Wikipedia

2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference season

The 2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference football season was the 36th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's 2nd straight season with 11 teams.
North Dakota State made it to the National Championship and won their 9th FCS title in program history.[1] South Dakota State made the playoffs unseeded, and won their way into the semifinals where they lost to 8th seeded Montana State.[2] Southern Illinois also made it to the playoffs, and beat fellow MVFC member South Dakota in the first round, but would fall to eventual champion North Dakota State in the second round.[3] Northern Iowa also made it to the playoffs, but lost to Eastern Washington in the first round.[4]

2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference season
LeagueNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
SportFootball
DurationSeptember 1, 2022
through January 8, 2023
Number of teams11
2022 NFL Draft
Top draft pickTrevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
Picked byNew Orleans Saints (round 1, pick 19)
Regular season
Champion

Playoff Participants		North Dakota State

Missouri State
Southern Illinois
South Dakota
South Dakota State
Northern Iowa
Football seasons
← 2020
2022 →
2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 North Dakota State $^   7 – 1     14 – 1  
No. 14 Missouri State ^   6 – 2     8 – 4  
No. 16 Southern Illinois ^   5 – 3     8 – 5  
No. 18 South Dakota ^   5 – 3     7 – 5  
No. 4 South Dakota State ^   5 – 3     11 – 4  
No. 23 Northern Iowa ^   4 – 4     6 – 6  
Indiana State   3 – 5     5 – 6  
North Dakota   3 – 5     5 – 6  
Western Illinois   2 – 6     2 – 9  
Illinois State   2 – 6     4 – 7  
Youngstown State   2 – 6     3 – 7  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll

Previous season

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The 2020 season was a spread out season after the conference schedule and FCS playoffs were postponed to the spring due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In the modified Spring 2021 season, South Dakota State made it to the National Championship for the first time in program history, but fell to Sam Houston State. North Dakota State also made the playoffs and beat Eastern Washington in the first round, but fell to eventual champion Sam Houston State in the quarterfinals. Southern Illinois made the playoffs as well and beat Weber State in the first round before falling to South Dakota State in the quarterfinals. North Dakota made the playoffs as well and beat fellow MVFC member, Missouri State, in the first round but fell to James Madison in the quarterfinals.

Preseason

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MVFC Media Day

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Preseason Poll

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The annual preseason poll; voted on by conference coaches, athletic directors, and media members.[5]

Predicted finish Team Points (1st place votes)
1 South Dakota State 454 (24)
2 North Dakota State 435 (18)
3 North Dakota 357
4 Southern Illinois 345
5 Northern Iowa 311 (1)
6 Missouri State 256
7 Illinois State 196
8 South Dakota 163
9 Youngstown State 126
10 Indiana State 112
11 Western Illinois 83

Preseason Awards

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Individual awards

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Award Player School Position Year
Honorable Mention Offense Will McElvain Northern Iowa QB Jr.
Connor Sampson Western Illinois QB Sr.
Tyler Hoosman Northern Iowa RB Sr.
Tim McCloyn Illinois State FB Sr.
Josh Babicz North Dakota State TE Sr.
Dante Hendrix Indiana State WR RS Jr.
Isaiah Weston Northern Iowa WR Sr.
Isaiah Edwards Indiana State OL RS Sr.
Mason Scheidegger South Dakota OL Sr.
William Waddell Western Illinois OL Sr.
Christian Turner Youngstown State AP Sr.
Honorable Mention Defense James Jackson Youngstown State DL Sr.
Jacob Matthew South Dakota DL Sr.
Inoke Moala Indiana State DL RS Sr.
Reece Winkelman South Dakota State DL Jr.
Jack Cochrane South Dakota LB Sr.
Jaxson Turner North Dakota LB Sr.
Jordan Canady North Dakota DB Sr.
Myles Harden South Dakota DB Fr.
Benny Sapp III Northern Iowa DB Sr.
Honorable Mention Special Teams Adam Fellner Western Illinois P Sr.
Nico Gualdoni Southern Illinois PK Sr.
Dan Heilbron Southern Illinois LS Jr.
Luke Skokna North Dakota RS Jr.

