2020 Missouri Valley Football Conference season

American college football season

Sports season

2020 Missouri Valley Football Conference season

League| NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
Sport| Football
Duration| September 12, 2020
through May 16, 2021
Number of teams| 10
2021 NFL Draft
Top draft pick| Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
Picked by| San Francisco 49ers (round 1, pick 3)
Regular season
Champion

Playoff Participants| Missouri State
South Dakota State
North Dakota

North Dakota State
Southern Illinois
Football seasons

← 2019

2021 →

2020 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

|
|
|
|

Team |  | W |  | L |  |  |  |  | W |  | L |
No. 2 South Dakota State +^  |  | 5  | - | 1  |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 2  |
No. 12 Missouri State +^  |  | 5  | - | 1  |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 5  |
No. 7 North Dakota ^  |  | 4  | - | 1  |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 2  |
No. 6 North Dakota State ^  |  | 5  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 3  |
No. 14 Southern Illinois ^  |  | 3  | - | 3  |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 4  |
Northern Iowa |  | 3  | - | 4  |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 4  |
South Dakota |  | 1  | - | 3  |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 3  |
Illinois State†  |  | 1  | - | 3  |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 3  |
Western Illinois†  |  | 1  | - | 5  |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 5  |
Youngstown State |  | 1  | - | 6  |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 6  |

* \+ - Conference co-champions
* ^ - FCS playoff participant
* Note: Indiana State opted out of the spring season.
† – Illinois State and Western Illinois opted out of the remainder of the spring season on March 21 and April 5, 2021, respectively.

Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2020 Missouri Valley Football Conference season was the 35th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2020-21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's first season with 11 teams, as they added North Dakota in the offseason. Although, the conference technically only had 10 of their members play the season, since Indiana State opted out of the Spring season.

South Dakota State made it to their first ever National Championship as the number 1 seed, but lost to Sam Houston State. SDSU was one of three teams to be a conference co-champion, including Missouri State and North Dakota. North Dakota beat Missouri State in the first round of the playoffs, but lost to James Madison in the quarterfinals. North Dakota State and Southern Illinois also made the playoffs. North Dakota State beat Eastern Washington in the first round, but lost to eventual champion Sam Houston State in the quarterfinals to be eliminated before the semifinals for the first time since 2010. Southern Illinois beat Weber State in the first round, but lost to South Dakota State in the quarterfinals.

## Previous season

[edit]

In 2019, North Dakota State won the conference and received the automatic bid to the 2019 playoffs. They would go on to win the National Championship for their 8th in 9 years.

Besides NDSU; South Dakota State, Illinois State, and Northern Iowa made the playoffs as well. South Dakota State was the 7 seed, and lost to Northern Iowa in the second round. Illinois State was unseeded and beat Southeast Missouri State in the first round, beat Central Arkansas in the second round, before losing to North Dakota State in the quarterfinals. Northern Iowa was unseeded as well, and beat San Diego in the first round, beat South Dakota State in the second round, but lost to James Madison in the quarterfinals.

## Offseason

[edit]

Over the offseason, the conference welcomed in their 11th league member, North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks arrive to the Valley from being a FCS Independent. Before that, they were a part of the Big Sky Conference.

## Coaching changes

[edit]

### Missouri State

[edit]

On January 16, 2020, Bobby Petrino was named the new head coach at Missouri State.[1] Petrino replaces former coach Dave Steckel after he was bought out on January 9, 2020.[2]

### Youngstown State

[edit]

On February 7, 2020, Doug Phillips was named the new head coach at Youngstown State.[3] Phillips replaces former coach Bo Pelini who stepped down to take a defensive coordinator position at LSU.[4]

## Preseason

[edit]

### MVFC Media Day

[edit]

#### Preseason Poll

[edit]

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

Predicted finish  | Team  | Points

|
|

1 | North Dakota State | 101
2 | Northern Iowa | 92
3 | South Dakota State | 91
4 | Illinois State | 80
5 | Southern Illinois | 68
6 | South Dakota | 52
7 | North Dakota | 39
8 | Youngstown State | 36
T9 | Missouri State | 23
T9 | Western Illinois | 23

### Preseason Awards

[edit]

