ST. LOUIS - Illinois State redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Brown was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Freshman of the Year and three more of his teammates were named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team Monday, as voted on by the league's coaches, sports information directors and media members.
Freshman wide receiver Tyrone Walker and freshmen linebackers Austin Davis and Mike Zimmer joined Brown on this year's MVFC All-Newcomer Team. The four selections to the squad are the most for the Redbirds since 2002, when ISU had six players on the list. The top 11 vote-getters on offense and defense were named to the team.
Brown, who became the starting quarterback after an injury to sophomore Drew Kiel in the season-opener at Eastern Illinois, set ISU freshman records for completions (226), attempts (352) and yards (2,369) while leading the league in passing yards per game (215.4). The Marion, Ill., native finished third in pass efficiency in the MVFC, as he completed 64.2 percent of his passes while throwing just six picks. He earned second-team all-league honors, behind senior Pat Grace of Northern Iowa, and became the third Redbird to be named the MVFC Freshman of the Year, along with quarterback Dusty Burk (1999) and safety Tom Nelson (2005).
Walker played in all 11 games for the Redbirds, with seven starting assignments, and led all league freshmen with 37 receptions for 485 yards. The Indianapolis, Ind., native set an ISU freshman record with those 37 receptions and averaged 13.1 yards per catch. He caught four passes for a career-high 112 yards at No. 6 Southern Illinois (Oct. 10), including an 81-yard touchdown bomb from Brown, and also caught touchdown passes against Austin Peay (Sept. 19) and Indiana State (Oct. 17).
Davis started nine games at outside linebacker and ranked second on the team with 60 tackles, including 24 solo stops. The Normal, Ill., native was credited with a sack and 5.5 tackles-for-loss on the season as well and added a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries. He posted eight tackles in first-career game at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 3) and recorded a half sack and 1.5 tackles-for-loss in a win over Austin Peay (Sept. 19). He later set his career-high with 11 stops in a victory over Western Illinois (Nov. 7) and finished the season with eight tackles against No. 9 Northern Iowa (Nov. 21).
Zimmer joined Davis and sophomore Josh Howe late in the season to form a solid linebacker core for ISU. The Wheeling, Ill., native played in nine games, with five starting assignments, and still ranked fourth on the team with 48 tackles, including 25 solo stops. He was credited with a sack, four tackles-for-loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry on the season, including a career-high two tackles-for-loss against No. 15 South Dakota State (Sept. 26). He also collected a career-high 11 tackles and a tackle-for-loss at Youngstown State (Nov. 14) and picked off a pass and returned it 19 yards against No. 9 Northern Iowa (Nov. 21).
Missouri State junior linebacker Antoine Wilkinson was named the league's Newcomer of the Year.
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