For Immediate Release Feb. 14, 2021 Mike Kern

Illinois State • Indiana State • Missouri State • North Dakota • North Dakota State • Northern Iowa South Dakota • South Dakota State • Southern Illinois • Western Illinois • Youngstown State

1818 Chouteau Ave. • St. Louis, MO 63103 • (314) 444-4326 • (314) 435-4779 [Kern cell]

2020-21 Valley Football Standings (through Fall 2020) Tough Fall Slate Every regular-season non-conference MVFC Points Overall Points game in 2020-21 will be against a ranked Team W-L Pct. For Opp W-L Pct. For Opp H A Stk. opponent. Three of the five games were North Dakota State 0-0 .000 0 0 1-0 1.000 39 28 1-0 0-0 W38 against #11 UCA; Southern Illinois hosted Southern Illinois 0-0 .000 0 0 1-0 1.000 20 17 1-0 0-0 W1 #25 Southeast Missouri State; and Missouri Illinois State 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 0-0 L1 Northern Iowa 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 0-0 L1 State tackled fifth-ranked FBS Oklahoma. South Dakota 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 0-0 W1 The MVFC has had at least one win against a South Dakota State 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 0-0 L2 non-conference ranked opponent every year Western Illinois 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 0-0 L3 since going 0-4 in that space in 2004. Nota- Youngstown State 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 0-0 W1 Missouri State 0-0 .000 0 0 0-3 .000 44 108 0-1 0-2 L10 bly, the 2004 season and 1990 season (0-3) Indiana State has opted out of the Spring 2021 season are the only years in which the Conference hasn’t recorded a top-25 non-league win. MVFC Schedule/Results In the FCS Polls • • Media Services • • North Dakota State, which has won Players of the Week Friday, Feb. 19 an FCS record 38-straight games, was Each week a panel will select players of South Dakota State at UNI, 7 p.m. CT a unanimous No. 1 in the Stats Perform the week for offense, defense, newcomer, preseason (fall) Top 25 poll. Five MVFC offensive line and special teams. Saturday, Feb. 20 teams were ranked, including NDSU (1), UNI Illinois State at Missouri State, 1 p.m. CT (3), South Dakota State (5), Illinois State (9) Statistics Southern Illinois at North Dakota, 12 p.m. CT and Southern Illinois (24). North Dakota Interactive school and league statistics and Youngstown State were among schools are available, courtesy of the league’s part- Sunday, Feb. 21 receiving votes. nership with SIDEARM. Youngstown State at NDSU, 2:30 p.m. CT For the first time since 2011, the Salukis entered a season nationally ranked, coming Saturday, Feb. 27 Weekly Features in at No. 24. In 2019, Southern Illinois spent The league produces weekly video South Dakota at Illinois State, 12 p.m. CT one week in the polls when it was No. 25 on segments (Two Minute Drill and The Extra Missouri State at Western Illinois, 12 p.m. CT Nov. 23, 2019. Point) and a bimonthly audio podcast (First South Dakota State at North Dakota, 12 p.m. CT The first AFCA coaches poll of the season and Goal). Each is available by visiting the North Dakota State at Southern Illinois, 12 p.m. CT will be published on Monday, March 15. UNI at Youngstown State, 11 a.m. CT [MVFC TV] league’s web site (valleyfootball.org) - under Stats Perform will release its first regular- the Multimedia tab on the main menu bar. Thursday, March 4 season poll on Monday, Feb. 22. South Dakota at North Dakota, 5 p.m. CT www.valley-football.org Streaking facebook.com/ValleyFootball Saturday, March 6 North Dakota State’s 38-game winning streak is the third longest in Division I history @valleyfootball • @FCS_Insider Illinois State at UNI, 4 p.m. CT @ESPNCFB • @NCAA_FCS North Dakota State at Missouri State, 2 p.m. CT and the longest in FCS history surpassing @FCS_STATS • @HEROSports_FCS Western Illinois at South Dakota State, 2 p.m. CT the record 33-game Bison winning streak Southern Illinois at Youngstown State, 11 a.m. CT from 2012-14. 47 -- Oklahoma, 1953-57 ESPN APP is Saturday, March 13 40 -- Washington, 1908-14 MVFC Digital Home Illinois State at North Dakota State, 2:30 p.m. CT 38 -- North Dakota State, 2017-present The ESPN App curates all Missouri State at South Dakota, 1 p.m. CT 37 -- Yale, 1890-93 of ESPN’s incredible content North Dakota at Western Illinois, 12 p.m. CT 37 -- Yale, 1887-89 into a personalized experi- 35 -- Toledo, 1969-71 ence unique to each fan’s UNI at Southern Illinois, 12 p.m. CT tastes. All MVFC home Youngstown State at SDSU, 2 p.m. CT 34 -- Miami (Fla.), 2000-03 games will be available 34 -- Penn, 1894-96 through the App, airing either on ESPN3 or ESPN+. 33 -- North Dakota State, 2012-14 2020-21 Missouri Valley Football Conference Weekly Release (Feb. 14)

