For Immediate Release
Monday, October 13, 2025
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#10 Tate Schafer (QB, 6-0, 200, R-Fr., Sioux Falls, S.D. / Lincoln HS) – Sioux Falls
- Led USF to a 35-14 win over SMSU
- Recorded 454 yards of total offense with five touchdowns
- Was 21-for-34 for 384 passing yards and three touchdowns
- Connected with Adonis Hutchinson for a 85-yard touchdown
- Added 70 rushing yards with two rushing touchdowns from eight and 27 yards out
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#54 Jake Adams (LB, 6-0, 235, Jr., Pulaski, Wis. / Pulaski HS) – Northern State
- Led Northern State in their 34-31 upset victory over No. 10 Minnesota Duluth with 17 tackles
- Also led the NSIC in tackles, notching five solo stops and 12 assisted
- Added one pass break-up and one quarterback hurry
- Sits second in the country in solo stops per game and leads NCAA Division II in tackles per game
- Named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season (9/15/25)
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#14 Connor Fournier (K/P, 6-0, 200, So., Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove HS) – Minnesota State
- Went 2-for-2 in field goal attempts from 51 and 29 yards out
- His 51-yard field goal was a career long
- Went 5-for-5 in extra point attempts and tallied 11 points in the Mavericks 47--21 win over Winona State
- Named NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season (9/2/25)
Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Rich Lucero Jr. (Augustana)
- Threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns in a 50-10 win over Concordia-St. Paul
- Completed 21-of-28 passes with no interceptions
- Also ran for 17 yards and a touchdown
- Led the NSIC with a passing efficiency of 187.16
- Led Augustana to its highest point total since 2023 and highest yardage total since 2019
Connor Carver (Bemidji State)
- Participated in all three of the Beavers' touchdowns against WSC
- Marked two rushing touchdowns for 38 yards and 71 yards, grand total of 109
- Had one receiving touchdown, a 70 connection from Bart McAninch
- Tied his career single-game high for rushing touchdowns, while adding his first receiving
- Totaled 119 rushing yards on five attempts
- Marked a total of 192 yards on offense with 119 rushing, 3 passing and 70 receiving
- Was just six yards shy of his longest career rush of 77 yards
- Led the conference in points scored, 18, in upset over WSC
- Helped BSU to over 100 more passing yards and yards of total offense than WSC
Jack Strand (MSU Moorhead)
- Tallied 335 total yards of offense and four touchdowns in MSUM's 38-35 win over UMary
- Went 24-42 through the air with 253 yards and three passing scores
- Rushed the ball six times for 82 yards and a 50-yard touchdown run, the longest of his ca-reer
- Had a long pass of 42 yards which resulted in a Dragon touchdown
Carson Chrisman (Minot State)
- Led the Beavers to a dramatic 35-28 win in a see-saw battle with Jamestown
- Led the ground game with 145 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns
- Had a career-long 54-yard run in the win
- Was also a perfect 3-for-3 passing for 58 yards
Wyatt Block (Northern State)
- Led the NSIC with 156 yards rushing in the Wolves upset win over No. 10 Minnesota Duluth
- Added a team leading 81 yards receiving with a touchdown and 62-yard long
- Averaged 6.5 yards per carry in his third straight 100-yard game
- Gave the Wolves a 10-7 lead on his 62-yard receiving score
- Ranks second in the NSIC in rushing yards per game
DEFENSE
Gabe Ward (Bemidji State)
- Marked nine total tackles in upset over WSC
- Had five solo and four assisted tackles
- Led the Beavers with 1.5 tackles for a loss of three yards
- Helped hold WSC to over 100 yards less through the air than BSU
- Limited WSC passing offense to 6.1 yards per attempt and 11.0 per completion
- Helped force WSC to punt four times, turn the ball over on interceptions twice, and cause turnovers on downs three times
Jack Johnson (MSU Moorhead)
- Made six solo tackles in MSUM's 38-35 win over UMary on Saturday
- Tallied a tackle for loss totaling eight lost yards
- Forced a fumble on the same play, which was recovered by MSUM and returned 40 yards for a touchdown
- Was also credited with a pass breakup in the victory
Jefferson Mobry (Minnesota State)
- Recover two fumbles against Winona State in MSU's 47-21 win
- Returned a WSU fumble 32 yards for a touchdown in the first 10 seconds of the second quarter
- Also recorded three tackles
SPECIAL TEAMS
Jake Pecina (Augustana)
- Made all six extra points in a dominant win over CSP
- Also showed off his offensive skills, catching a two-point conversion
- Punted three times for an NSIC-high 46.7-yard average
- Had a long punt of 60 yards, pinning the Golden Bears inside the 20 once
Brandon McCary (Minot State)
- Booted a pair of field goals from 22 and 27 yards out
- Added four kickoffs in Minot State's 35-28 win over visiting Jamestown
- The two field goals gives him nine on the season
- Ranks No. 4 all-time at Minot State and is 3 shy of tying the all-time school record
- Added three extra points, giving him nine points in the win
Last Week's Results
Football Pages
NSIC Football Players of the Week
9/2/25
O: #12
Gunnar Hensley - Augustana
D: #45
Mitchell Jezierski - MSU Moorhead
SP: #14
Connor Fournier - Minnesota State
9/8/25
O: #15
Jack Strand – MSU Moorhead
D: #95
Conner Haggerty – Winona State
SP: #7
Jonathan Shrum – Minnesota Duluth
9/15/25
O: #3
Brady Perryman – MSU Moorhead
D: #54
Jake Adams – Northern State
SP: #37
Jadon Apgar – Minnesota Duluth
9/22/25
O: #0
Dawson Forgy – Wayne State
D: #49
Christopher Federico - University of Mary
SP: #19
Boston Hensley - Wayne State
9/29/25
O: #11
Maximus Sims - Minnesota State
D: #31
Nalu Cordeiro - Minot State
SP: #39
Drew Henson - Minnesota Duluth
10/6/25
O: #3
Ryan Blair - University of Mary
D: #27
Logan Leonard - Augustana
SP: #45
Brandon McCary - Minot State
10/13/25
O: #10
Tate Schafer – Sioux Falls
D: #54
Jake Adams – Northern State (2)
SP: #14
Connor Fournier - Minnesota State (2)
About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-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 122 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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