#### Individual awards

[edit]

| Award  | Player  | School  | Position  | Year

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Preseason Team Offense  | Will McElvain  | Northern Iowa  | QB  | So.
Kai Henry  | South Dakota  | RB  | Sr.
Pierre Strong Jr.  | South Dakota State  | RB  | Jr.
Javon Williams Jr.  | Southern Illinois  | RB  | So.
Hunter Luepke  | North Dakota State  | FB  | So.
Avante Cox  | Southern Illinois  | WR  | Jr.
Christian Watson  | North Dakota State  | WR  | Jr.
Isaiah Weston  | Northern Iowa  | WR  | Jr.
Brett Samson  | South Dakota  | TE  | Sr.
Dan Becker  | Youngstown State  | OL  | Jr.
ZeVeyon Furcron  | Southern Illinois  | OL  | Sr.
Drew Himmelman  | Illinois State  | OL  | Sr.
Mason Scheidegger  | South Dakota  | OL  | Sr.
Cordell Volson  | North Dakota State  | OL  | Sr.
Preseason Team Defense  | Jared Brinkman  | Northern Iowa  | DL  | Sr.
Anthony Knighton  | Southern Illinois  | DL  | Sr.
Spencer Waege  | North Dakota State  | DL  | Jr.
Reece Winkelman  | South Dakota State  | DL  | Jr.
Logan Backhaus  | South Dakota State  | LB  | Sr.
Jack Cochrane  | South Dakota  | LB  | Sr.
Bryce Flater  | Northern Iowa  | LB  | Jr.
Jackson Hankey  | North Dakota State  | LB  | Jr.
Omar Brown  | Northern Iowa  | DB  | So.
Qua Brown  | Southern Illinois  | DB  | Sr.
Don Gardner  | South Dakota State  | DB  | Sr.
Josh Hayes  | North Dakota State  | DB  | Sr.
Michael Tutsie  | North Dakota State  | DB  | Jr.
Preseason Team Special Teams  | Ross Kennelly  | North Dakota State  | LS  | Sr.
Matthew Cook  | Northern Iowa  | PK  | So.
Brady Schutt  | South Dakota  | P  | Sr.
Jake Coates  | Youngstown State  | RS  | Sr.

| Award  | Player  | School  | Position  | Year

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Honorable Mention Offense  | J'Bore Gibbs  | South Dakota State  | QB  | So.
Tim McCloyn  | Illinois State  | FB  | Sr.
Caleb Vander Esch  | South Dakota  | WR  | Sr.
Damoriea Vick  | Missouri State  | WR  | Jr.
Josh Babicz  | North Dakota State  | TE  | Jr.
Wes Genant  | South Dakota State  | OL  | Sr.
Ryan Tobin  | North Dakota  | OL  | Sr.
Nick Ellis  | Northern Iowa  | OL  | RS Sr.
Honorable Mention Defense  | John Ridgeway  | Illinois State  | DL  | Jr.
Xavier Ward  | South Dakota State  | DL  | Sr.
DeMarko Craig  | Youngstown State  | DL  | So.
Jaxson Turner  | North Dakota  | LB  | Sr.
Makel Calhoun  | Southern Illinois  | LB  | Jr.
Zeke Vandenburg  | Illinois State  | LB  | Jr.
Jordan Canady  | North Dakota  | DB  | Sr.
Michael Griffin II  | South Dakota State  | DB  | Sr.
Charles Woods  | Illinois State  | DB  | Jr.
Zack Sanders  | Missouri State  | DB  | Sr.
Honorable Mention Special Teams  | Dalton Godfrey  | South Dakota  | LS  | Jr.
Mason Lorber  | South Dakota  | PK  | Sr.
Adam Fellner  | Western Illinois  | P  | So.
Jaxon Janke  | South Dakota State  | RS  | So.

[6]

## Rankings

[edit]

Main article: 2020 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 | Final

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Illinois State  | STATS Perform  | 9  | 7  | 15  | 22  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
AFCA Coaches  | Not released  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Missouri State  | STATS Perform  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 19  | 15  | 14  | 12  | 13
AFCA Coaches  | Not released  |  |  | 23  | 23  | 18  | 17  | 13
North Dakota  | STATS Perform  |  | 14  | 4  | 3  | 2  | 6  | 6  | 6  | 6  | 7  | 6
AFCA Coaches  | Not released  | 2  | 5т  | 6  | 6  | 6  | 6  | 6
North Dakota State  | STATS Perform  | 1  | 1  | 6  | 5  | 4  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 6  | 5
AFCA Coaches  | Not released  | 4  | 3  | 3  | 3  | 3  | 7  | 5
Northern Iowa  | STATS Perform  | 3  | 5  | 3  | 4  | 10  | 22  | 23  | 24  |  | 24  |
AFCA Coaches  | Not released  | 14т  | 23  | 20  | 21  | 23  | 24  |
South Dakota  | STATS Perform  | 20т  | 21  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
AFCA Coaches  | Not released  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
South Dakota State  | STATS Perform  | 5  | 3  | 8  | 8  | 6  | 4  | 4  | 4  | 4  | 2  | 2
AFCA Coaches  | Not released  | 7  | 5т  | 4  | 4  | 4  | 2  | 2
Southern Illinois  | STATS Perform  | 24  |  | 11  | 10  | 5  | 10  | 18  | 16  | 18  | 14  | 8
AFCA Coaches  | Not released  | 5  | 12  | 19  | 18  | 17  | 14  | 9
Western Illinois  | STATS Perform  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
AFCA Coaches  | Not released  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Youngstown State  | STATS Perform  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
AFCA Coaches  | Not released  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## Schedule

[edit]

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

[edit]

#### Fall 2020 Games

[edit]

Some teams played a couple games in the Fall, even though the MVFC schedule was moved to the Spring.

