ST. LOUIS - For the fourth time this season, an Illinois State football player was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Player of the Week when junior cornerback Chris Garrett received the weekly special teams honor from the league office Sunday. Garrett highlighted the win with a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, as ISU racked up 209 kickoff return yards in the game, the most ever by the Redbirds at Hancock Stadium and in a Valley Football Conference game.
Having not made a single kickoff return all season, Garrett made the most of his opportunity to handle the majority of the Redbird kickoff-return duties in Illinois State's 54-44 win over Youngstown State Saturday. After Youngstown State opened the fourth quarter with a quick scoring drive to regain the lead, Garrett stepped up and returned a kickoff at the ISU 7-yard line 93 yards into the Penguin end zone to give the Redbirds a 40-37 lead, one they would not relinquish.
Garrett racked up a total of 150 yards on four kickoff returns in the Redbird victory over the Penguins. His 93-yard touchdown return marked the first Redbird kickoff returned for a touchdown since LaShawn Bullock ran back a 97-yarder for a touchdown Oct. 23, 2004, against Youngstown State. It was also only the second kickoff returned for a touchdown in the Denver Johnson-era.
The honor was the first-ever for Garrett, who is a native of Concord, Calif. Garrett and the Redbirds will return to action Saturday when Illinois State makes its first-ever trip to Brookings, S.D., to take on Valley newcomer South Dakota State. Kickoff from Coughlin-Alumni Stadium is set for 1 p.m. CST.
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