UNI punter earns Missouri Valley Football Conference POW honor
10/31/2021 6:00:00 PM | Football
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – UNI football's Nate Murphy is the second consecutive Panther to earn special teams player of the week honors from the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Murphy, a punter from West Des Moines, Iowa, had a season-long punt in UNI's win over No. 3 Southern Illinois. His 59-yarder tops a 53-yard punt he kicked against South Dakota State and a 52-yard punt in the season opener against Iowa State.
Kicker Matthew Cook was named special teams POW last week.
Murphy is the son of Craig and Shaunda Murphy, who are both UNI graduates.
This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week also include LB Ferrin Manuleleua of Missouri State; and QB Jason Shelley of Missouri State.
Special Teams Player of the Week
P Nate Murphy, UNI
6-1, 185 pounds, Jr., West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley High
Murphy had a season long punt with a 59-yarder in UNI's win over No. 3 Southern Illinois. Murphy tallied 246 yards in his five attempts, averaging 49.20 yards a punt.
Offensive Player of the Week
Newcomer of the Week
QB Jason Shelley, Missouri State
5-11, 197, Sr., Frisco (Texas) Lone Star High / Utah State
Shelley tied a Missouri State school record with 29 completions and accounted for four touchdowns to help the Bears pull off a thrilling come-from-behind home win over North Dakota. Shelley engineered the game-winning drive in the final 1:39 by marching the Bears 76 yards on just eight plays before firing a two-yard TD pass to Isaac Smith for the win with 15 seconds left. His 12-yard rushing touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion pass just minutes earlier helped put a dent in the Bears' 11-point deficit and made the late-game heroics possible. He finished 29-of-42 (.690) for 349 yards and 3 passing touchdowns. Also noteworthy in Shelley's big day was the 10th-best single-game passing yardage (349) total in program history, tied a program record with his eighth 200-yard passing game in a season (all in his first eight games), and 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) -- with three games still remaining on the schedule. It was also Shelley's third game-winning, fourth-quarter scoring drive of the season.
Defensive Player of the Week
LB Ferrin Manuleleua, Missouri State
6-1, 230, Jr., Manteca (Calif.) High, Modesto JC
In his 13th start in just two seasons with the Bears, Manuleleua racked up 10 total stops as part of a solid MSU defensive effort against North Dakota. Manuleleua helped neutralize a lethal UND rushing game late in the 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.
UP NEXT:
UNI will hit the road for two games before returning to wrap up the regular season at home against Western Illinois on Nov. 20. The Panthers face the Redbirds of Illinois State at noon CT Nov. 6. In addition to the Panthers Sports Radio Network, fans can tune into ESPN+ for the game.
UNI has won the last three matchups with Illinois State. In the last game, UNI won 20-10 March 6, 2021. Illinois State (3-5 overall / 1-4 MVFC) is coming off a 38-31 loss to Western Illinois.
Murphy, a punter from West Des Moines, Iowa, had a season-long punt in UNI's win over No. 3 Southern Illinois. His 59-yarder tops a 53-yard punt he kicked against South Dakota State and a 52-yard punt in the season opener against Iowa State.
Kicker Matthew Cook was named special teams POW last week.
Murphy is the son of Craig and Shaunda Murphy, who are both UNI graduates.
This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week also include LB Ferrin Manuleleua of Missouri State; and QB Jason Shelley of Missouri State.
Special Teams Player of the Week
P Nate Murphy, UNI
6-1, 185 pounds, Jr., West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley High
Murphy had a season long punt with a 59-yarder in UNI's win over No. 3 Southern Illinois. Murphy tallied 246 yards in his five attempts, averaging 49.20 yards a punt.
Offensive Player of the Week
Newcomer of the Week
QB Jason Shelley, Missouri State
5-11, 197, Sr., Frisco (Texas) Lone Star High / Utah State
Shelley tied a Missouri State school record with 29 completions and accounted for four touchdowns to help the Bears pull off a thrilling come-from-behind home win over North Dakota. Shelley engineered the game-winning drive in the final 1:39 by marching the Bears 76 yards on just eight plays before firing a two-yard TD pass to Isaac Smith for the win with 15 seconds left. His 12-yard rushing touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion pass just minutes earlier helped put a dent in the Bears' 11-point deficit and made the late-game heroics possible. He finished 29-of-42 (.690) for 349 yards and 3 passing touchdowns. Also noteworthy in Shelley's big day was the 10th-best single-game passing yardage (349) total in program history, tied a program record with his eighth 200-yard passing game in a season (all in his first eight games), and 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) -- with three games still remaining on the schedule. It was also Shelley's third game-winning, fourth-quarter scoring drive of the season.
Defensive Player of the Week
LB Ferrin Manuleleua, Missouri State
6-1, 230, Jr., Manteca (Calif.) High, Modesto JC
In his 13th start in just two seasons with the Bears, Manuleleua racked up 10 total stops as part of a solid MSU defensive effort against North Dakota. Manuleleua helped neutralize a lethal UND rushing game late in the 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.
UP NEXT:
UNI will hit the road for two games before returning to wrap up the regular season at home against Western Illinois on Nov. 20. The Panthers face the Redbirds of Illinois State at noon CT Nov. 6. In addition to the Panthers Sports Radio Network, fans can tune into ESPN+ for the game.
UNI has won the last three matchups with Illinois State. In the last game, UNI won 20-10 March 6, 2021. Illinois State (3-5 overall / 1-4 MVFC) is coming off a 38-31 loss to Western Illinois.
Players Mentioned
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