[6]

Rankings

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Main article: 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings
Legend
    Improvement in ranking
  Drop in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
  No change in ranking from previous week
RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
т Tied with team above or below also with this symbol
  Pre Wk
1		 Wk
2		 Wk
3		 Wk
4		 Wk
5		 Wk
6		 Wk
7		 Wk
8		 Wk
9		 Wk
10		 Wk
11		 Wk
12		 Final
Illinois State STATS Perform RV RV
AFCA Coaches RV RV RV
Indiana State STATS Perform
AFCA Coaches
Missouri State STATS Perform 24 23 17 18 16 15 20 17 17 17 16 14 12 14
AFCA Coaches RV 25 19 18 16 16 23 18 20 20 14 14 10 14
North Dakota STATS Perform 8 9 11 10 10 13 22 RV RV RV
AFCA Coaches 7 7 14 13 11 15 24 RV RV
North Dakota State STATS Perform 4 5 5 5 5 5 3 3 2 2 5 4 3 1
AFCA Coaches 3 4 4 5 5 5 3 3 2 2 6 4 3 1
Northern Iowa STATS Perform 21 21 18 17 15 16 16 20 16 13 20 RV RV 23
AFCA Coaches 16 15 15 14 13 12 17 24 17 15 24 RV 25 25
South Dakota STATS Perform RV RV RV 21 15 21 23 19 16 17 18
AFCA Coaches RV RV RV RV
South Dakota State STATS Perform 3 2 2 2 2 2 7 6 10 9 4 12 11 4
AFCA Coaches 4 3 3 3 3 3 8 7 13 12 7 13 11 5
Southern Illinois STATS Perform 7 8 8 7 7 8 4 4 3 7 15 17 21 16
AFCA Coaches 10 9 9т 8 7 7 4 4 3 9 16 15 23 17
Western Illinois STATS Perform
AFCA Coaches
Youngstown State STATS Perform RV RV
AFCA Coaches RV RV

Schedule

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Index to colors and formatting
MVFC member won
MVFC member lost
MVFC teams in bold

All times Central time.

† denotes Homecoming game
^ denotes AP Poll ranking for FBS teams

Regular season schedule

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Week 0

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
August 28 6:00 PM Eastern Illinois Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+ W 26–21   5,540
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 1

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 2 6:30 PM No. 7 Southern Illinois Southeast Missouri State Houck Stadium • Cape Girardeau, MO ESPN+ W 47–21   4,075
September 2 7:00 PM Western Illinois Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN+ L 21–31   13,149
September 2 7:00 PM Incarnate Word Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+ W 44–41OT   8,637
September 3 7:00 PM South Dakota Kansas David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium • Lawrence, KS ESPN+ L 14–17   26,103
September 3 8:00 PM No. 3 South Dakota State Colorado State Canvas Stadium • Fort Collins, CO FS1 W 42–23   32,327
September 4 2:00 PM No. 8 North Dakota Idaho State Holt Arena • Pocatello, ID ESPN+ W 35–14   4,667
September 4 2:30 PM Albany No. 4 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+ W 28–6   15,156
September 4 3:30 PM No. 21 Northern Iowa No. 7^ Iowa State Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA ESPN+ L 10–16   61,500
September 4 6:00 PM No. 24 Missouri State Oklahoma State Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, OK ESPN+ L 16–23   50,807
September 4 6:30 PM Butler Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN3 W 49–7   8,148
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
September 4 Indiana State

