ST. LOUIS - North Dakota State running back TaMerik Williams was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week by the league office Monday, Nov. 7. It is his first career player of the week honor.

Williams, a senior from Angleton, Texas, rushed for a game-high 120 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns in North Dakota State's 56-17 road win over Western Illinois. He scored on a 25-yard run early in the first quarter and added a 1-yard TD late in the third quarter.

Williams was one of 10 ball carriers for NDSU, which rushed 55 times for a season-high 453 yards and seven touchdowns. He leads all Bison running backs with an average of 8.2 yards per carry this season.

North Dakota State (7-2, 5-1 MVFC) is back on the road this week to face Southern Illinois (5-4, 4-2 MVFC) at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.