September 5
Judd O’Connell - Wide Receiver - St. Norbert
Senior - Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon
O’Connell hauled in 10 receptions for 201 yards and one touchdown in St. Norbert’s 31-13 win over NAIA scholarship foe Olivet Nazarene. O’Connell’s afternoon marked the fifth time in St. Norbert history that a 200-plus yard receiving afternoon has been recorded, and he became only the third different Green Knight player to accomplish the feat. O’Connell’s standout performance helped St. Norbert quarterback Cody Craig tie his career mark for passing yards in a game (308).
September 11
Dante Daniels - Running Back - Monmouth College
Senior - Waukegan, Ill./Gurnee-Warren
Daniels turned in one of the top five performances for a running back in Monmouth history, rushing for 205 yards and a school-record four touchdowns as the Fighting Scots opened conference play with a 49-6 victory over Lawrence. Daniels scored on runs of 1, 20, 71 and 37 yards. Only Ron Baker, who rushed for 206 yards or more four times in the mid 1970s, has had a higher single-game rushing total for the Scots. Daniels is the only back in the league to eclipse 100 yards in both of his team’s contests this season.
September 18
Dante Daniels - Running Back - Monmouth College
Senior - Waukegan, Ill./Gurnee-Warren
Daniels is the Offensive Performer of the Week for the second time in as many weeks after breaking the 200-yard rushing barrier in two consecutive contests. Daniels set a single-game school rushing record with 229 yards on 29 carries in the Fighting Scots 31-0 victory at Beloit on Saturday. The senior running back scored twice in the contest, reaching the end zone on runs of six and 22 yards. Daniels, who leads the MWC in rushing with an average of 178.3 yards per game, shouldered the offensive load after Monmouth’s starting quarterback and top wide receiver went down with injuries.
September 25
Evan Haffner - Wide Receiver - Monmouth College
Senior - Canton, Ill./Canton
Haffner, who garnered Preseason All-American accolades earlier this year, had the breakout game he had been waiting for in Monmouth’s 38-7 victory over Carroll on Saturday. The senior wide receiver caught 10 balls for 191 yards, including TD receptions of 39 and 54 yards. Haffner’s effort came against a Carroll squad that entered unbeaten in conference play and boasted the 16th ranked defense in NCAA Division III. He passed Nathan Gaskill on Monmouth’s all-time list of career catches in the game and now has 124.
October 2
Jon Howard - Wide Receiver - Illinois College
Senior - White Heath, Ill./Monticello
Howard scored two touchdowns and set up Illinois College’s third score during the Blueboys 21-20 triumph over Lawrence at home on Saturday. Howard, who caught eight passes for 77 yards, opened the game’s scoring with a three-yard TD reception. After Lawrence knotted the game at 7-7, Howard took his only kickoff return of the day 56 yards, setting up an Illinois College touchdown two plays later. The senior wide receiver then took a third quarter reverse 34 yards to paydirt, giving him two carries for 40 yards in the contest. Howard is on pace to become the Blueboys all-time leading receiver as early as this weekend.
October 9
Sean Pfalzer - Quarterback - Grinnell College
Senior - Moraga, Calif./Campolindo
Pfalzer put together an incredible performance to lead the Pioneers to their first victory of the season, a 35-34 triumph over Knox at home. The senior quarterback capped a 12-play, 65-yard scoring drive with a four-yard touchdown run that made the score 34-34 with 1:07 remaining. Pfalzer, who was 16-29 passing for 200 yards and two scores, ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Pfalzer’s first score of the game came on a nine-yard run, while wide receiver Kyle Perry hauled in both TD receptions (46, 8).
October 16
Dante Daniels - Running Back - Monmouth College
Senior - Waukegan, Ill./Gurnee-Warren
Daniels broke Monmouth’s single-game rushing record on Saturday as the Scots handed Ripon its first league loss of the season, 24-14. Daniels rushed for 247 yards on 36 carries and, in the process, became the Fighting Scots first 1,000-yard rusher since 1993. Daniels scored the first TD of the game on a one-yard run and added the game-clinching score on a 65-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. The senior running back entered the contest ranked third in NCAA Division III in rushing.
October 23
Dan Del Monte - Running Back - Carroll College
Senior - Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park
Del Monte scored two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 45 seconds remaining to lift the Pioneers to a 24-20 triumph over Knox. Del Monte recorded 182 all-purpose yards in the game, rushing 24 times for 88 yards and catching six passes for 94 yards. The senior running back scored on a nine-yard run in the second quarter before taking a fourth quarter screen pass 54 yards for the game-winning score.
October 30
Jeff Ziemnik - Quarterback - Lake Forest College
Junior - Oswego, Ill./Oswego
Ziemnik led Lake Forest to a 19-12 come-from-behind victory at Knox on Saturday. The junior quarterback was 17-30 for 251 yards passing and he also added a team-high 30 yards rushing on five carries. Ziemnik rallied the Foresters from a 14-0 deficit with a nine-yard scoring run and a 30-yard TD pass in the second quarter, before scoring the go-ahead touchdown on the ground from a yard out with 1:51 remaining in the contest.
November 6
Sean Pfalzer - Quarterback - Grinnell College
Senior - Moraga, Calif./Campolindo
Pfalzer wrapped up his career with a memorable performance, as the Pioneers downed Beloit 39-22 at home Saturday. The senior quarterback recorded 490 yards of total offense (129 rushing and 361 passing) and accounted for five touchdowns to lead the Pioneers to the win. Pfalzer was 26-44 passing with four touchdowns (67, 1, 25, 4) and also scored on 35-yard scamper.
November 13
Casey Meehan - Running Back - St. Norbert
Senior - Rockbridge, Ill./Greenfield
Meehan ran the Green Knights to a 28-0 victory over Illinois College on Saturday. Meehan scored the first three touchdowns in the game, reaching the end zone on runs off 5, 4 and 57 yards. Meehan closed the contest with 22 carries for 185 yards, giving him an average of 8.4 yards per carry. Meehan was only stopped for a loss once in the contest and now has five rushing touchdowns on the season.