Week 2

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 10 8:00 PM No. 9 North Dakota Utah State Maverik Stadium • Logan, UT CBSSN L 24–48   18,124
September 11 12:00 PM Indiana State Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL BTN L 6–24   26,181
September 11 11:00 AM Youngstown State Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lancing, MI BTN L 14–42   70,103
September 11 1:00 PM Northern Arizona South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD W 34–7   5,247
September 11 2:30 PM Valparaiso No. 5 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+ W 64–0   15,118
September 11 4:00 PM Illinois State Western Michigan Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI ESPN3 L 0–28   18,122
September 11 6:00 PM No. 8 Southern Illinois Kansas State Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium • Manhattan, KS ESPN+ L 23–31   47,628
September 11 6:00 PM Lindenwood No. 2 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN3 W 52–7   15,162
September 11 7:00 PM No. 19 Central Arkansas No. 23 Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO ESPN+ W 43–34   11,247
September 11 7:00 PM Western Illinois No. 4 Montana Washington-Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT ESPN+ L 7–42   25,238
September 11 8:00 PM No. 21 Northern Iowa Sacramento State Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA ESPN+ W 34–16   8,067
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 3

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 18 3:00 PM No. 7 Eastern Washington Western Illinois Hanson Field • Macomb, IL ESPN+ L 56–62   5,385
September 18 4:00 PM St. Thomas No. 18 Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN3 W 44–3   5,124
September 18 4:00 PM Drake No. 11 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+ W 38–0   10,143
September 18 5:00 PM No. 5 North Dakota State Towson Johnny Unitas Stadium • Towson, MD FloSports W 35–7   9,109
September 18 6:00 PM Dayton No. 8 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+ W 55–3   7,338
September 18 6:00 PM Illinois State Eastern Illinois O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL (Mid-America Classic) ESPN+ W 31–24   6,424
September 18 7:00 PM South Dakota Cal Poly Alex G. Spanos Stadium • San Luis Obispo, CA W 48–14   11,075
September 18 7:00 PM Indiana State Eastern Kentucky Roy Kidd Stadium • Richmond, KY ESPN+ W 23–21   4,550
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
September 18 No. 17 Missouri State No. 2 South Dakota State

Week 4

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 25 12:00 PM No. 2 South Dakota State Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+  SDSU 44–0   6,652
September 25 2:00 PM Illinois State No. 7 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+  SIU 35–17   8,618
September 25 6:00 PM Western Illinois Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN3  YSU 38–35   13,751
September 25 7:00 PM South Dakota No. 18 Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO ESPN3  MOST 31–23   12,738
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
September 25 No. 5 North Dakota State No. 17 Northern Iowa No. 10 North Dakota

Week 5

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 2 1:00 PM No. 16 Missouri State Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+  MOST 41–20   -
October 2 2:00 PM No. 5 North Dakota State No. 10 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+  NDSU 16–10   12,846
October 2 2:00 PM Indiana State South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD  USD 38–10   6,267
October 2 3:00 PM No. 7 Southern Illinois Western Illinois Hanson Field • Macomb, IL ESPN+  SIU 31–30OT   4,107
October 2 4:00 PM Youngstown State No. 15 Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA  UNI 34–7   8,771
October 2 6:00 PM Dixie State No. 2 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+ W 55–7   14,427
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 6

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 9 1:00 PM No. 16 Northern Iowa No. 5 North Dakota State† Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 34–20   18,536
October 9 1:00 PM No. 16 Missouri State Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+  YSU 41–33   12,444
October 9 2:00 PM No. 8 Southern Illinois No. 2 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+  SIU 42–41OT   12,216
October 9 2:00 PM No. 13 North Dakota South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD (Sitting Bull Trophy) ESPN+  USD 20–13   5,304
October 9 1:00 PM Western Illinois Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+  INST 37–27   3,943
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
October 9 Illinois State

Week 7

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 16 12:00 PM No. 7 South Dakota State Western Illinois Hanson Field • Macomb, IL ESPN+  SDSU 41–17   2,827
October 16 2:00 PM No. 3 North Dakota State Illinois State† Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+  NDSU 20–0   12,416
October 16 2:00 PM Indiana State No. 20 Missouri State† Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO ESPN+  MOST 37–7   14,336
October 16 2:00 PM No. 22 North Dakota No. 4 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN3  SIU 31–28   10,644
October 16 4:00 PM No. 21 South Dakota No. 16 Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA  USD 34–21   7,202
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
October 16 Youngstown State