Players of the Week MVFC Preseason Poll Game Rescheduled North Dakota State has been tabbed as The Missouri Valley Football Conference the Missouri Valley Football Conference pre- postponed the South Dakota-Western Illinois First spring selections will occur on Feb. 22 season favorite in a poll conducted by league football game (Friday, Feb. 19) at the Da- Offense coaches. NDSU has been picked first in the kotaDome in Vermillion, S.D., due to Western pre-season poll for nine-straight seasons. Illinois’ COVID-19 protocols. The game has xx North Dakota State has earned the league been moved to Saturday, April 17, and will be Defense title for nine-straight years, four times shar- played in Vermillion with a 1 p.m. CT start. ing it with another league school. This year, xx NDSU received 101 points in the coaches League Supremacy Newcomer vote to edge UNI (92) and SDSU (91). In 2019, four MVFC teams earned selec- xx 1. North Dakota State...... 101 tion to the NCAA Division I Championship, 2. UNI ...... 92 and North Dakota State won its eighth 3. South Dakota State ...... 91 Special Teams 4. Illinois State ...... 80 national championship in nine years. Count- xx 5. Southern Illinois...... 68 ing last year, an MVFC member has reached 6. South Dakota...... 52 the FCS semifinals 24 times in the past 24 7. North Dakota ...... 39 Offensive Line 8. Youngstown State ...... 36 seasons (and 27 times overall), and the xx 9. Missouri State...... 23 MVFC has had two semifinal teams in four of 9. Western Illinois ...... 23 the past six seasons. Indiana State opted out of spring season Fall MVFC Performers of the Week All-Time Title Game Trips S15 -- LB Tylar Wiltz, Missouri State HERO Sports Preseason Poll The MVFC 10 total titles, the most by an S29 -- TB/WR Kevon Latulas, Missouri State FCS league. The 2019 season marked the O6 -- FB Hunter Luepke, North Dakota State North Dakota State is the No. 1-ranked O6 -- LB James Kaczor, North Dakota State team entering the spring 2021 football 14th title game appearance for an MVFC O20 -- TB Jeremiah Wilson, Missouri State season according to the HERO Sports FCS member. The SoCon leads with 16 trips. N3 -- RB Javon Williams Jr., Southern Illinois spring preseason Top 25 (Feb. 8). N3 -- Blake Parzych, Southern Illinois 16 - Southern Conference (8 titles) N3 -- PK Nico Gualdoni, Southern Illinois Five teams from the Missouri Valley Foot- 14 - Missouri Valley Football (10 titles) ball Conference are ranked including four in 14 - Big Sky Conference (6 titles) 13 - CAA Football (6 titles) the Top 10. South Dakota State is second, 12 - Independents (9 titles)* UNI sixth and Illinois State ninth. Southern 8 - Southland Conference (1 title) Illinois checked in at No. 16. Notably, six 4 - Ohio Valley Conference (2 titles) student-athletes representing Missouri Valley *includes 5 combined trips by YSU (4) and SIU (1), Football schools received first-team All-Amer- with 4 FCS titles when they played as independents. ica designation. HERO Sports All-America Dominance By Decade Offense The MVFC is 67-28 (.705) since 2010 in RB Pierre Strong Jr., South Dakota State the playoffs -- which includes 11 intra-confer- OL Drew Himmelman, Illinois State OL Cordell Volson, North Dakota State ence games (meaning the league is 56-17 WR Isaiah Weston, Northern Iowa against teams from other leagues.) Only Defense one other league has a winning record in the DL Jared Brinkman, Northern Iowa DB Michael Tutsie, North Dakota State playoffs since 2010 (CAA Football is 44-39.) By Decade*85-89 90-99 00-09 10-pres. ALL MVFC 6-6 18-16 24-22 67-28 115-72 Athlon Sports Preseason Poll Big Sky 8-11 23-20 24-21 30-31 97-88 Five Missouri Valley Football Conference Big South 0-0 0-0 0-1 13-15 13-16 CAA 2-8 16-23 47-29 44-39 113-105 schools are ranked among the Top 13 in MEAC 0-2 4-9 0-11 0-8 8-32 Athlon Sports’ Spring 2021 poll. And seven Northeast 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-10 2-10 student-athletes were named to the pre- Ohio Valley 6-9 7-16 1-14 11-18 35-63 Patriot 0-0 1-5 6-12 7-12 14-29 season All-America Team. UNI had three Pioneer 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-7 2-7 selections to lead all programs. Southern 14-9 36-20 35-19 20-25 109-77 Southland 13-6 16-20 9-17 22-24 65-71 1. North Dakota State Great West 0-0 0-0 1-2 0-0 1-2 3. UNI SWAC 0-6 0-6 0-0 0-0 0-18 5. South Dakota State Ind. 22-14 29-13 3-2 0-1 64-46 9. Illinois State 13. Southern Illinois *does not include pre-MVFC seasons (1978-84) Included as “On the Cusp” -- South Dakota Athlon Sports All-America NDSU -- Christian Watson, Cordell Volson UNI -- Isaiah Weston, Jared Brinkman, Omar Brown Illinois State -- Drew Himmelman Southern Illinois -- Javon Williams Jr.