KANSAS CITY, Mo. – John Brown (Pittsburg State), Tommy Corwin (Central Missouri), Nate Dreiling (Pittsburg State), and Greg Zuerlein (Missouri Western) have been named MIAA Football Student-Athletes of the Week for the week of Oct. 1 as selected by a conference SID panel.
MIAA OFFENSIVE CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
John Brown, WR, Pittsburg State
Brown enjoyed a breakout receiving performance in helping lead No. 15 Pitt State to a 38-35 come-from-behind victory over No. 1 NW Missouri State Saturday (Oct. 1) in The Fall Classic X at Arrowhead Stadium. The Homestead, Fla., native had a season-high eight catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He hauled in a 49-yard TD pass from quarterback Zac Dickey on the Gorillas first possession of the third quarter to help PSU narrow a 28-6 halftime deficit to 28-13. He added a 56-yard connective on a reverse pass from fellow wide receiver Andrew Castaneda early in the fourth quarter, then snared a 2-point conversion pass from Dickey moments later to knot the score at 28-28 with 12:37 to play in the game. His receiving yards total was the sixth-best in school history
Tommy Corwin, QB, Central Missouri
Corwin had a hand in all six of UCM’s touchdowns on Saturday, throwing for four scores and rushing for two more in the 42-16 win over Arkansas Tech. The Mules got down 10-0 then scored 35 straight points to grab control of the game. The senior from St. Louis, Mo., finished the day 29-of-49 for 390 yards and four passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. His first rushing touchdown got UCM on the board to pull within 10-7 in the second quarter. He tossed a six-yard TD to Taylor Dyer to give UCM the lead for good at 14-10. His second rushing TD of the day, a one-yard plunge gave UCM a 21-10 lead at halftime. In the second half he was 16-of-25 for 234 yards and three passing touchdowns, all to Jamar Howard. His TD passes to Howard covered seven, 35 and four yards. His six touchdowns on the day tied a school record for most touchdowns accounted for in one game, which he previously tied in the season-opener against MSSU. His 406 yards of total offense is the seventh highest single-game total in UCM history.
thers Nominated: Travis Partridge, MWSU; Jake Soy, NWMSU; Anthony Brown, TSU; Dane Simoneau, WU.
MIAA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nate Dreiling, LB, Pittsburg State
Dreiling helped lead the Pitt State defense as it stiffened in the second half and slowed down potent No.1 NW Missouri State to allow the offense from No. 15 Pitt State to rally to a 38-35 victory in The Fall Classic X at Arrowhead Stadium Saturday (Oct. 1). The sophomore from Hutchinson, Kan., made a team-leading 12 tackles in the game, including a quarterback sack and 2.0 tackles-for-loss. The Gorillas limited the Bearcats to 156 total yards in the second half, after falling behind 28-6 at the break.
Others Nominated: Brett Ginn, UCM; Ricky Jacques, FHSU; David Bass, MWSU; Chad Kilgore, NWMSU; Earl Jackson, TSU; Bryce Atagi, WU.
MIAA SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Greg Zuerlein, K, Missouri Western
Zuerlein had an outstanding game setting career and school records in field goals made in a game and longest field goal. The senior from Lincoln, Neb., tied the school record for field goals in a game with five (27, 57, 46, 34 and 47) which included three over 45 yards. He tied the school record with Brad Beckwith who had five field goals against Mesa State last season. Zuerlein had four field goals in a game in the Kanza Bowl against West Texas A&M in the Kanza Bowl in 2009. His four field goals in a game is a single game record at UNO. He also broke the MWSU record for longest field goal of 57 yards. He broke Brad Beckwith’s record of 56 yards, which was set last season against Fort Hays State University. His previous long was a 52-yarder against West Texas A&M in the Kanza Bowl. Zuerlein recorded 17 of the Griffons 35 points and had three touchbacks in nine kickoff attempts. He averaged 68.4 yards per kickoff.
Others Nominated: Ethan Kosjer, FHSU; Chase McCoy, PSU; Derek Koon, TSU.
2011 MIAA Football Student-Athletes of the Week
9/5 – Offense: Dane Simoneau, QB, WU; Defense: Gus Toca, DE, PSU; Special Teams: John Brown, RS, PSU
9/12 – Offense: J.B. Clark, QB, TSU; Defense: David Bass, DE, MWSU; Special Teams: Aaron Jamieson, K, UCM, Andy Mundwiller, PR/WR, TSU.
9/19 – Offense: Jamar Howard, WR, UCM; Defense: Nate Dreiling, LB, PSU; Special Teams: Jon Thomas, RS, PSU
9/26 – Offense: Tommy Corwin, QB, UCM, Landon Zerkel, WR, MSSU; Defense: Ryon Phillips, DL, MSSU, Spencer Worthington, DE, PSU; Special Teams: Jeremy Linn, K, WU