Week 8

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 23 2:30 PM No. 17 Missouri State No. 3 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 27–20   15,559
October 23 1:00 PM Illinois State No. 15 South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+  ILST 20–14   5,415
October 23 2:00 PM No. 20 Northern Iowa No. 6 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN3  UNI 26–17   16,889
October 23 1:00 PM Youngstown State Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+  INST 28–17   5,479
October 23 2:00 PM Western Illinois No. RV North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+  UND 34–10   8,807
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
October 23 No. 4 Southern Illinois

Week 9

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 30 1:00 PM No. 10 South Dakota State Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+  SDSU 47–16   9,423
October 30 2:30 PM Indiana State No. 2 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 44–2   14,383
October 30 2:00 PM No. RV North Dakota No. 17 Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO ESPN+  MOST 32–28   8,372
October 30 4:00 PM No. 3 Southern Illinois No. 16 Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN+  UNI 23–16   5,902
October 30 3:00 PM Illinois State Western Illinois Hanson Field • Macomb, IL ESPN3  WIU 38–31   2,118
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
October 30 No. 21 South Dakota

Week 10

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 6 2:00 PM No. 2 North Dakota State No. 9 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD (Dakota Marker) ESPN+  SDSU 27–19   18,122
November 6 12:00 PM No. 17 Missouri State No. 7 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN3  MOST 38–28   7,176
November 6 12:00 PM No. 23 South Dakota Western Illinois Hanson Field • Macomb, IL ESPN+  USD 42–21   1,972
November 6 12:00 PM No. 13 Northern Iowa Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL  ILST 17–10OT   6,000
November 6 12:00 PM Youngstown State North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+  UND 24–21   8,441
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
November 6 Indiana State

Week 11

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 13 11:00 AM No. 5 North Dakota State Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+  NDSU 49–17   8,307
November 13 2:00 PM No. 20 Northern Iowa No. 16 Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, IL ESPN+  MOST 34–27   9,173
November 13 12:00 PM No. 15 Southern Illinois Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN3  SIU 47–21   3,265
November 13 1:00 PM No. 4 South Dakota State No. 19 South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD  USD 23–20   9,068
November 13 2:00 PM Illinois State North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+  UND 14–7   6,141
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
November 13 Western Illinois

Week 12

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 20 12:00 PM Youngstown State No. 17 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+  YSU 35–18   4,935
November 20 1:00 PM Indiana State Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL  INST 15–10   2,890
November 20 1:00 PM Western Illinois No. RV Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN3  UNI 41–3   6,785
November 20 2:00 PM North Dakota No. 12 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+  SDSU 24–21   8,132
November 20 2:30 PM No. 16 South Dakota No. 4 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 52–24   16,252
November 20 8:00 PM No. 14 Missouri State Dixie State Greater Zion Stadium • St. George, UT ESPN+ W 55–24   2,794
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Postseason

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See also: 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season § NCAA Division I playoff bracket

In 2021, six teams made the FCS playoffs. North Dakota State (No. 2) received a first bye. Missouri State, Southern Illinois, South Dakota, South Dakota State, and Northern Iowa were all unseeded and played in the first round. Below are the games in which they played.

Index to colors and formatting
MVFC member won
MVFC member lost
MVFC teams in bold

All times Central time. Tournament seedings in parentheses

First round

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 27 2:00 PM No. 14 UC Davis (Big Sky) No. 11 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+ W 56–24   3,681
November 27 3:00 PM No. 16 UT Martin (OVC) No. 12 Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO ESPN+ L 31–32   5,072
November 27 3:00 PM No. RV Northern Iowa No. 4 Eastern Washington (Big Sky) Roos Field • Cheney, WA ESPN+ L 9–19   3,845
November 27 5:00 PM No. 21 Southern Illinois No. 17 South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+  SIU 22–10   3,597
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Second round