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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September 12  | 6:00 p.m.  | Missouri State | No. 5^ Oklahoma | Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK |  | L 0–48 | 22,700 |
September 26  | 7:00 p.m.  | Missouri State | No. 11 Central Arkansas | Estes Stadium • Conway, AR | ESPN3 | L 20–27 | 2,500 |
October 3  | 2:30 p.m.  | No. 11 Central Arkansas | No. 1 North Dakota State | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | ESPN+ | W 39–28 | 471 |
October 17  | 7:00 p.m.  | No. 11 Central Arkansas | Missouri State†  | Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO | ESPN3  | L 24–33 | 5,489 |
October 30  | 6:00 p.m.  | No. 25 Southeast Missouri State | No. 24 Southern Illinois | Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL | ESPN3  | W 20–17 | N/A |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

#### Week 1

[edit]

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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February 19  | 6:00 p.m.  | Western Illinois | South Dakota | DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD |  |  Cancelled | - |
February 19  | 7:00 p.m.  | No. 5 South Dakota State | No. 3 Northern Iowa | UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA | ESPN+ |  SDSU 24–20 | 2,137 |
February 20  | 12:00 p.m.  | No. 24 Southern Illinois | North Dakota | Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND | ESPN+ |  UND 44–21 | 3,176 |
February 21  | 2:30 p.m.  | Youngstown State | No. 1 North Dakota State | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | ESPN+ |  NDSU 39–28 | 6,578 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date | Bye Week

|

February 21 | No. 9 Illinois State | Missouri State

#### Week 2

[edit]

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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February 27  | 11:00 a.m.  | No. 5 Northern Iowa | No. RV Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH | ESPN+ |  UNI 21–0 | 2,128 |
February 27  | 12:00 p.m.  | No. 1 North Dakota State | Southern Illinois | Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL | ESPN+ |  SIU 38–14 | 2,400 |
February 27  | 12:00 p.m.  | No. 3 South Dakota State | No. 14 North Dakota | Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND | ESPN+ |  UND 28–17 | 3,638 |
February 27  | 12:00 p.m.  | South Dakota | No. 7 Illinois State | Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL |  |  USD 27–20 | 1,853 |
February 27  | 12:00 p.m.  | Missouri State | Western Illinois | Hanson Field • Macomb, IL | ESPN+ |  MOST 30–24 | 421 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

#### Week 3

[edit]

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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March 4  | 5:00 p.m.  | No. 20т South Dakota | No. 4 North Dakota | Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND | ESPN+ |  UND 21–10 | 3,491 |
March 6  | 11:00 a.m.  | No. 11 Southern Illinois | Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH | ESPN+ |  SIU 30–22 | 1,901 |
March 6  | 2:00 p.m.  | No. 6 North Dakota State | Missouri State | Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Carbondale, IL | ESPN+ |  NDSU 25–0 | 3,147 |
March 6  | 2:00 p.m.  | Western Illinois | No. 8 South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD |  |  SDSU 45–10 | 2,347 |
March 6  | 4:00 p.m.  | No. 15 Illinois State | No. 3 Northern Iowa | UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA | ESPN+ |  UNI 20–10 | 1,920 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

#### Week 4

[edit]

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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March 13  | 1:00 p.m.  | Missouri State | No. 21 South Dakota | DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD | ESPN+ |  MOST 27–24 | 2,051 |
March 13  | 2:00 p.m.  | Youngstown State | No. 8 South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD |  |  SDSU 19–17 | 2,653 |
March 13  | 2:30 p.m.  | No. 22 Illinois State | No. 5 North Dakota State | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | ESPN+ |  NDSU 21–13 | 6,145 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

#### Week 5

[edit]

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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March 20  | 11:00 a.m.  | South Dakota | Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH |  |  YSU 28–10 | 2,159 |
March 20  | 12:00 p.m.  | No. 6 South Dakota State | No. 5 Southern Illinois | Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL | ESPN+ |  SDSU 44–3 | 2,400 |
March 20  | 2:30 p.m.  | No. 2 North Dakota | No. 4 North Dakota State | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | ESPN+ |  NDSU 21–13 | 9,121 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

#### Week 6

[edit]

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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March 27  | 11:00 a.m.  | No. 22 Northern Iowa | Western Illinois | Hanson Field • Macomb, IL | ESPN+ |  UNI 34–20 | 542 |
March 27  | 1:00 p.m.  | No. 2 North Dakota State | South Dakota | DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD | ESPN+ |  Cancelled | - |
March 27  | 2:00 p.m.  | Illinois State | No. 4 South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD |  |  Canceled | - |
March 27  | 2:00 p.m.  | No. 10 Southern Illinois | Missouri State | Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO | ESPN+ |  MOST 30–27 | 3,581 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date | Bye Week

|

March 27 | Youngstown State

#### Week 7

[edit]

