For Immediate Release
Monday, September 21, 2026
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#12 Gunnar Hensley (QB, 6-2, 206, Sr., Carlsbad, Calif. / Mission Hills HS) - Augustana
- Completed 27-of-38 pass attempts for 371 yards in a 45-21 win against MSUM
- Threw for a season-high 5 touchdowns
- Posted a 71.7% completion percentage
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the second week in a row
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#30 Jude Onuoha (LB, 6-2, 225, Sr., Little Rock, Ark. / Parkview HS) - Concordia-St. Paul
- Registered eight tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in a 34-31 win over Bemidji State
- Both of his sacks resulted in defensive stops
- His second sack early in the fourth quarter led to a 4th-and-27, pushing BSU from the CSP 32 to the CSP 49, forcing a key punt
- Leads the NSIC and ranked fifth in Division II with 5.0 sacks and ranks fourth in the league with 5.0 tackles for loss
- Sparking a defense that ranks sixth in the country with a league-leading 3.5 sacks per game and an NSIC-high 7.0 TFLs per game
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#39 Drew Henson (K/P, 6-6, 200, Sr., Owatonna, Minn. / Owatonna HS) - Minnesota Duluth
- Scored all nine points for UMD in a 9-6 win over Winona State
- Made three field goals, connecting from 26, 26 and 39 yards out
- Hit the game-winner as time expired from 39 yards out
- Pinned 2 punts at the 1-yard line, helping the Bulldogs’ defense control field position
- Finished with three punts inside the 20, a 42.25 average with two punts over 50 yards including a 64 yarder
Others Under Consideration
OFFENSE
Connor Carver (Bemidji State)
- Set a career high with 3 rushing touchdowns against Concordia-St. Paul
- Tied for the top spot in the NSIC in scoring for the weekend with 18 points
- Rushed for 48 yards with a long run of 21 yards
- Completed 50% of his passes for 7 yards
- Added 8 receiving yards on 1 catch
Lincoln Graf (Concordia-St. Paul)
- Completed 26-41 for 352 yards and 3 TDs
- Added 2-13 rushing led the NSIC for the week with 365 yards of total offense
- Engineered a turnover-free offense in a 34-31 win, producing the most team total offense yards (518) since 2012
- Set new career-highs in completions (26) and passing yards (352), most passing yards by a CSP player since 2012
- Constructed three go-ahead drives in the last 20-plus minutes including a game-winning 17-yard TD pass with 15 seconds left
Ryan Blair (UMary)
- Passed for 3 second-half touchdowns to rally UMary from a 31-point deficit and force overtime against Sioux Falls
- Threw for 372 yards, including 303 in the second half
- Completed 42 of 53 passes
- Set UMary career highs for pass attempts, completions, passing yards, and completion percentage (79.2%)
Mitchell Thompson (Minnesota State)
- Went a perfect 9-for-9 passing for 114 yards and 1 touchdown in a 35-17 win over North-ern State
- Carried 14 times for a team-high 65 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns
- Has recorded back-to-back games with 2 rushing touchdowns
- Reached 205 rushing yards on the season and is averaging 51.3 rushing yards per game
- Recorded the first perfect passing game of his career
- Scored a rushing touchdown to tie the game in the second quarter and added a 15-yard touchdown run in the third quarter
Brandon Hines Jr. (Minot State)
- Recorded his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game of the season
- Posted his second game of the year with 3 touchdowns
- Rushed for a career-best 179 yards on 14 carries with 2 touchdowns
- Added a 26-yard touchdown reception, his first receiving touchdown of the season
Bubba Tann III (Sioux Falls)
- Rushed for a team-high 78 yards on 16 carries, averaging 4.9 yards per attempt in a 40-34 overtime win over UMary
- Accounted for 106 all-purpose yards, adding 2 receptions for 28 yards
- Scored 2 touchdowns, including a 22-yard receiving touchdown
- Scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime on an 8-yard run
- Accounted for 19 of Sioux Falls’ 25 yards on the game-winning overtime drive
Alex Phelps (Wayne State)
- Recorded 4 catches for 89 yards and a touchdown in a 44-7 win over Jamestown
- Caught a 16-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter
- Added a 30-yard reception
- Returned 2 kickoffs for 51 yards
- Finished with 149 all-purpose yards
Jackson Flottmeyer (Winona State)
- Completed 16 of 25 passes (64%) for 129 yards and a touchdown against Minnesota Du-luth
- Connected with Nolan Ginskey for the game’s only touchdown on an 8-yard scoring pass
DEFENSE
Ashton Toll (Augustana)
- Recorded 3 solo tackles and 6 assisted tackles for a total of 9 tackles
- Ranked second on the Vikings in total tackles
- Recorded an interception and returned it for 8 yards
- Helped Augustana defeat MSU Moorhead
Ray Iglesias (Bemidji State)
- Led the Beavers with 8 tackles against Concordia-St. Paul
- Recorded 3 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles
- Added 3 quarterback hurries
- Set a career high for assisted tackles
Allen Pearson Jr. (Minnesota Duluth)
- Recorded 7 tackles in a win over Winona State
- Finished with 3.5 tackles for loss
- Played a key role on a defense that allowed only 1 touchdown in a 9-6 victory
Sam Bossman (Minnesota State)
- Finished with 4 total tackles, including 3 solo stops
- Recorded 2 sacks for 11 yards in a win over Northern State
- Increased his season total to 3 sacks
- Has recorded 11 total tackles and 4 tackles for loss this season
Austin Young (Minot State)
- Led the Beavers with 9 tackles
- Added a half tackle for loss
- Helped Minot State record its first shutout in 20 years
Gabe Gutierrez (Northern State)
- Led Northern State and the NSIC with 2.0 sacks against No. 4 Minnesota State
- Recorded 4 total tackles
- Accounted for 6 lost yards on his sacks
- Increased his career sack total to 17.0, tying the Northern State career record
- Recorded his second 2-sack game of the season
- Ranks second in the nation with 4.5 sacks this season
Luke Lambert (Wayne State)
- Recorded 8 tackles in a 44-7 win over Jamestown
- Added 1.5 tackles for loss
- Recorded 0.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry
- Helped hold Jamestown to 7 points
Patrick Curtin (Winona State)
- Recorded a career-high 13 tackles against Minnesota Duluth
- Finished with 11 solo tackles
SPECIAL TEAMS
Jake Pecina (Augustana)
- Averaged 51 yards per punt with 204 total punt yards against MSU Moorhead
- Recorded a long punt of 62 yards, with 2 punts traveling more than 50 yards and 1 punt landing inside the 20-yard line
- Recorded 4 touchbacks on 8 kickoffs
- Made a 33-yard field goal
- Converted all 6 PAT attempts
Dylan Duhon (Minot State)
- Went 8-for-8 on extra-point attempts and added a field goal in Minot State’s 59-0 win
- Scored 11 points in the victory
- Connected on a 46-yard field goal, tied for the sixth-longest in program history
- Tied an NCAA Division II-era school record with 8 made extra points
Brayden Chaney (Wayne State)
- Recorded a 50-yard punt return against Jamestown
- Totaled 2 punt returns for 65 yards, averaging 32.5 yards per return
- Returned an interception 71 yards for a touchdown
- Finished with 136 all-purpose return yards
Last Week's Results
Football Pages
NSIC Football Players of the Week
8/31/26
O: #21 Hank Kraft - Northern State
D: #98 Travis Biery - University of Mary
SP: #6 Neal May - Augustana
9/8/26
O: #21 Hank Kraft - Northern State (2)
D: #54 Jake Adams - Northern State
SP: #25 Jake Pecina - Augustana
9/14/26
O: #12 Gunnar Hensley - Augustana
D: #96 Vegas George - University of Mary
SP: #14 Connor Fournier - Minnesota State
9/21/26
O: #12 Gunnar Hensley - Augustana (2)
D: #30 Jude Onuoha - Concordia-St. Paul
SP: #39 Drew Henson - Minnesota Duluth
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 128 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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