This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference Players of the Week are RB Zach Zenner of South Dakota State; LB Jake Farley of UNI; QB Trenton Norvell of Western Illinois; and PK Joey Cejudo.
Offense
RB Zach Zenner, South Dakota State
6-0, 220, Jr., Eagan (Minn.) High
Zenner tied his own school record with 295 yards rushing and set a new career high with four TDs in a 35-28 victory at North Dakota. Zenner totaled 326 yards from scrimmage in the game as he also finished with 31 receiving yards on two receptions. Zenner previously racked up 295 yards in the first round of the 2012 FCS playoffs against Eastern Illinois. It marked the fourth time in his career that Zenner surpassed the 200-yard mark in a game and he now holds three of the top five single-game rushing performances in school history.
Defense
LB Jake Farley, UNI
6-1, 220, Jr. Cedar Falls (Iowa) High
Farley scored his first career touchdown Saturday after recovering a fumble from Drake’s quarterback and returning it for a 20-yard touchdown return. Farley finished the game with a team and game leading 12 tackles, marking the second time this season he has finished with 10 or more. Along with his recovery, he also assisted with a sack.
Newcomer
QB Trenton Norvell, Western Illinois
6-5, 220, Fr., Daytona Beach (Fla.) Seabreeze High
Norvell completed 24-of-34 passes for 278 yards and 2 TDs in the win over Quincy. For the second straight game, the offense went without committing a turnover. He completed the most passes by a QB since Matt Barr at SDSU three years ago, and it was the most passing yards for a Leatherneck since 307 by Josh Hudson vs. Southern Illinois in 2011. In just two games, Norvell has accounted for 3 TDs and is just one shy of the 4 total by three different quarterbacks last year (passing/rushing).
Special Teams
PK Joey Cejudo, Youngstown State
6-4, 220, Jr., Chino Hills (Calif.) High
A transfer from Mt. SAC, Cejudo scored 11 points in the Guins’ 67-13 win over Morehead State. Cejudo made the first field goal of his career, a 37-yard kick and was 8-of-8 on PAT kicks. His eight conversions tied for the fourth most in school history.
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES FROM WEEK TWO
OFFENSE
WR Julian Burton, MSU -- Posted game highs with 6 receptions for 67 yards and the game’s only touchdown reception at Iowa. His 27-yard reception from QB Kierra Harris put the Bears on the board early in the fourth and started the MSU comeback that saw the visitors reel off 14 points in the span of 10 seconds.
QB Kory Faulkner, SIU -- Threw for 294 yards and a career-high four touchdowns with no interceptions and produced 349 yards of total offense in SIU’s double-overtime loss to Eastern Illinois. Faulkner recorded a career-best 28 completions and also ran for 55 yards on eight attempts.
QB Kurt Hess, YSU -- In one half of action, Hess was an efficient 16-of-19 for 282 yards and three touchdowns in the Penguins’ record-setting win over Morehead State. It was the 19th 200-plus yard passing game of his career, an ongoing school record.
QB Brock Jensen, NDSU -- Passed for a career-high 259 yards completing 19 of 23 attempts including two touchdowns, and he also scored on a 1-yard run.
RB David Johnson, UNI -- Finished with 143 yards and a touchdown, marking the 11th game in a row that he has scored and eighth in a row he has rushed for 100 or more yards.
WR Tanner Riley, INS -- Four receptions for a team-high 63 yards, including a long of 31 yards in the Sycamores’ narrow 20-14 defeat at the hands of Purdue.
QB Josh Vander Maten, USD -- Led the Coyotes in both rushing (78) and passing (67) Saturday against Kansas. He threw a 2-yard pass to Drew Potter to give USD a 7-0 lead, and scored on a 9-yard run in the fourth.
DEFENSE
CB Sybhrian Berry, MSU -- Registered 10 tackles, including 7 solo stops, to help the MSU defense to one of its best performances ever against an FBS opponent. Berry broke up a pass, was in on 1.5 tackles for loss and was instrumental in holding Iowa to just 21 points through 50+ minutes of the contest.