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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April 2  | 6:00 p.m.  | No. 23 Northern Iowa | South Dakota | DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD |  |  Canceled | - |
April 3  | 11:00 a.m.  | No. 19 Missouri State | No. 6 North Dakota | Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND |  |  Canceled | - |
April 3  | 12:00 p.m.  | Illinois State | No. 18 Southern Illinois | Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL | ESPN+ |  Canceled | - |
April 3  | 7:00 p.m.  | Youngstown State | Western Illinois | Hanson Field • Macomb, IL | ESPN+ |  WIU 27–24 | 679 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date | Bye Week

|

April 3 | No. 2 North Dakota State

#### Week 8

[edit]

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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April 10  | 12:00 p.m.  | Western Illinois | No. 16 Southern Illinois | Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL |  |  Canceled | - |
April 10  | 12:00 p.m.  | No. 6 North Dakota | Illinois State | Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL |  |  Canceled | - |
April 10  | 2:00 p.m.  | Youngstown State | No. 15 Missouri State | Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO | ESPN+ |  MOST 21–10 | 2,948 |
April 10  | 2:00 p.m.  | South Dakota | No. 4 South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD |  |  Canceled | - |
April 10  | 4:00 p.m.  | No. 2 North Dakota State | No. 24 Northern Iowa | UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA | ESPN+ |  NDSU 23–20 | 2,037 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

#### Week 9

[edit]

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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April 17  | 11:00 a.m.  | No. 6 North Dakota | Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH |  |  Canceled | - |
April 17  | 12:00 p.m.  | No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana | No. 18 Southern Illinois | Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL | ESPN+ | W 55–48 | 2,400 |
April 17  | 1:00 p.m.  | Western Illinois | South Dakota | DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD |  |  Canceled | - |
April 17  | 1:00 p.m.  | Illinois State | No. 14 Missouri State | Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO |  |  Canceled | - |
April 17  | 2:30 p.m.  | No. 4 South Dakota State | No. 2 North Dakota State | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | ESPN+ |  SDSU 27–17 | 8,762 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date | Bye Week

|

April 17 | Northern Iowa

## Postseason

[edit]

See also: 2020 NCAA Division I FCS football season § NCAA Division I playoff bracket

In 2020, five teams made the FCS playoffs. South Dakota State (No. 1) was the only seeded team. Missouri State, North Dakota, North Dakota State, and Southern Illinois were all unseeded. 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

[edit]

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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April 24  | 2:00 p.m.  | Holy Cross | No. 2 (1) South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD | ESPN3 | W 31–3 | 2,998 |
April 24  | 2:30 p.m.  | No. 9 Eastern Washington | No. 6 North Dakota State | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | ESPN3 | W 42–20 | 3,587 |
April 24  | 3:00 p.m.  | No. 12 Missouri State | No. 7 North Dakota | Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND | ESPN3 |  UND 44–10 | 3,074 |
April 24  | 3:00 p.m.  | No. 14 Southern Illinois | No. 3 Weber State | Stewart Stadium • Ogden, UT | ESPN3 | W 34–31 | 4,033 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

### Quarterfinals

[edit]

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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May 2  | 2:00 p.m.  | No. 6 North Dakota State | No. 4 (2) Sam Houston State | Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, TX | ESPN | L 20–24 | 4,984 |
May 2  | 5:00 p.m.  | No. 6 North Dakota | No. 1 (2) James Madison | Bridgeforth Stadium • Harrisburg, VA | ESPN2 | L 21–34 | 5,854 |
May 2  | 8:00 p.m.  | No. 14 Southern Illinois | No. 2 (1) South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD | ESPN2 |  SDSU 31–26 | 3,547 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

### Semifinals

[edit]

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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May 8  | 11:00 a.m.  | No. 5 Delaware | No. 2 (1) South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD | ESPN | W 33–3 | 4,527 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

### National Championship

[edit]

See also: 2021 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game

Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref.

