ST. LOUIS – After leading the Bears to a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback victory over visiting North Dakota this week, Missouri State quarterback Jason Shelley (Frisco, Texas) and linebacker Ferrin Manulelelua (Manteca, Calif.) were recognized Sunday by the Missouri Valley Football Conference for their efforts.
Shelley was named Offensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week, while Manuleleua was named Defensive Player of the Week.
Shelley tied a Missouri State school record with 29 completions and accounted for four touchdowns against North Dakota in addition to engineering the game-winning drive in the final 1:39. His two-yard TD pass to Isaac Smith with 15 seconds left secured the win, while his 12-yard rushing touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion pass minutes earlier helped put a dent in the Bears’ 11-point fourth-quarter deficit. He finished 29-of-42 (.690) for 349 yards and three passing touchdowns,
Also noteworthy on Shelley’s big day was the 10th-best single-game passing yardage (349) total in program history, while he tied a program record with his eighth 200-yard passing game in a season (all in his first eight games). He also moved into the program’s single-season top five in passing TD’s (16), passing yards (2,254) and top seven in total offense yards (2,254).
In his 13th career start with the Bears, Manuleleua racked up 10 total tackles as part of a solid MSU defensive effort against North Dakota. He helped neutralize a lethal UND rushing game and also had a key quarterback hurry in the second half. Just as critical, he played a role in Missouri State’s two fourth-quarter fumble takeaways that made the late-game comeback possible. It was Manulelelua’s second double-figure tackle game of the season.
Also recognized by the MVFC on Sunday was UNI Punter Nate Murphy as Special Teams Player of the Week.
The Bears have now racked up 11 weekly conference honors this season, which ties an all-time high water mark for the program, last achieved in 1996.
Shelley is MSU’s third MVFC Offensive Player of the Week this season, joining Xavier Lane (Sept. 12), and Tobias Little (Oct. 2), while this is his third time being recognized as MVFC Newcomer of the Week. Manuleleua is the Bears’ first MVFC Defensive Player of the Week honoree this season.
With Saturday’s win, Missouri State (5-3, 4-2 MVFC) took over sole possession of third place in the MVFC standings, trailing only North Dakota State (5-0) and Southern Illinois (4-1) in the conference race. The Bears will get their shot at Southern Illinois this Saturday in Carbondale (12 p.m.) before they return to Plaster Stadium on November 13 for a 2 p.m. kickoff against Northern Iowa on senior day.
