UNI linebacker Riley Van Wyhe earns MVFC weekly honors
11/21/2021 5:03:00 PM | Football
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – UNI football's Riley Van Wyhe is the fifth Panther to earn Player of the Week honors from the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Van Wyhe earned Defensive Player of the Week honors. He was part of a defensive team that held Western Illinois to -46 yards in rushing and just 116 total yards in a convincing 41-3 win over Western Illinois in the regular-season finale.
He led the team with 10 solo tackles and 14 overall. He also notched two sacks, which was part of a team record for single-game sacks by a UNI team.
Van Wyhe is a linebacker from Rock Rapids, Iowa. He is a graduate of Central Lyon High School. He is the son of Greg and Michelle Van Wyhe.
Other UNI players to earn weekly honors this season: Spencer Cuvelier (Defensive), Matthew Cook and Nate Murphy (Special Teams), and Trevor Penning (Offensive).
Offensive Player of the Week
TB Jaleel McLaughlin, Youngstown State
5-9, 175, Sr., Marshville (N.C.) Forest Hills
McLaughlin helped spearhead the Penguins' 35-18 upset win at Southern Illinois on Saturday. McLaughlin rushed for 185 yards on 25 carries and scored three touchdowns in the contest. He averaged 7.4 yards per rush in the game. He had rushing scores of six, 38 and 35 in the contest. He finished the season with 1,139 yards in just 10 games, an average of 113.9 per game. It was sixth 100-yard rushing performance of the season. He tied his season high with three scores.
Special Teams Player of the Week
PK Jose Pizano, Missouri State
5-7, 218, So., Lehi (Utah) High/Snow College (Utah)
In his return to his home state, Pizano became just the second Missouri State kicker to boot 20 field goals in a season as he extended his streak to 13 straight field goal makes in the Bears' win at Dixie State. He capped a pair of first-half scoring drives with makes from 39 and 25 yards, respectively. He was also 7-for-7 on extra points to give him a 13-point outing and match a career high. Pizano also averaged 64.0 yards on 7 kickoffs with 5 touchbacks. He also eclipsed 100 points on the season (102), just one shy of MSU's season record by a kicker.
Newcomer of the Week
RB Kevon Latulas, Missouri State
6-0, 195, Jr., Port Arthur (Texas) Kilgore (Texas) College
Latulas rushed for 162 yards on just 8 carries with two scores to pace Missouri State's 297-yard rushing outburst at Dixie State. Averaging 20.2 yards per carry, Latulas ripped off touchdown runs of 68 and 7 yards on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter to help the Bears put away the Trailblazers before the half. The 162-yard effort by Latulas marked a career high, his second 100-yard rushing game of the season, and the most by a Bears running back since 2018.
Van Wyhe earned Defensive Player of the Week honors. He was part of a defensive team that held Western Illinois to -46 yards in rushing and just 116 total yards in a convincing 41-3 win over Western Illinois in the regular-season finale.
He led the team with 10 solo tackles and 14 overall. He also notched two sacks, which was part of a team record for single-game sacks by a UNI team.
Van Wyhe is a linebacker from Rock Rapids, Iowa. He is a graduate of Central Lyon High School. He is the son of Greg and Michelle Van Wyhe.
Other UNI players to earn weekly honors this season: Spencer Cuvelier (Defensive), Matthew Cook and Nate Murphy (Special Teams), and Trevor Penning (Offensive).
Offensive Player of the Week
TB Jaleel McLaughlin, Youngstown State
5-9, 175, Sr., Marshville (N.C.) Forest Hills
McLaughlin helped spearhead the Penguins' 35-18 upset win at Southern Illinois on Saturday. McLaughlin rushed for 185 yards on 25 carries and scored three touchdowns in the contest. He averaged 7.4 yards per rush in the game. He had rushing scores of six, 38 and 35 in the contest. He finished the season with 1,139 yards in just 10 games, an average of 113.9 per game. It was sixth 100-yard rushing performance of the season. He tied his season high with three scores.
Special Teams Player of the Week
PK Jose Pizano, Missouri State
5-7, 218, So., Lehi (Utah) High/Snow College (Utah)
In his return to his home state, Pizano became just the second Missouri State kicker to boot 20 field goals in a season as he extended his streak to 13 straight field goal makes in the Bears' win at Dixie State. He capped a pair of first-half scoring drives with makes from 39 and 25 yards, respectively. He was also 7-for-7 on extra points to give him a 13-point outing and match a career high. Pizano also averaged 64.0 yards on 7 kickoffs with 5 touchbacks. He also eclipsed 100 points on the season (102), just one shy of MSU's season record by a kicker.
Newcomer of the Week
RB Kevon Latulas, Missouri State
6-0, 195, Jr., Port Arthur (Texas) Kilgore (Texas) College
Latulas rushed for 162 yards on just 8 carries with two scores to pace Missouri State's 297-yard rushing outburst at Dixie State. Averaging 20.2 yards per carry, Latulas ripped off touchdown runs of 68 and 7 yards on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter to help the Bears put away the Trailblazers before the half. The 162-yard effort by Latulas marked a career high, his second 100-yard rushing game of the season, and the most by a Bears running back since 2018.
Players Mentioned
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