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May 16  | 1:00 p.m.  | No. 4 (2) Sam Houston State | No. 2 (1) South Dakota State | Toyota Stadium • Frisco, TX | ABC | L 21–23 | 7,840 |
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

## MVFC records vs other conferences

[edit]

2020-21 records against non-conference foes:

| FCS Power Conferences  | Record

|

Big Sky | None
CAA | None
FCS Power Total  | 0–0
Other FCS Conferences  | Record
ASUN | None
Big South | None
Ivy League | None
MEAC | None
Northeast | None
OVC | 1–0
Patriot | None
PFL | None
SoCon | None
Southland | 3–1
SWAC | None
WAC | None
Other FCS Total  | 4–1
FBS Opponents  | Record
Football Bowl Subdivision | 0–1
Total Non-Conference Record  | 4–2

Post Season

| FCS Power Conferences  | Record

|

Big Sky | 2–0
CAA | 1–1
FCS Power Total  | 3–1
Other FCS Conferences  | Record
ASUN | None
Big South | None
Ivy League | None
MEAC | None
Northeast | None
OVC | None
Patriot | 1–0
PFL | None
SoCon | None
Southland | 0–2
SWAC | None
WAC | None
Other FCS Total  | 1–2
Total Postseason Record  | 4–3

## Awards and honors

[edit]

### Player of the week honors

[edit]

Week  | Offensive  | Defensive  | Special Teams  | Freshman

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|
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Player  | Position  | Team  | Player  | Position  | Team  | Player  | Position  | Team  | Player  | Position  | Team
Week 1 (Feb. 22) [7] | Pierre Strong Jr.  | RB  | SDSU | Devon Krzanowski  | LB  | UND | Jake Reinholz  | PK  | NDSU | Mark Gronowski  | QB  | SDSU
Week 2 (Feb. 28) [8] | Nic Baker  | QB  | SIU | Kevin Ellis  | DE  | MOST | Brady Schutt  | P  | USD | Josh Navratil  | LB  | UND
Week 3 (Mar. 7) [9] | Mark Gronowski  | QB  | SDSU | Spencer Cuvelier  | LB  | UNI | Garret Wegner  | P  | NDSU | Jaleel McLaughlin  | RB  | YSU
Week 4 (Mar. 14) [10] | Tommy Schuster  | QB  | UND | Montrae Braswell  | CB  | MOST | Cole Frahm  | PK  | SDSU | Cam Miller  | QB  | NDSU
Week 5 (Mar. 21) [11] | Hunter Luepke  | FB  | NDSU | Grant Dixon  | LB  | YSU | Jose Pizano  | K  | MOST | Isaiah Davis  | RB  | SDSU
Week 6 (Mar. 28) [12] | Celdon Manning  | RB  | MOST | Riley Van Wyhe  | LB  | UNI | Omar Brown  | DB  | UNI  | Matt Struck  | QB  | MOST
Week 7 (Apr. 4) [13] | Tony Tate  | WR  | WIU | Michael Lawson  | DB  | WIU  |  |  |  | Jaleel McLaughlin  | RB  | YSU
Week 8 (Apr. 11) [14] | Christian Watson  | WR  | NDSU | Tylar Wiltz  | LB  | MOST | Garret Wegner  | P  | NDSU  | Grant Dixon  | LB  | YSU
Week 9 (Apr. 18) [15] | Javon Williams Jr.  | RB  | SIU | Adam Bock  | LB  | SDSU | Cole Frahm  | PK  | SDSU  | Mark Gronowski  | QB  | SDSU

### Players of the Year

[edit]

On April 22, 2021, the Missouri Valley Football Conference released their Players of the Year and All-Conference Honors.[16]

Offensive Player of the Year

* Mark Gronowski, QB (Fr, South Dakota State)

Defensive Player of the Year

* Jared Brinkman, DL (Sr, Northern Iowa)

Newcomer of the Year

* Mark Gronowski, QB (Fr, South Dakota State)

Freshman of the Year

* Mark Gronowski, QB (South Dakota State)

Coach of the Year

* Bobby Petrino, (Missouri State)

### All-Conference Teams

[edit]

| Award  | Player  | School  | Position  | Year

|
|
|
|

First Team Offense  | Mark Gronowski | South Dakota State  | QB  | Fr.
Pierre Strong Jr.  | South Dakota State  | RB  | Jr.
Otis Weah  | North Dakota  | RB  | So.
Hunter Luepke  | North Dakota State  | FB  | So.
Avante Cox  | Southern Illinois  | WR  | Jr.
Dennis Houston  | Western Illinois  | WR  | Sr.
Christian Watson  | North Dakota State  | WR  | Jr.
Zach Heins  | South Dakota State  | TE  | So.
Zeveyon Furcron  | Southern Illinois  | OL  | Sr.
Garret Greenfield | South Dakota State  | OL  | So.
Drew Himmelman  | Illinois State  | OL  | Sr.
Nathan Nguon  | North Dakota  | OL  | Sr.
Cordell Volson  | North Dakota State  | OL  | Sr.
First Team Defense  | Jared Brinkman  | Northern Iowa  | DL  | Sr.
John Ridgeway  | Illinois State  | DL  | Jr.
Caleb Sanders  | South Dakota State  | DL  | Jr.
Spencer Waege  | North Dakota State  | DL  | Jr.
Logan Backhaus  | South Dakota State  | LB  | Sr.
Spencer Cuvelier  | Northern Iowa  | LB  | Jr.
Grant Dixon  | Youngstown State  | LB  | Sr.
James Kaczor  | North Dakota State  | LB  | Jr.
Montrae Braswell  | Missouri State  | DB  | So.
Qua Brown  | Southern Illinois  | DB  | Sr.
James Caesar  | Southern Illinois  | DB  | Sr.
Don Gardner  | South Dakota State  | DB  | Sr.
Josh Hayes  | North Dakota State  | DB  | Sr.
First Team Special Teams  | Matthew Cook  | Northern Iowa  | PK  | So.
Ross Kennelly  | North Dakota State  | LS  | Sr.
Garret Wegner  | North Dakota State  | P  | Sr.
Tony Tate  | Western Illinois  | RS  | Sr.