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
December 4 2:30 PM No. 21 Southern Illinois No. 3 (2) North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 38–7   12,557
December 4 8:00 PM No. 11 South Dakota State No. 8 (4) Sacramento State Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA ESPN+ W 24–19   10,031
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Quarterfinals

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
December 11 11:00 AM No. 7 (7) East Tennessee State (SoCon) No. 3 (2) North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN W 27–3   11,794
December 11 1:00 PM No. 11 South Dakota State No. 6 (5) Villanova (CAA) Villanova Stadium • Villanova, PA ESPN+ W 35–21   3,401
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Semifinals

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
December 17 8:15 PM No. 2 (3) James Madison (CAA) No. 3 (2) North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN2 W 20–14   16,550
December 18 1:00 PM No. 11 South Dakota State No. 7 (8) Montana State (Big Sky) Bobcat Stadium • Bozeman, MT ESPN2 L 17–31   20,457
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

National Championship

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See also: 2022 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
January 8 11:00 AM No. 7 (8) Montana State (Big Sky) No. 3 (2) North Dakota State Toyota Stadium • Frisco, TX ESPN2 W 38–10   18,942
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

MVFC records vs other conferences

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2021-22 records against non-conference foes (through January 8, 2022):

Awards and honors

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Player of the week honors

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Week Offensive Defensive Special Teams Freshman
Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team
Week 1 (Sept. 5) [7] Jaleel McLaughlin RB YSU Michael Thomas DB INST Colt McFadden PK YSU Jason Shelley QB MOST
Nic Baker QB SIU Chris Oladokun QB SDSU
Week 2 (Sept. 12)[8] Xavier Lane WR MOST Spencer Cuvelier MLB UNI Montrae Braswell CB MOST Xavier Lane WR MOST
Week 3 (Sept. 19)[9] Connor Sampson QB WIU Braydon Deming DE ILST Hunter Lunsford DB INST Phazione McClurge WR INST
Week 4 (Sept. 26)[10] Pierre Strong Jr. RB SDSU Darius Joiner DB WIU Izaiah Hartrup WR SIU Jason Shelley QB MOST
Week 5 (Oct. 3)[11] Tobias Little RB MOST Spencer Cuvelier LB UNI Jake Reinholz K NDSU Nate Thomas RB USD
Week 6 (Oct. 10) Nic Baker QB SIU Inoke Moala DE INST Jack Colquhoun P SIU Demeatric Crenshaw QB YSU
Week 7 (Oct. 17)[12] Isaiah Smith RB UND Jack Cochrane LB USD Steven Ward LB MOST Quincy Patterson QB NDSU
Week 8 (Oct. 24)[13] Cole Mueller RB ILST JJ Henderson DB INST Matthew Cook PK UNI Cole Mueller RB ILST
Week 9 (Oct. 31)[14] Jason Shelley QB MOST Ferrin Manuleleua LB MOST Nate Murphy P UNI Jason Shelley QB MOST
Week 10 (Nov. 7)[15] Pierre Strong Jr RB SDSU Zeke Vandenburg LB ILST JT Bohlken P ILST Nate Thomas RB USD
Week 11 (Nov. 14)[16] Jason Shelley QB MOST David Miller CB SIU Cade Peterson P UND Jeremiah Webb WR USD
Week 12 (Nov. 21)[17] Jaleel McLaughlin RB YSU Riley Van Wyhe LB UNI Jose Pizano PK MOST Kevon Latulas RB MOST

Players of the Year

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On November 29, 2021, the Missouri Valley Football Conference released their Players of the Year and All-Conference Honors.[18]

Offensive Player of the Year

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Defensive Player of the Year

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Newcomer of the Year

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  • Jason Shelley, QB (RS-Jr, Missouri State)