DL Sean Bredl, USD -- Bredl forced a fumble in the red zone that the Coyotes recovered in the team’s 31-14 loss at Kansas Saturday. Bredl had four tackles in all. Bredl also was credited with a pass breakup.
DB Calvin Burnett, INS -- Had seven total tackles and one pass breakup as the Sycamores lost 20-14 at Purdue. Burnett had six solo tackles and one assist. Burnett made a key stop at the goal line late in the second quarter as part of a stand at the one-yard line, which kept Purdue out of the endzone right before half.
DL Chase Douglas, SDSU -- Douglas was credited with a career-high two and a half sacks in South Dakota State’s 35-28 victory at North Dakota.
LB Grant Olson, NDSU -- Made team high 14 tackles including one sack for three yards…His seventh career game with 10 or more tackles.
LB Bryan Presume, SIU -- Presume led the Salukis and set new career highs with nine solo tackles and 12 total tackles. That is the most by an SIU player in over two years. He also recorded a pair of quarterback hurries.
DL Gavin Ricketts, WIU -- Ricketts recorded two sacks in the win over Quincy. He became the first Leatherneck in three years to record 2.0 sacks or more in a game (Mike Stieren vs. UNI in 2010).
LB Travis Williams, YSU -- Williams had six total tackles, including two for losses and a sack in the Penguins’ 67-13 win over Morehead State. Williams had five solo stops and an assist in the impressive win.
NEWCOMER
RB J.C. Baker, Jr, WIU -- Averaged just over 10 yards per carry against Quincy, finishing with 14 attempts and 144 yards with 2 TDs. He became the first Leatherneck RB to rush for multiple TDs in the same game since two Western players accomplished the feat against Indiana State three years ago.
OLB Rique Bentley, RFr., MSU -- Bentley picked off a Jake Rudock pass and took it 28 yards to paydirt for Missouri State’s second score in a 10-second span, early in the fourth quarter. The touchdown pulled MSU within 21-14 of the Hawkeyes. Bentley also factored in 6 tackles, 3 solo stops, and 1.5 tackles for loss.
RB Chase Morlock, Fr., NDSU -- Rushed seven times for 39 yards all on one drive in the fourth quarter in his first appearance for the Bison…Scored on a 9-yard run to cap a 10-play, 57-yard drive.
RB Jordan Roberts, RS-Fr, USD -- Roberts carried 13 times for 73 yards in USD’s 31-14 loss at Kansas. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry. He was part of a rushing tandem that compiled 219 yards rushing.
LB Jameer Thurman, Fr., INS -- Seven total tackles and was credited with one tackle for loss as he made a key stop on third and short in the third quarter. He also made back-to-back tackles on the goal line in one of three separate ISU goal line stands inside the one-yard line which netted just a pair of field goals for Purdue.
TB Jody Webb, Fr., YSU -- Rushed for 122 yards on just 11 carries and had three TDs in the 67-13 win over Morehead State. He scored on runs of 34, nine and seven yards in the win. He averaged 11.1 yards per carry.
RB Tay Willis, Jr., SIU -- Willis put up 104 all-purpose yards with 49 yards on nine carries and also caught six passes for 41 yards. He was utilized as a tailback and wide receiver and also returned one kickoff.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Adam Keller, NDSU -- Converted 8 of 8 PAT kicks...Has connected on all 11 extra-point tries this season.
P Nathan Knuffman, WIU -- had three punts for a 46.0 average and landed two punts inside the 20 yard line. Knuffman had a long kick of 51 yards.
P Ethan Sawyer, SDSU -- Sawyer kept a potent North Dakota punt return game in check, limiting UND to only 20 return yards on seven punts. He averaged 35.1 yards per attempt,landing two inside the 20-yard line.
P Chris Sullens, MSU -- Punted 8 times and sustained an impressive 40.9 average in a hostile environment Saturday at Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium. Sullens notched a 53-yard punt in the second half, and registered 327 total punt yards, while the Bears finished with an impressive 37.1 net punting average on the afternoon.
LB Tyler Williamson, SIU -- In addition to his eight tackles against No. 14 Eastern Illinois, Williamson provided a game-saving play of the game for Southern Illinois when he blocked a 20-yard field goal attempt as time expired to send the game into overtime.
