BURNSVILLE, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State University senior running back Jesse Sherwood was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the second straight week on Monday following his 200-yard rushing performance in SMSU's 31-28 road victory over the University of Mary Saturday afternoon in Bismarck, N.D.
 
Sherwood, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound native of Minneapolis, finished the game rushing for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns on a career-high 36 carries. The 205-yard game is the 13th highest single-game total in program history as he had a pair of 3-yard touchdown runs and also broke free for a 20-yard touchdown. The victory pushes SMSU's record above .500 for the first time since the 2017 season. 
 
Sherwood is the first SMSU player to rush for more than 200 yards in a game since 2013 and is the first player to score three rushing touchdowns in a game since 2017.
 
Through three games this season, Sherwood has rushed for 553 yards and six touchdowns on 93 carries. He currently ranks first in Division II in rushing touchdowns, second in rushing yards and fifth in all-purpose yards.
 
Sherwood is the first SMSU player since Blake Gimbel in 2015 to earn the NSIC weekly award twice in a season.
 
Sherwood is a 2018 graduate of Robbinsdale Armstrong High School and is a transfer from Central Lakes College.
 
Southwest Minnesota State, 2-1 overall, will look for its third straight victory on Saturday hosting Minot State University with kickoff slated for 5 p.m. at The Schwan Regional Event Center.