Freshman of the Year

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Coach of the Year

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All-Conference Teams

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All-Newcomer Team

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Award Player School Position Year
All-Newcomer Team Offense Demeatric Crenshaw Youngstown State QB RS-Fr.
Theo Day Northern Iowa QB RS-So.
Bryson Deming Illinois State TE Jr.
Xavier Lane Missouri State WR RS-Sr.
Cole Mueller Illinois State RB RS-Fr.
Chris Oladokun South Dakota State QB GS
Quincy Patterson North Dakota State QB Jr.
Tyrone Scott Missouri State WR RS-So.
Jason Shelley Missouri State QB RS-Jr.
Isaiah Smith North Dakota RB RS-Fr.
Nate Thomas South Dakota RB Fr.
Tamerik Williams North Dakota State RB Jr.
All-Newcomer Team Defense
Geoffrey Brown Indiana State LB Fr.
Braydon Deming Illinois State DL Jr.
Nick Gaes South Dakota DT RS-Fr.
Josiah Ganues South Dakota DB Fr.
JJ Henderson Indiana State DB GS
Darius Joiner Western Illinois DB Sr.
Allen Love Missouri State DL RS-So.
Ben McNaboe North Dakota DL So.
David Miller Southern Illinois CB Fr.
Loshiaka Roques North Dakota State DE RS-Fr.
Marques Sigle North Dakota State CB RS-Fr.
Siale Suliafu Missouri State DL Fr.

Source:[19]

National Awards

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On December 7, 2021, STATS Perform released their list of finalists for the Walter Payton Award, Buck Buchanan Award, and the Jerry Rice Award, respectively.

Walter Payton Award

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The Walter Payton Award is given to the best FCS offensive player. Here are the MVFC finalists:[20]

Buck Buchanan Award

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The Buck Buchanan Award is given to the best FCS defensive player. Here are the MVFC finalists:[21]

Jerry Rice Award

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The Jerry Rice Award is given to the best FCS freshman player. Here are the MVFC finalists:[22]

All-Americans

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AP[23]
1st Team 		AP
2nd Team 		AP
3rd Team 		AFCA[24]
1st Team
 AFCA
2nd Team 		STATS[25]
1st Team
 STATS
2nd Team 		STATS
3rd Team 		ADA
[26] 		HERO
[27] 1st Team 		HERO
2nd Team 		HERO
3rd Team
Adam Bock, LB, South Dakota State  Y  Y
Brayden Thomas, DL, North Dakota State  Y  Y  Y
Cordell Volson, OL, North Dakota State  Y  Y  Y  Y
Cody Mauch, OL, North Dakota State  Y  Y
Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State  Y  Y  Y
Darius Joiner, DB, Western Illinois  Y  Y
Dennis Houston, WR, Western Illinois  Y  Y  Y
Grant Burkett, P, Missouri State  Y  Y  Y
Hunter Luepke, FB, North Dakota State  Y  Y
Jack Cochrane, LB, South Dakota  Y  Y
Jared Brinkman, DL, Northern Iowa  Y  Y  Y  Y
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Youngstown State  Y  Y  Y
Jayden Price, PR, North Dakota State  Y
Mason McCormick, OL, South Dakota State  Y
Matt Waletzko, OL, North Dakota  Y  Y  Y  Y
Matthew Cook, PK, Northern Iowa  Y  Y  Y
Michael Tutsie, DB, North Dakota State  Y  Y
Montrae Braswell, DB, Missouri State  Y  Y
Noah Gindorff, TE, North Dakota State  Y
Pierre Strong Jr., RB, South Dakota State  Y  Y  Y  Y
Qua Brown, DB, Missouri State  Y  Y
Trevor Penning, OL, Northern Iowa  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y
Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota State  Y  Y  Y
ZeVeyon Furcron, OL, Southern Illinois  Y  Y  Y

