For Immediate Release
Monday, October 6, 2025
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet

NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#3 Ryan Blair (QB, 6-0, 200, Gr., Spokane, Wash. / Mead HS) - University of Mary
- Threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-22 win at Jamestown
- Completed 28-of-41 passes with no interceptions 
- UMary generated 32 first downs and 523 yards of offense 
- Has passed for over 300 yards in each of his three starts for the Marauders
- Is averaging 331 passing yards/game and completes 68.9% of his passes this season

NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#27 Logan Leonard (DB, 6-4, 210, Sr., Minnetrista, Minn. / Mound Westonka HS) - Augustana
- Racked up 13 tackles, including an NSIC-high 11 solo tackles, in a 29-28 victory over Sioux Falls
- Made a stop on 4th-and-1 to set up the Vikings’ game-winning touchdown drive
- Part of a defense that didn’t allow a point in the fourth quarter, helping to rally from an 18-point deficit
- The 13 tackles were second most in the league last week

NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#45 Brandon McCary (K/P, 5-11, 185, So., Plano, Texas / East HS) - Minot State
- Booted five field goals in a overtime battle at MSU Moorhead
- Hit game-tying 28-yarder as time expired to send the game into overtime
- The five made field goals ties an NSIC single-game record held by 3 other players and is a new all-time Minot State school record
- Converted on two extra points, giving him 17 points on the day for Minot State

Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Breylon Blount (Augustana)
- Tallied 137 all-purpose yards in the Vikings' 29-28 comeback victory over USF
- Scored two touchdowns, including his first career rushing touchdown
- Turned just seven carries into 94 yards while adding 43 receiving yards on five catches
- Opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown run
- Added a receiving touchdown in the Vikings' 19-point fourth quarter
- Has now turned 35 touches into 301 yards and three touchdowns in three games
Connor Carver (Bemidji State)
- Responsible for two of the Beavers' three touchdowns in upset over Northern State
- Led the Beavers with 106 yards rushing on 11 attempts, averaging 9.6 yards per rush
- Marked one rushing and one passing touchdown
- Threw one pass for 44 yards to Jake Hill who grabbed the Beavers' final touchdown of the game
- Marked a 51 yard rushing touchdown to give the Beavers the lead back against NSU
Kyle Walljasper (Minnesota Duluth)
- Was 17-of-21 for 276 yards while only playing in the first half against SMSU
- Four passing touchdowns
Sam Backer (Minnesota State )
- Rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns against Concordia-St. Paul
- Averaged 5.4 yards a carry
- Caught one pass for 14 yards
- This marks the sixth time in his career he has rushed for more than 100 yards in a game
Brady Perryman (MSU Moorhead)
- Had six receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-37 overtime win over Minot State
- Hauled in the game-winning 25-yard touchdown on the first offensive play for MSUM in overtime
- Reeled in a long of 52 yards and averaged 21.5 yards per reception in the game
- Reset the MSUM career record for receiving touchdowns in the win
- Has 33 career touchdowns
Jackson Flottmeyer (Winona State)
- Went 15-of-30 for 132 yards and two touchdown in a 21-14 home win against WSC
- Added 37 rushing yards including a 36-yard rushing touchdown on a 4th and five 
-  Led the offense to no turnovers for the second straight week

DEFENSE
Gus Taylor (Minnesota Duluth)
- Two sacks for a loss of nine yards
Caden Johnson (Minnesota State)
- Intercepted a pass and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown
Griffin Wiegel (Winona State)
- Led a defense that only allowed 14 points in a 21-14 win against Wayne State
- Recorded a career-high 15 tackles (7 solo, 8 assisted) in the win

SPECIAL TEAMS
Connor Fournier (Minnesota State)
- Went 2-for-3 in field goal attempts as he made kicks from 25 yards and a career-long 50 yards
- His only miss was from 53 yards out
- Went 5-for-5 in extra points and tallied 11 points for the Mavericks
- Is the first Maverick kicker to make a 50-yard field goal since Matthew Jaeger made a 54-yard field goal against Wayne State in 2022
Max Watson (MSU Moorhead)
- Accounted for 10 points in MSUM's 40-37 overtime win over Minot State on Saturday
- Drilled a pair of field goals from 24 and 22 yards out
- Connected on all four of his PATs in the victory
- Tallied 402 yards in seven kickoffs with three touchbacks and an average of 57.4 yards
- Had a kickoff result in a muffed return, causing a takeaway for the Dragons

Last Week's Results

* MSU Moorhead 40, Minot State 37

* Bemidji State 24, Northern State 21

* Minnesota State 47, Concordia-St. Paul 19

* UMary 44, Jamestown 22

* Wayne State College 14, Winona State 21

* Minnesota Duluth 63, Southwest Minnesota State 28

* Minot State 37, MSU Moorhead 40

* Sioux Falls 28, Augustana 29

 

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

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.