This week’s Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week include QB Jacob Clark of Missouri State; CB Caleb Blake of Missouri State; K/P Ian Wagner of Illinois State; and RB Jayden Becks of Missouri State.
Offensive Player of the Week
QB Jacob Clark, Missouri State
6-5, 226, Jr., Rockwall, Texas (Rockwall HS / Minnesota)
Clark passed for 414 yards and matched a school-record with 5 touchdowns to lead Missouri State to a 59-14 win over visiting Utah Tech in the Bears’ home opener. He was 17-for-21 for 356 yards in the first half alone with 4 TD tosses to push the Bears ahead 38-14 at the game’s midway point. He finished his third college start with a 19-for-26 day overall with no interceptions and the second-highest passing yardage total in program history, engineering six consecutive MSU scoring drives (with five TD’s) in the heart of the game.
Defensive Player of the Week
CB Caleb Blake, Missouri State
6-0, 187, Jr., Winter Haven, Fla. (Bishop Moore HS / Florida State)
MoState’s standout cornerback had an elite effort in MoState’s 59-14 home win over Utah Tech, registering 5 total tackles, an interception and 3 pass break-ups in his first start of the season. Blake picked off a Utah Tech pass on the first play of the second half to set up a Missouri State touchdown for his first career pick. Blake also had a 7-yard tackle for loss in the standout performance. Blake’s receivers were targeted 10 times, and he only gave up 3 receptions (total 23 yards).
Special Teams Player of the Week
K/P Ian Wagner, Illinois State
6-2, 215, So., Sierra Vista, Ariz. (O’Fallon [Ill.] HS)
Redbird punter/kicker Ian Wagner did it all for the Redbirds in their 48-17 win over Lindenwood. The sophomore from Arizona handled punting, kickoff and placekicking duties for ISU and had strong performances in each area. Despite not having many opportunities to punt because of an explosive Redbird offense, he did average 43.5 yards per punt on two attempts with a long of 51 yards. He also recorded six touchbacks on eight kickoff attempts for the Redbirds and was 6-for-7 on extra point attempts, with the lone miss coming off a blocked from the edge rusher.
Newcomer of the Week
RB Jayden Becks, Missouri State
5-11, 185, Fr., Waxahachie, Texas (Waxahachie HS)
The Bears’ true freshman running back was a spark off the bench for MoState with 21.7 yards per carry, a touchdown and the team’s two longest plays of the game. Becks had a 50-yard touchdown rush in the fourth quarter for his first career score, capping an eight-play touchdown drive. He also was a cornerstone in team’s longest passing play of the game, highlighting a 51-yard pass play from Jacob Clark to set up another MSU score two plays later. Becks finished with 134 yards on 5 all-purpose plays (3 rushes, 2 receptions) in an incredible home debut.
