Story courtesy of the Missouri Valley Conference
Photo courtesy of Illinois State Athletics
This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week are QB Matt Brown of Illinois State; LB Ross Shafrath of South Dakota State; PK Adam Keller of North Dakota State; and RB John Crockett of North Dakota State.
OFFENSE
QB Matt Brown, Illinois State
6-4, 225, Sr., Marion (Ill.) High
Brown set two new school records and led the Redbirds to a tough 34-31 victory at South Dakota. The Marion, Ill., native became Illinois State’s all-time leader in career passing yards leader (8,857) and attempts (1,186) and tied the school record with his 62nd career touchdown pass. Brown finished the game with 336 yards, including a season-long 79-yard strike to Donovan Harden that broke a 24-24 tie in the fourth quarter and put ISU up for good. Brown also rushed for a 12-yard touchdown just before halftime, his third rushing touchdown of the season.
DEFENSE
LB Ross Shafrath, South Dakota State
6-1, 225, Sr., Hampton (Iowa) Hampton-Dumont High
Shafrath recorded a team-high 12 tackles and intercepted a pair of passes as South Dakota State defeated Missouri State, 17-7, on Sept. 29. Named the Outstanding Player of the 46th Annual Beef Bowl, Shafrath also broke up a pass. His two interceptions were half of the four Jackrabbit picks on the day. Shafrath has led the Jackrabbits in tackles all five games this season en route to 57 stops on the season. He has tallied double figures in tackles four times this season and six of the team's last eight games dating back to 2011.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Adam Keller, North Dakota State
6-1, 208, So., Lewisberry (Pa.) Red Land High
Keller made 4-of-5 field goals and three extra-points in No. 1-ranked North Dakota State’s 33-21 win over No. 14/17 UNI. Keller made field goals of 30, 28, 43 and 28 yards in the game. The 43-yard field goal was career best. He tied school records with four field goals made, matching Ken Kubisz’ four field goals made against Augustana in 1983 and five field goals attempted by Shawn Bibeau at Minnesota in 2006. Keller also averaged 63.6 yards on eight kickoffs.
NEWCOMER
RB John Crockett, North Dakota State
6-0, 202, So., Minneapolis (Minn.) Totino-Grace High
Crockett rushed 19 times for a career-high 122 yards and two TDs in No. 1-ranked North Dakota State’s 33-21 win over No. 14/17 UNI. Crockett scored on runs of 3 and 6 yards. His 43-yard run on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter was part of a six-play, 80-yard drive that put NDSU ahead 20-7 with 11:51 left in the third quarter. Crockett was the first Bison running back to rush for over 100 yards this season. He also caught two passes for eight yards.