The MVFC has eight of its 12 programs in the Top 15 of the Sagarin Ratings. The MVFC is the top-rated FCS league in the Sagarin Ratings. Only four leagues have teams that occupy spots in the Top 15 (MVFC-8; Big Sky-4; CAA-2; Southern-1).
South Dakota State is ranked No. 1 across the board (Sagarin, Massey, Stats Perform and AFCA rankings). Eleven of the league’s 12 programs have SOS ratings 19 or higher, including UNI, which has the FCS nation’s hardest-rated schedule (per Massey).
Since 2014 (9 seasons), the MVFC had averaged 4.44 playoff bids and 7.67 wins, earning a league-record and FCS-tying record six bids in 2021. The league has 14 title game appearances in the last 12 years and 10 titles in that span. In those 12 seasons (2011-22), the MVFC had a total of 85 playoff victories; next best is the CAA with 49.
As many as seven MVFC teams could reach seven regular-season wins this year. South Dakota State (10), South Dakota (8) and North Dakota State (7) have already reached that milestone. Five other MVFC teams are 6-4 headed into the final weekend (Illinois State and UND face one another and only the winner will reach 7 wins.)
Only seven FCS programs with six or more wins headed into this weekend have posted multiple wins against Top 25 programs this season (against teams currently in the AFCA or Stats Perform polls this week). Four of them are MVFC teams.
Counting games scheduled for Nov. 18, only nine FCS programs have played (or will play) four or more Top 25 FCS programs this season -- 8 in the MVFC, and Montana State.
Including Southern Illinois’ 14-11 win at Northern Illinois on Sept. 9, 2023, Missouri Valley Football Conference schools have combined for 49 wins against FBS teams since 1985. A league member has picked up at least one FBS win for 13 of the last 14 seasons (only missing the 2020-21 COVID season in which only one FBS team was played).
ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
- NO FLY ZONE - The Illinois State defense knew that taking the ball away from Murray State would be a key to a victory at Hancock Stadium. A strong effort in the Redbird secondary assured them of that victory, as the Racers recorded just 123 yards passing in the game and threw three interceptions in the loss to the Redbirds. Amir Abdullah returned the first one 30 yards to set up an ISU field goal, Lavoise-Deontae McCoy recorded his second in as many weeks and returned his to set up a Redbird score and the final one of the day by Jacob Bellizzi set up the game’s final touchdown. It marked the first time the Redbirds had recorded three picks in a game since the 2022 home opener against Valparaiso, when they also tallied three interceptions.
- GROUND AND POUND - For the second-straight week, the rushing attack for Illinois State was key to a victory that kept its playoff hopes alive. Against Murray State, the Redbirds recorded a season-high 345 yards on the ground led by Mason Blakemore’s 169 yards and three rushing scores. Cole Mueller also had a big day, rushing for 76 yards including a season-long 58-yard score. The 345 yards by the Redbirds was the first time since 2019 against Southeast Missouri State that they ran for over 300 yards and the most since running for 409 yards against Southern Illinois on Oct. 13, 2018.
- YOU CAN COUNT ON DAN - It took a while for Daniel Sobkowicz to solidify himself as a No. 1 wide receiver for the Redbirds, but he has been as consistent as they come for the Redbirds. He had another stellar day against Murray State, recording five catches for 81 yards with a 26-yard touchdown against the Racers. He has now caught at least one pass in 20 of 21 career games played and now has a seven-game streak of at least five receptions and at least one touchdown for the Redbirds. That has upped his season totals to a team-leading 666 grabs for 919 yards with 10 touchdowns, which rank him at the top in the MVFC and in the top 10 of FCS football in several receiving categories.
INDIANA State SYCAMORES
- Rushing Game On Track -- Indiana State’s running game was back on track on Saturday afternoon against Western Illinois as the Sycamores posted their second 200-plus yard rushing effort of the 2023 season. Justin Dinka posted his first 100-yard rushing effort with a season-high 147 yards and two touchdowns, while Plez Lawrence added 14 carries for 60 yards as ISU posted 209 total rushing yards in the win. The Sycamores’ have posted three 100-yard team rushing games in the last four contests coming against South Dakota (136), North Dakota (143), and WIU (209), while scoring four touchdowns on the ground over the stretch.
