for the season (1,012)
- Has 1,704 career rushing yards, just 27 yards shy of the top-10 in school history
Kyle Walljasper (UMD)
- Tied for the NSIC most in rushing TDS (2) and ranked second in rushing attempts (25)
- Had the second most passing touchdowns in the league (2)
Hayden Ekern (MSU)
- Threw for 207 yards and three touchdowns
- Completed 19-of-32 passes
- Also rushed for 19 yards
Myles West (MINOT)
- Ran for his second 100-plus yard game rumbling for a career-best 147 yards
- Added his first multi-touchdown game, twice scoring for Minot State on Saturday
DEFENSE
Colton Herman (BSU)
- Tied for the team lead in tackles with six, all of them solo
- Also added a tackle for a loss of six yards and a pass breakup
Anthony Ukofia (CSP)
- Forced a pair of fourth quarter turnovers in a 20-14 win over Northern State
- Secured a fumble recovery at the NSU 44 yard line with 12:57 to play and a 6-point lead
- Ended NSU's next drive with an INT at the CSP 30 yard line with 8:14 to play and a 6-point lead
- Added a pair of solo tackles in the win, while helping the CSP secondary limit NSU to 138 passing yards and 250 yards of total offense
- Has two interceptions and two fumble recoveries on the season, with one INT and one FR each in two separate CSP victories
Jakob Petry (UMary)
- Sealed the Marauders 27-23 win over Minot State in the Battle for the Big Lake with a 30 yard interception return for a touchdown in the 4th quarter
- Added six tackles (five solo) with one tackle for loss
- UMary held Minot State to 25 yards passing and 261 total offensive yards
Joey Goettl (MSU)
- Recorded three tackles
- Intercepted a pass in the end zone for a touchback
Josiah Behm (MSUM)
- Made 13 total tackles in MSUM's 20-17 win over Winona State on Saturday
- Of those 13 stops, nine were solo takedowns
Kyjuan Vengrowsky (WSU)
- Tallied 2.5 tackles for loss against MSUM
- Had two sacks of the Dragon quarterback
- Forced two fumbles and a pass breakup
- Racked up four tackles overall, including three solo stops
SPECIAL TEAMS
Landon Arends (BSU)
- Was 5-for-5 on extra point tries and added a field goal of 21 yards
- On kickoffs, Arends averaged 57.1 yards on seven tries, with two going for touchbacks
Kevin Powell (UMary)
- Connected on two of three field goals and all three extra points
- Opened the scoring with a 33 yard field goal in the 1st quarter
- Added a field goal in the 4th quarter with a 31 yarder
- Averaged 36.2 yards/punt on five attempts, placing one inside the 20 with a long of 48
- One of the nation's leaders in field goal percentage, making 9-of-11 on the season
Matthew Jaeger (MSU)
- Connected on a 33-yard field goal
- Went 3-for-3 in extra point attempts for a total of six points
Luke Fenton (WSC)
- Averaged 37.3 yards on nine punts in driving snowstorm in Wayne State's 14-12 win over #12 Augustana
- Was consistent with long punt of 44 yards and one inside the 20 with just one touch-back
Tristan Root (WSU)
- Had four total punts, averaging 40.2 yards per effort
- Dropped 3 of his 4 kicks inside the Dragons 20
- Had a long effort of 49 yards
Week 9 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
10/30/23
O: #15
Jack Strand - MSU Moorhead
D: #8
Tanner Cooper - Wayne State
SP: #19
Payton Eue - Concordia-St. Paul
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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