For Immediate Release
Monday, November 4, 2024
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#12 Kyle Walljasper (QB, 6-1, 240, R-Jr., Fond du Lac, Wis. / Fond du Lac HS) - Minnesota Duluth
- Led the NSIC in total offense, rushing yards and points scored following a 42-38 win at Winona State
- Rushed for 236 yards on 26 carries and threw for 184 yards to total 420 total yards
- Was a part in six touchdowns, running for four scores and throwing for one
- Scored the game winning touchdown with 23 seconds left
- Connected with Sam Pitz for a 74 yards touchdown on the opening drive of the game
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#90 Josh Obisui (DL, 6-4, 250, Sr., Worcester, Mass. / Doherty Memorial HS) - University of Mary
- Dominated line of scrimmage with four tackles for loss in a 15-6 win at SMSU
- Forced two fumbles, both recovered by Marauders, and had a sack
- The first forced fumble was returned 60 yards by Maleik Bradford for the only Marauders touchdown
- Sacked SMSU quarterback for safety to give UMary 12-6 lead in 3rd quarter
- Finished with 8 tackles (6 solo)
- Marauders held Mustangs to 12 first downs and 224 yards, both season-lows for UMary
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#39 Connor Mantelli (K/P, 6-1, 195, R-Jr., Castle Rock, Colo. / Douglas County HS) - Bemidji State
- Was 3-for-3 on field goals, hitting from 26, 36 and 32 yards out in a 37-20 win over WSC
- Went 4-for-4 on point after attempts to finish with 13 points
- Added a pair of punts for 64 yards with one inside the 20
- Set a career high in made field goals and longest field goal
Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Jarod Epperson (AUGIE)
- Ran for 156 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just 14 carries in a 28-7 win over Concordia-St. Paul
- Added 50 receiving yards on five catches
- Became the first player in program history and third active player among all NCAA levels to rack up at least 3,500 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in his career
- Ran for 100-plus yards for the 18th time in his career
- Had his seventh career game with multiple rushing touchdowns
- Ran for 11.1 yards per carry and had a long run of 52 yards
Sam McGath (BSU)
- Was 17-of 32 through the air for 248 yards and a pair of touchdown passes
- Added eight rushing attempts for 46 yards with a long rush of 26 yards
- Marked third highest passing yardage and rushing yardage of the season
- Played a hand in two touchdowns for BSU in the 37-20 win over WSC
Carl Henry (UMary)
- Carried the ball 17 times for career-high 108 yards
- A 31 yard carry set up Marauders second field goal of game
- Ran for 51 yards on seven carries as Marauders burned off 4:24 of clock late in fourth quarter
Hayden Ekern (MSU)
- Completed 16-of-21 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown in a 24-14 win at NSU
- Rushed for 28 yards and two touchdowns
Jack Strand (MSUM)
- Led the NSIC with 344 passing yards and five passing touchdowns in a 42-38 win over Minot State
- Rushed for a touchdown from 13 yards, bringing his touchdown total to six
- Led the Dragons back from 10 points down midway through the fourth quarter
- Tossed the game-winning touchdown pass to Brady Perryman with 2:39 remaining in the game
Carson Chrisman (MINOT)
- Set a new NCAA Division II-era school record for a single-game rushing touchdowns with three
- Now has 12 rushing scores on the season
- Ran for a career-best 136 yards, while also completing 4-of-11 passes for 40 yards
Cole Stenstrom (WSU)
- Threw for 223 yards on 19-31 passing and added two touchdowns against UMD
- Also scored a touchdown on the ground for the Warriors
- Helped lead an offensive unit to 393 yards of total offense
DEFENSE
Haden Wallace (AUGIE)
- Led the Vikings defense with 10 tackles in a 28-7 win over Concordia-St. Paul
- Added his first career touchdown on a 47-yard pick six
- Helped limit CSP to just 111 rushing yards
Kamron Gothard (BSU)
- Had five tackles with two for loss of 15 yards
- Added a sack for 12 yards, with three pass break ups and a quarterback hurry
- Helped hold the WSC to 42 yards on the ground and less than 185 through the air
- Tied career highs in total tackles and sacks
Joey Goettl (MSU)
- Recorded an interception for the second straight week
- Tallied three tackles
Josiah Behm (MSUM)
- Made nine total tackles, including five solo stops in MSUM's 42-38 win over Minot State
- Had 1.5 tackles for loss in the victory, totaling a lost yard
- Forced a fumble in the fourth quarter that helped jumpstart a 10-point Dragon comeback
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kevin Powell (UMary)
- Hit both field goal attempts (39, 23) and extra point for seven points in 15-6 UMary win at SMSU
- Averaged 34.7 yards/punt on 4 attempts with 1 downed inside the 20
- Averaged 56 yards on four kickoffs
Diego Nunez-Smith (MINOT)
- Kicked a career-long 43 yard field goal and converted 5-of-5 point after attempts
Last Week's Results
Football Pages
NSIC Football Players of the Week
9/3/24
O: #15 Hayden Ekern - MSU
D: #24 Justus Breston - UMary
SP: #41 Joey Prondzinski - BSU
9/9/24
O: #6 TreShawn Watson – Minnesota State
D: #31 Nalu Cordeiro- Minot State
SP: #19 Boston Hensley - Wayne State
9/16/24
O: #3 Brady Perryman - MSU Moorhead
D: #47 Josiah Behm - MSU Moorhead
SP: #39 Diego Nunez-Smith - Minot State
9/23/24
O: #11 Gunnar Hensley - Augustana
D: #26 Richard Wauer - Concordia-St. Paul
SP: #17 Trevor Marshall - Wayne State
9/30/24
O: #15 Jack Strand - MSU Moorhead
D: #5 Cody Sorenson - MSU Moorhead
SP: #46 Max Watson - MSU Moorhead
10/7/24
O: #12 Camden Dean - Sioux Falls
D: #54 Jake Adams - Northern State
SP: #30 Jeff Isotalo-McGuire - Concordia-St. Paul
10/14/24
O: #4 Nick Bohn - Wayne State
D: #8 Peyton Buckley - Augustana
SP: #36 Jeremy Caruso - Northern State
10/21/24
O: #15 Jack Strand - MSU Moorhead (2)
D: #55 Gabe Gutierrez - Northern State
SP: #36 Jeremy Caruso - Northern State(2)
10/28/24
O: #11 Gunnar Hensley - Augustana (2)
D: #32 Kade Lynott - Augustana
SP: #80 Ty Johnson - Winona State
11/4/24
O: #12 Kyle Walljasper - Minnesota Duluth
D: #90 Josh Obisui - University of Mary
SP: #39 Connor Mantelli - Bemidji State
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 27 team national championships and crowned 116 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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