| Award  | Player  | School  | Position  | Year

|
|
|
|

Second Team Offense  | Connor Sampson  | Western Illinois  | QB  | Sr.
Tommy Schuster  | North Dakota  | QB  | Fr.
Jaleel McLaughlin  | Youngstown State  | RB  | Jr.
Javon Williams Jr.  | Southern Illinois  | RB  | So.
Jacob Garrett  | Southern Illinois  | FB  | Jr.
Jaxon Janke  | South Dakota State  | WR  | So.
Tony Tate  | Western Illinois  | WR  | Sr.
Caleb Vander Esch  | South Dakota  | WR  | Sr.
Noah Gindorff  | North Dakota State  | TE  | Jr.
Landon Bebee  | Missouri State  | OL  | So.
Dan Becker  | Youngstown State  | OL  | Jr.
Cody Mauch  | North Dakota State  | OL  | Jr.
Mason McCormick | South Dakota State  | OL  | So.
Matt Waletzko  | North Dakota  | OL  | Jr.
Second Team Defense  | Jordan Berner  | Southern Illinois  | DL  | Sr.
Kevin Ellis  | Missouri State  | DL  | Jr.
Eric Johnson  | Missouri State  | DL  | Sr.
Brantae Wells  | Northern Iowa  | DL  | Sr.
Devon Krzanowski  | North Dakota  | LB  | Jr.
Brock Mogensen | South Dakota  | LB  | So.
Bryson Strong  | Southern Illinois  | LB  | Jr.
Tylar Wiltz  | Missouri State  | LB  | Jr.
Austin Evans  | Northern Iowa  | DB  | Sr.
Evan Holm  | North Dakota  | DB  | Sr.
Zaire Jones  | Youngstown State  | DB  | Sr.
Kyriq McDonald  | Missouri State  | DB  | Jr.
Michael Tutsie  | North Dakota State  | DB  | Jr.
Second Team Special Teams  | Jose Pizano  | Missouri State  | PK  | So.
Dalton Godfrey  | South Dakota  | LS  | Jr.
Brady Schutt  | South Dakota  | P  | Sr.
Christian Watson  | North Dakota State  | RS  | Jr.

### All-Newcomer Team

[edit]

Award  | Player  | School  | Position  | Year

|
|
|
|

All-Newcomer Team Offense  | Carson Camp  | South Dakota  | QB  | Fr.
Mark Gronowski | South Dakota State  | QB  | Fr.
Tommy Schuster  | North Dakota  | QB  | Fr.
Pha'Leak Brown  | Illinois State  | RB  | Fr.
Isaiah Davis  | South Dakota State  | RB  | Fr.
Celdon Manning  | Missouri State  | RB  | Fr.
Jaleel McLaughlin  | Youngstown State  | RB  | Jr.
Bo Belquist  | North Dakota  | WR  | Fr.
Dallas Daniels  | Western Illinois  | WR  | Jr.
Quan Hampton  | Northern Iowa  | WR  | Jr.
Kyle Fourtenbary  | Northern Iowa  | TE  | GS
Second Team Defense  | Eli Mostaert  | North Dakota State  | DT  | Fr.
Brayden Thomas  | North Dakota State  | DE  | Sr.
Adam Bock  | South Dakota State  | LB  | Fr.
Grant Dixon  | Youngstown State  | LB  | Sr.
Devon Krzanowski  | North Dakota  | LB  | Jr.
Montrae Braswell  | Missouri State  | DB  | So.
Michael Lawson  | Western Illinois  | DB  | Sr.
Kyriq McDonald  | Missouri State  | DB  | Jr.
Benny Sapp III  | Northern Iowa  | DB  | Jr.
Myles Harden | South Dakota  | CB  | Fr.
Keyon Martin  | Youngstown State  | CB  | Fr.

Source:[17]

### National Awards

[edit]

On April 28, 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
The Walter Payton Award is given to the best FCS offensive player. Here are the MVFC finalists:[18]

* Pierre Strong Jr. (RB - South Dakota State)
* Otis Weah (RB - North Dakota)

There were no MVFC finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award.