- Living Behind the Line -- Linebacker Garret Ollendieck has made his mark on the Sycamore defense since being named the starting middle linebacker midway through 2023. The Cresco, Iowa native has posted double-digit tackles in each of the last three games, while adding 7.5 tackles-for-loss and 4.5 sacks in the last four games against South Dakota, North Dakota, Youngstown State, and Western Illinois. This past Saturday, Ollendieck’s 3.0-sack game marked the second-most by an ISU player in the Curt Mallory era, while his 7.5 sacks put him in the top-five overall in the conference this season.
MISSOURI STATE BEARS
- Sharpe Getting Sharper -- All-America candidate Raylen Sharpe (WR, Allen, Texas) is this week’s MVFC Offensive Player of the Week after he pulled in 11 receptions for a career-high 160 yards and 2 TD’s in MSU’s win over No. 15 UNI last week. His 6th 100-yard receiving game of the season -- third in a row -- matches a club season record, while he moved within one reception (65) and one touchdown (7) of Missouri State single-season records. Sharpe leads the MVFC in both receiving yards per game (100.6) and receptions per game (7.2), which rank 3rd and 5th, respectively, among all FCS players, while his 7 touchdowns ranks 17th nationally and 2nd in The Valley.
- We’ll Pass -- MSU leads the MVFC and ranks 6th nationally in passing offense, racking up 304.2 yards per game through the air. MSU also ranks 9th in pass efficiency (159.95), 15th in completion percentage (.659) and 20th in the FCS in yards per completion (13.46). MSU’s 3,042 passing yards this year ranks No. 2 all-time in program history -- behind the 2021 squad’s 3,399 yards -- while its passing yards per game is on pace for a new club record. Likewise, MSU’s four passing touchdowns against UNI last week eclipsed a new single-season team record with 27. The combination of Jordan Pachot’s 17 TD passes and Jacob Clark’s 10, moved the 2023 squad past the previous team record of 25, set in 1999.
MURRAY STATE RACERS
- The Racers and Penguins were members of the Ohio Valley in the 1980’s where they played five times between 1981-87. MSU leads the all-time series 6-2 and are 6-0 at Roy Stewart Stadium in the series. College Football Hall of Famer, Coach Frank Beamer, led the Racers in their last meeting with YSU in 1987. Saturday’s season finale is Senior Day as the Racers honor eight student-athletes for the dedication to the program. Saturday is also Hall of Fame Day as the class of 2023 is introduced.
- At home against North Dakota, DJ Williams tossed for a season-best 228 yards on 19-of-36 with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Williams is ninth in the MVFC with 10.4 pass completions per game.
- Orion Phillips is third in the MVFC with a punt average of 43.3 ypp. He leads the conference with 11 punts of 50 or more yards and he has downed nine punts at the 10-yard line or inside of it.
NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS
- Red Wilson earned the title of MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday after racking up 143 yards on three kickoff returns at South Dakota last week. He returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for the score. With his 99-yard kickoff return for touchdown at USD, Wilson became just the fifth player in UND’s history to return an opening kickoff for a score.
- This season is the first time in NoDak history that two different players have returned opening kickoffs for a touchdown in the same year: Wilson (99-yard TD at USD) and Luke Skokna (100-yard TD vs. NDSU).
- The protection from the offensive line has allowed UND QB’s to have a completion percentage of 71.3 percent, a mark that sits No. 3 in the country and No. 2 in the MVFC. Fighting Hawk quarterbacks have a team passing efficiency rating of 156.01, which ranks No. 11 nationally.
- Since joining the MVFC, North Dakota is 13-2 at home in league play and 4-10 on the road.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON
- SELECTION SHOW SUNDAY: The bracket for the 24-team NCAA Division I Football Championship will be revealed in an ESPNU selection show starting at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 19. North Dakota State is seeking its 14th straight postseason appearance dating back to 2010. First round games are Saturday, Nov. 25, and the top eight seeds will have byes before hosting second-round games Saturday, Dec. 2. The national championship is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 7, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
- 14 SENIORS: Prior to the Southern Illinois game, North Dakota State introduced 14 seniors who were playing their final regular-season home game. The 14 were defensive end Jake Kava, offensive linemen Jake Kubas, Jalen Sundell and Brandon Westberg, wide receivers Jake Lippe, Zach Mathis and Giancarlo Volpentesta, cornerbacks Jenaro Ocama and Jayden Price, linebackers Cade Powers, Dylan Taves and Julian Wlodarczyk, tight end Jacob Streit, and running back TaMerik Williams.
