BURNSVILLE, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State University senior running back Jesse Sherwood has been named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Offensive Player of the Week following his performance in SMSU's 14-6 home victory over Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday night.
 
Sherwood, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound native of Minneapolis, rushed for a career-high 196 yards and one touchdown on a career-high 32 carries. The 196-yard effort tied for the 14^th highest single-game total in program history. He also caught a team-high three passes for 29 yards in the victory, which was SMSU's first at home since the 2018 season.
 
Sherwood broke free for a 63-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to help the Mustangs build an early 7-0 advantage. In the fourth quarter alone, he carried the ball 11 times for 56 yards to help SMSU secure the victory. Holding a 14-6 lead with 6:23 remaining, SMSU was able to run off more than six minutes off the clock with Sherwood carrying the ball nine times on its final drive.

In two games this season, Sherwood has amassed 352 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 57 carries.
 
Sherwood is a 2018 graduate of Robbinsdale Armstrong High School and is a transfer from Central Lakes College.
 
Southwest Minnesota State, 1-1 overall, will play at the University of Mary this Saturday with kickoff slated for 2 p.m.