Jerry Rice Award
The Jerry Rice Award is given to the best FCS freshman player. Here are the MVFC finalists:[19]

* Mark Gronowski (QB - South Dakota State)
* Tommy Schuster (QB - North Dakota)

### All-Americans

[edit]

| AP[20]
1st Team  | AP
2nd Team  | AFCA[21]
1st Team
| AFCA
2nd Team  | STATS[22]
1st Team
| STATS
2nd Team  | ADA
[23] | HERO
[24]

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Avante Cox, WR, Southern Illinois  |  | Y | Y |  | Y |  |  |
Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State  | Y |  |  |  | Y |  |  | Y
Cordell Volson, OL, North Dakota State  | Y |  |  |  | Y |  | Y | Y
Don Gardner, DB, South Dakota State  |  | Y |  |  |  | Y |  |
Drew Himmelman, OL, Illinois State  |  |  |  |  | Y |  |  | Y
Garret Greenfield, OL, South Dakota State  | Y |  | Y |  | Y |  |  |
Garrett Wegner, P, North Dakota State  | Y |  |  |  | Y |  | Y | Y
Hunter Luepke, FB, North Dakota State  |  |  |  |  | Y |  |  |
James Caesar, DB, Southern Illinois  |  |  | Y |  |  |  |  |
James Kaczor, LB, North Dakota State  |  |  |  | Y |  | Y |  |
Jared Brinkman, DL, Northern Iowa  | Y |  | Y |  | Y |  |  | Y
Javon Williams Jr, WR, Southern Illinois  |  |  |  |  | Y |  |  |
Logan Backhaus, LB, South Dakota State  |  |  |  |  |  | Y |  | Y
Mason McCormick, OL, South Dakota State  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Y
Nathan Nguon, OL, North Dakota  |  | Y |  |  |  |  |  |
Otis Weah, RB, North Dakota  | Y |  |  |  | Y |  |  | Y
Pierre Strong Jr., RB, South Dakota State  |  |  | Y |  |  | Y |  | Y
Qua Brown, DB, Southern Illinois  |  | Y |  |  |  | Y |  | Y
Ross Kennelly, LS, North Dakota State  |  |  |  |  |  | Y |  |
Spencer Waege, DL, North Dakota State  |  |  |  | Y |  |  |  |

## Home attendance

[edit]

Team  | Stadium  | Capacity  | Game 1  | Game 2  | Game 3  | Game 4  | Game 5  | Game 6  | Total  | Average  | % of Capacity

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Illinois State  | Hancock Stadium | 13,391  | 1,853  | 1,853  |  |  |  |  | 3,706  | 1,853  | 13.8%
Missouri State  | Robert W. Plaster Stadium | 17,500  | 5,489†  | 3,147  | 3,581  | 2,948  |  |  | 15,165  | 3,791  | 21.7%
North Dakota  | Alerus Center | 12,283  | 3,176  | 3,638†  | 3,491  | 3,074‡  |  |  | 13,379  | 3,344  | 27.2%
North Dakota State  | Fargodome | 18,700  | 471  | 6,578  | 6,145  | 9,121†  | 8,762  | 3,587‡  | 34,664  | 5,777  | 30.9%
Northern Iowa  | UNI-Dome | 16,324  | 2,137†  | 1,920  | 1,608  | 2,037  |  |  | 7,702  | 1,925  | 11.8%
South Dakota  | DakotaDome | 9,100  | 2,051†  |  |  |  |  |  | 2,051  | 2,051  | 22.5%
South Dakota State  | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium | 19,340  | 2,347  | 2,653  | 2,998‡  | 3,547‡  | 4,527†‡  |  | 16,072  | 3,214  | 16.6%
Southern Illinois  | Saluki Stadium | 15,000  | 0  | 2,400  | 2,400  | 2,400  | 2,400  |  | 9,600  | 1,920  | 12.8%
Western Illinois  | Hanson Field | 17,128  | 421  | 658  | 542  | 679  |  |  | 2,300  | 575  | 3.4%
Youngstown State  | Stambaugh Stadium | 20,630  | 2,128  | 1,901  | 2,159  |  |  |  | 6,188  | 2,062  | 9.9%

Bold \- Exceed capacity
†Season High
‡FCS Playoff Game
Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, attendance in all venues were severely limited. FCS Playoffs games were limited to 25% capacity as determined by the NCAA.[25]

## 2021 NFL Draft

[edit]

Main article: 2021 NFL draft

The following list includes all MVFC players who were drafted in the 2021 NFL draft.