- THE COIN TOSS: North Dakota State has won 38 of 66 pregame coin tosses since 2019 under head coach Matt Entz. The Bison have deferred their choice to the second half 33 times and elected to receive the ball five times, including the last three tosses they’ve won against Western Illinois, Murray State and Southern Illinois. Entz’s teams are 5-0 when taking the ball first. The other two games were the 2019 season opener at Target Field against Butler and in 2021 at Illinois State.
- OPENING DRIVES: NDSU has scored on its first offensive possession all 10 games this year with eight touchdowns and two field goals. The Bison have started the second half with points on their first possession in 7 of 10 games with six touchdowns and one field goal.
- NATIONAL LEADERS: North Dakota State continues to lead the FCS in passing completion percentage through 10 games at 72.5 percent, and the Bison are second in third-down conversions (.513) and red-zone scoring (.935). NDSU is fourth in rushing offense (240.6 ypg) and passing efficiency (164.75), fifth in time of possession (33:39) and total defense (286.0 ypg), and eighth in total offense (447.0 ypg).
NORTHERN IOWA PANTHERS
- Looking to secure an at-large postseason berth, UNI will attempt to beat North Dakota State for the first time since 2014 and snap an eight-game skid to the Bison on senior day. Head coach Mark Farley is 63-16 (.794) in games played in November.
- Placekicker Matthew Cook became just the second player in MVFC history to score 400 career points after a ten-point effort at Missouri State. With 404 points scored, Cooks is 13 points shy of passing Zach Zenner's (SDSU) record of 416. Cook extended his career streak of made PAT kicks against the Bears with one successful attempt. Cook has made all 151 PAT attempts in his career, passing Brian Wingert for second-most made PATs in school history.
- The Panthers' run defense has allowed just 90.4 yards per game this season, the sixth-lowest average in FCS.
- Wide receiver Sam Schnee became the 11th member of UNI's 2,000 career receiving yards club after a 98-yard performance at Missouri State. Schnee also cracked the program's top-ten list for career receptions (131).
SOUTH DAKOTA COYOTES
- South Dakota concludes the regular season with a 1 p.m. kick against Western Illinois Saturday in Macomb. It marks the final game as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference for Western Illinois, a charter member of the league since its inception in 1985. The Leathernecks will move to the Ohio Valley Conference next season.
- A win Saturday should secure South Dakota a top-eight national seed in the FCS playoffs which begin Thanksgiving Weekend. It would give the Coyotes a free pass to the round of 16 and a second-round home game inside the DakotaDome on Dec. 2. The FCS selection show is set to air at 11:30 a.m. Sunday on ESPNU. The Coyotes qualified for the playoffs in 2017 and 2021 and advanced to the round of 16 with a first-round win in 2017.
- The Coyotes’ four wins against ranked teams are second-most in the FCS to SDSU’s seven wins (no other program has more than two). South Dakota has played five games against ranked teams this season. Only SDSU (7) and NDSU (6) have played more. The Coyotes’ last three games have come against top-10 teams. In addition to being ranked No. 5 in this week’s top-25 polls, the Coyotes are No. 5 in the Massey Ratings with the ninth-toughest strength of schedule.
- Bob Nielson is 3-2 against his former team, one he led to the FCS playoffs in his final season there in 2015. This will be his fourth time as the visiting coach at Hanson Field. South Dakota and Western Illinois first met in a home-and-away series in 1976 and 1977. USD won both matchups. The teams didn’t meet again until 2012, South Dakota’s first year as a MVFC member.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE JACKRABBITS
- REPEAT CHAMPS: South Dakota State has now claimed the MVFC’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs three of the past four seasons and the Jackrabbits’ back-to-back league titles mark the first time that has happened in program history since winning three consecutive North Central Conference titles from 1961-63.
- SCORING BINGE: South Dakota State senior wide receiver Jadon Janke has made up for some lost time in recent weeks with a total of eight touchdowns over the last six games. After being slowed by injury during the non-conference portion of the schedule, Janke has caught two touchdown passes three times since the start of October in games at Illinois State, versus North Dakota State and at Youngstown State. He also caught a touchdown pass in the Oct. 14 Hobo Day game against Northern Iowa and ran for a score Oct. 28 at South Dakota. Janke currently leads the team with seven TD receptions after catching seven passes for a career-high 166 yards last week at Youngstown State. His recent scoring prowess has allowed him to tie his twin brother, Jaxon, for fourth place on the SDSU career TD catches chart with 27.