Home attendance

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Team Stadium Capacity Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Game 8 Game 9 Total Average % of Capacity
Illinois State Hancock Stadium 13,391 8,148 N/A 12,416† 6,000 2,890 29,454 7,363 55.0%
Indiana State Memorial Stadium 12,764 5,540 6,652† 3,943 5,479 3,265 24,879 4,975 38.9%
Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium 17,500 11,247 12,738 14,336† 8,372 9,173 5,072‡ 60,938 10,156 58.0%
North Dakota Alerus Center 12,283 10,143 12,846† 8,807 8,441 8,068 48,305 9,661 78.7%
North Dakota State Fargodome 18,700 15,156 15,118 18,536† 15,559 14,383 16,252 12,557‡ 11,794‡ 16,550‡ 135,905 15,100 80.8%
Northern Iowa UNI-Dome 16,324 5,124 8,771† 7,202 5,902 6,785 33,784 6,756 41.4%
South Dakota DakotaDome 9,100 5,247 6,267 5,304 5,415 9,068† 3,597‡ 34,898 5,816 63.9%
South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium 19,340 15,162 14,473 12,216 16,889 18,122† 8,135 3,681‡ 88,678 12,668 65.5%
Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium 15,000 7,338 8,618 10,644† 7,176 4,935 38,711 7,742 51.6%
Western Illinois Hanson Field 17,128 5,385† 4,107 2,827 2,118 1,972 16,409 3,281 19.2%
Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium 20,630 8,637 13,751† 12,444 9,423 8,307 52,562 10,512 51.0%

Bold - Exceed capacity
†Season High
‡FCS Playoff Game

2022 NFL Draft

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Main article: 2022 NFL draft

The following list includes all MVFC players who were drafted in the 2022 NFL draft.

Player Position School Draft
Round 		Round
Pick 		Overall
Pick 		Team Notes
Trevor Penning OT Northern Iowa 1 19 19 New Orleans Saints from Philadelphia
Christian Watson WR North Dakota State 2 2 34 Green Bay Packers from Detroit via Minnesota
Pierre Strong Jr. RB South Dakota State 4 22 127 New England Patriots
Cordell Volson OT North Dakota State 4 31 136 Cincinnati Bengals
Matt Waletzko OT North Dakota 5 12 155 Dallas Cowboys from Cleveland
Eric Johnson DT Missouri State 5 16 159 Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Ogletree TE Youngstown State 6 13 192 Indianapolis Colts from Minnesota
Chris Oladokun QB South Dakota State 7 20 241 Pittsburgh Steelers

Undrafted Free Agents

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Player Position School Team
Aron Johnson OT South Dakota State Baltimore Ravens
Don Gardner CB South Dakota State Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Michael Griffin S South Dakota State Tennessee Titans
Josh Babicz TE North Dakota State Carolina Panthers
Brayden Thomas OLB North Dakota State Los Angeles Rams
Isaiah Weston WR Northern Iowa Cleveland Browns
Jack Cochrane LB South Dakota Kansas City Chiefs

Source:[28]