Player  | Position  | School  | Draft
Round  | Round
Pick  | Overall
Pick  | Team  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Trey Lance | QB | North Dakota State  | 1  | 3  | 3  | San Francisco 49ers | from Houston via Miami
Dillon Radunz | OT | North Dakota State  | 2  | 21  | 53  | Tennessee Titans |
Spencer Brown | OT | Northern Iowa  | 3  | 29  | 93  | Buffalo Bills |
Elerson Smith | DE | Northern Iowa  | 4  | 11  | 116  | New York Giants |

### Undrafted Free Agents

[edit]

Player  | Position  | School  | Team

|
|
|

Cade Johnson | WR | South Dakota State  | Seattle Seahawks
Romeo McKnight | DE | Illinois State  | Cleveland Browns
Travis Toivonen | WR | North Dakota  | Seattle Seahawks
Christian Uphoff | DB | Illinois State  | Green Bay Packers

Source:[26]

## Head coaches

[edit]

Through May 16, 2021

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 | 12  | 85–53 (.616)  | 85–53 (.616)  | 54–38 (.587)  | 2  | 5  | 7–5 (.583)  | 0
Missouri State  | Bobby Petrino[a] | 1  | 124–61 (.670)  | 5–5 (.500)  | 5–1 (.833)  | 1  | 1  | 0–1 (.000)  | 0
North Dakota  | Bubba Schweigert[b] | 7  | 64–55 (.538)  | 42–34 (.553)  | 4–1 (.800)  | 0  | 3  | 1–3 (.250)  | 0
North Dakota State  | Matt Entz | 2  | 21–3 (.875)  | 21–3 (.875)  | 13–2 (.867)  | 1  | 2  | 2–1 (.667)  | 1
Northern Iowa  | Mark Farley | 20  | 162–87 (.651)  | 162–87 (.651)  | 102–49 (.675)  | 7  | 12  | 16–12 (.571)  | 0
South Dakota  | Bob Nielson[c] | 5  | 208–109–1 (.656)  | 22–29 (.431)  | 15–21 (.417)  | 0  | 1  | 1–1 (.500)  | 2
South Dakota State  | John Stiegelmeier[d] | 24  | 174–104 (.626)  | 174–104 (.626)  | 71–31 (.696)  | 2  | 10  | 11–10 (.524)  | 0
Southern Illinois  | Nick Hill | 5  | 23–32 (.418)  | 23–32 (.418)  | 13–25 (.342)  | 0  | 1  | 1–1 (.500)  | 0
Western Illinois  | Jared Elliott | 3  | 7–2 (.778)  | 7–22 (.241)  | 6–18 (.250)  | 0  | 0  | 0–0 (–)  | 0
Youngstown State  | Doug Phillips | 1  | 1–6 (.143)  | 1–6 (.143)  | 1–6 (.143)  | 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

[edit]

1. ^ "Petrino Named Missouri State Head Football Coach". missouristatebears.com. Missouri State Bears Athletics. January 16, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
2. ^ "Steckel, Missouri State Reach Separation Agreement". missouristatebears.com. Missouri State Bears Athletics. January 9, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
3. ^ "Doug Phillips Named Youngstown State Head Football Coach". ysusports.com. Youngstown State Penguins Athletics. February 7, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
4. ^ "YSU's Bo Pelini Steps Down to Take LSU Defensive Coordinator Position". ysusports.com. Youngstown State Penguins Athletics. January 27, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
5. ^ "North Dakota State Picked to Repeat as MVFC Champion". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. February 3, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
6. ^ "2021 MVFC Spring Preseason Poll and Team" (PDF). valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. February 3, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
7. ^ "Valley Football -- Players of the Week (Feb. 22)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. February 22, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
8. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (Feb. 28)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. February 28, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
9. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (March 7)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. March 7, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
10. ^ "Valley Football Players of the Week (March 14)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. March 14, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
11. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (March 21)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. March 21, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
12. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (March 28)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. March 28, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
13. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (April 4)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. April 4, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
14. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (April 11)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
15. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (April 18)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. April 18, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
16. ^ "2020-21 MVFC All-Conference Teams". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. April 22, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
17. ^ "All-Newcomer Team" (PDF). valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. April 23, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
18. ^ "FCS finalists announced for 2020-21 Walter Payton Award, other top honors". ncaa.com. NCAA. April 20, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
19. ^ "UIW's Cameron Ward Wins 10th Jerry Rice Award as FCS Freshman of the Year". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. May 3, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
20. ^ "2020-21 Associated Press FCS All-America Team". fcsinsider.com. FCS Insider. May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
21. ^ "AFCA 2020-21 FCS All-America Team". fcsinsider.com. FCS Insider. May 14, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
22. ^ "2020-21 Stats Perform FCS All-America Team announced". ncaa.com. NCAA. May 10, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
23. ^ "FCS ADA Names 2020-21 Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year; All-America Team". nacda.com. FCS ADA. May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
24. ^ "FCS: 2020-21 HERO Sports All-American Team". herosports.com. HERO Sports. May 19, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
25. ^ "Spring FCS Playoff Games will have 25% Max Capacity". herosports.com. Hero Sports. February 24, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
26. ^ "Top undrafted rookie free agents following the 2021 NFL Draft". nfl.com. NFL. May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2023.

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