- DAVIS NEARS RUSHING MILESTONES: Jackrabbit running back Isaiah Davis is poised to reach a pair of milestones in Saturday’s regular-season finale. The Joplin, Missouri, native needs only 10 rushing yards to top the 1,000-yard mark in a season for the second consecutive year. Davis gained a team-best 1,451 yards in the Jackrabbits’ national championship season in 2022. In addition, Davis enters Saturday's game with 3,960 career rushing yards and would be the fifth SDSU player to rush for 4,000 or more yards in a career. Davis has rushed for 100 or more yards in a game 21 times in his Jackrabbit career.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS
- SIU is averaging 35.3 points per game in its six wins and 7.5 points per game in its four losses ... SIU leads the league in fumble recoveries (8) ... SIU has forced 17 turnovers (9 interceptions/8 fumbles) this season — the only conference member with more turnovers forced is South Dakota State (19).
- SIU's defense ranks 8th in the nation at the FCS level in yards allowed (289.9 yards/game), 10th in run defense (96.7 yards/game) and 8th in team sacks (2.90 sacks/game) and 8th in tackles for loss (7.4 TFL/game). Devin Cowan (4.0), Tim Varga (3.5) and Zach Burrola (3.0) lead the team in sacks and 15-different players have recorded sacks on the season.
- SIU has four players with at least 50 tackles this season, including preseason All-American PJ Jules, who leads the team and ranks among the nation's leaders with 88 stops. The other top tacklers are S Ubayd Steed (59), LB Branson Combs (59) and LB Colin Bohanek (54). Steed had a 15-tackle performance vs. South Dakota.
WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS
- Western Illinois will be playing its final MVFC game when it faces South Dakota on Saturday. The Leathernecks were a charter member of what was then known as the Gateway Conference in 1985.
- QB Matt Morrissey has had more plays than any other league signal caller this year. He's accounted for 1861 passing yards and 12 TDs for the Leathernecks. His favorite target has been Jay Parker who has 53 catches for 428 yards. The 53 catches are tied for fourth-best in the MVFC.
YOUNGSTOWN STATE PENGUINS
- Offense Putting Up the Points -- In their nine games against FCS opponents this season the Penguins have scored at least 31 points in seven of them. In five of those contests, the Guins have registered 40 or more. YSU set a school record with six consecutive 30-plus point contests and tied the school mark for 40-point games in a season with five (2016, 2001 and 1978 are the others). The Penguins opened the season by scoring 52 points against Valparaiso before adding 48 against Robert Morris to conclude the non-league season. In five league games, YSU has scored 44 against Missouri State, 41 vs. UNI and Illinois State and 31 each against Southern Illinois and South Dakota. In the nine FCS games, YSU is averaging 34.8 points per game. In their seven MVFC contests, the Guins are scoring 29.5 points per game.
- Passing Numbers Skyrocket -- The Penguins have unleashed their aerial attack the past five contests with 101 completions for 1,299 yards and 11 scores. Through the first five games of the season, YSU had just four passing touchdowns. Against Missouri State, YSU threw for 415 yards, the third most in a game in school history. Only a 446-yard effort vs. Eastern Kentucky in 1985 and 418 at Western Illinois in 2018 rank higher. It was third time this year the Guins had thrown for more than 300 yards in a game. At Indiana State, YSU passed for 254 yards as Mitch Davidson was 25-of-37 via the air.
- Tough On the Run -- The Penguins are allowing just over 100 yards rushing per game which ranks 13th in the FCS. Through 10 games, YSU is allowing just 101.5 yards per game. Seven times this year, the Guins have allowed fewer than 111 yards in a game, highlighted by a season-low six against Southern Illinois. On 260 carries against, the Guins have surrendered just 1,105 yards this season. However, 492 of those yards have come on 13 carries. On the other 246 attempts, YSU has allowed 533 yards (2.17 per rush).
- Scoring on the Ground -- Through the first 10 games of the season, YSU has scored 24 rushing touchdowns. Last year in 11 games, the Guins had 20 and that was with first-team All-America running back Jaleel Mclaughlin in the backfield. First-year TB Tyshon King leads the squad with nine rushing scores. TB Dra Rushton has seven scores while QB Mitch Davidson has added five rushing TDs. In total, five Guins have scored a rushing touchdown. In 2022, only four Penguins scored on the ground.