Head coaches

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Through January 8, 2022

Team Head coach Years at school Overall record Record at school MVFC record MVFC titles FCS Playoff appearances FCS Playoff record National Titles
Illinois State Brock Spack 13 89–60 (.597) 89–60 (.597) 56–44 (.560) 2 5 7–5 (.583) 0
Indiana State Curt Mallory 4 17–28 (.378) 17–28 (.378) 11–21 (.344) 0 0 0–0 (–) 0
Missouri State Bobby Petrino[a] 2 132–65 (.670) 13–9 (.591) 11–3 (.786) 1 2 0–2 (.000) 0
North Dakota Bubba Schweigert[b] 8 69–61 (.531) 47–40 (.540) 7–6 (.538) 0 3 1–3 (.250) 0
North Dakota State Matt Entz 3 35–4 (.897) 35–4 (.897) 20–3 (.870) 2 3 6–1 (.857) 2
Northern Iowa Mark Farley 21 168–93 (.644) 168–93 (.644) 106–53 (.667) 7 13 16–13 (.552) 0
South Dakota Bob Nielson[c] 6 215–114–1 (.653) 29–34 (.460) 20–24 (.455) 0 2 1–2 (.333) 2
South Dakota State John Stiegelmeier[d] 25 185–111 (.625) 185–111 (.625) 76–34 (.691) 2 11 14–11 (.560) 0
Southern Illinois Nick Hill 6 31–37 (.456) 31–37 (.456) 18–28 (.391) 0 2 2–2 (.500) 0
Western Illinois Jared Elliott 4 9–31 (.225) 9–31 (.225) 8–22 (.267) 0 0 0–0 (–) 0
Youngstown State Doug Phillips 2 4–13 (.235) 4–13 (.235) 3–12 (.200) 0 0 0–0 (–) 0
  1. ^ Bobby Petrino coached in the FBS from 2003-06 and 2015-18 for Louisville, 2008-11 for Arkansas, as well as in 2013 for Western Kentucky.
  2. ^ Bubba Schweigert coached Minnesota Duluth of NCAA Division II from 2004-07. He also coached North Dakota while they were a part of the Big Sky Conference from 2014-17 and were independents in 2018 and 2019.
  3. ^ Bob Nielson coached Western Illinois from 2013-15, which included a run in the playoffs that ended in the second round. Nielson also coached Minnesota-Duluth from 1999-2003 and 2008-12, that second stint included five consecutive NCAA Division II playoff appearances highlighted by 2 National Titles. In the first stint at MN-Duluth included his first Division II playoff appearance. Nielson also coached Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 1996-98 that included one NCAA Division III playoff run that ended in the semifinals. Before that, he coached Wartburg from 1991-95, which included two Division III playoff runs as well. His first head coaching job was at Ripon from 1989-90.
  4. ^ John Stiegelmeier has coached South Dakota State since 1997, when the school was still part of NCAA Division II. While in Division II, the school did not achieve any playoff appearances.

References

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  1. ^ "North Dakota State football continues dominant FCS run, wins ninth championship in 11 seasons". espn.com. ESPN. January 8, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "South Dakota State University's football playoff run ends at Montana State". argusleader.com. Sioux Falls Argus Leader. December 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "North Dakota State beats Southern Illinois to advance to quarterfinals". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. December 4, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "EWU's defense leads playoff victory over Northern Iowa, sets up rematch with Montana in round of 16". spokesman.com. The Spokesman-Review. November 27, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  5. ^ "Missouri Valley Football Announces Preseason Team Poll". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  6. ^ "Preseason Poll 2021" (PDF). valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  7. ^ "Valley Football Players of the Week (Sept. 5)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  8. ^ "Valley Football Players of the Week (Sept. 12)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  9. ^ "Valley Football Players of the Week (Sept. 19)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  10. ^ "Valley Football Players of the Week (Sept. 26)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  11. ^ "Valley Football Players of the Week (Oct. 3)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  12. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 17)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  13. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 24)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  14. ^ "Valley Football -- Players of the Week (Oct. 31)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  15. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (Nov. 7)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  16. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (Nov. 14)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  17. ^ "Missouri Valley Football Players of the Week (N21)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  18. ^ "2021 Missouri Valley Football All-Conference team". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  19. ^ "2021 All-Newcomer Team" (PDF). valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  20. ^ "Breaking down 2021 FCS Walter Payton Award finalists". ncaa.com. NCAA. December 14, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  21. ^ "Breaking down the 2021 Buck Buchanan Award finalists". ncaa.com. NCAA. December 14, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  22. ^ "Breaking down the 2021 Jerry Rice Award finalists". ncaa.com. NCAA. December 14, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  23. ^ "2021 AP FCS All-America team". apnews.com. Associated Press. December 14, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  24. ^ "South Dakota State's Pierre Strong Jr and Florida A&M's Isaiah Land highlight the 2021 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision coaches All-America teams". afca.com. AFCA. December 22, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  25. ^ "Widespread Talent Fills 2021 Stats Perform FCS All-America Team". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. December 20, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  26. ^ "FCS ADA Announces 2021 All-America Team". fcsinsider.com. FCS ADA. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  27. ^ "2021 HERO Sports All-FCS All-American Team". herosports.com. HERO Sports. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  28. ^ "Undrafted rookie free agents: Team signings after 2022 NFL Draft". nfl.com. NFL. April 30, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
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