ST. LOUIS - For the second-straight season, the Illinois State football team had two members named All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First-Team selection as junior defensive tackle Eric Brunner and senior cornerback E.J. Jones were selected for the team Monday, as voted on by the league's coaches, sports information directors and media members.
A total of eight Redbirds were named to this year's all-conference teams. Sophomore wide receiver Tyrone Walker, junior center Cal McCarthy and junior linebacker Josh Howe joined their teammates on the All-MVFC team as second-team selections, while sophomore quarterback Matt Brown, junior wide receiver Marvon Sanders and senior kicker/punter Steven Fetzer were given honorable mention status.
A 2009 All-MVFC Second-Team selection, Brunner increased his production in 2010 and proved to be a leader for the Redbird defense. The Greendale, Wis., native started all 11 games on the defensive line for the Redbirds and ranked fifth on the team with a career-high 53 tackles. He also led the team with four sacks and 9.5 tackles-for-loss, both career-highs, and was credited with two quarterback hurries and fumble recovery on the season. Brunner posted seven tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack in a win against Missouri State and topped that effort with a career-high two sacks and 2.5 tackles-for-loss in a victory over No. 14 North Dakota State.
Jones played in all 11 games, with 10 starts at cornerback, and led the team and MVFC with seven interceptions. The Edwardsville, Ill., native finished his career with 13 career interceptions, tied for third on the all-time ISU list, and his seven interceptions this season tied for fourth in the ISU single-season record book and rank him third in the country overall. Jones recorded an interception in three-straight games against South Dakota State, Missouri State and Southern Illinois and finished the season with 34 tackles, including 23 solo stops.
Proving his 2009 MVFC All-Newcomer Team selection was no fluke, Walker continued to show his playmaking ability in the Redbirds' spread offense. The Indianapolis, Ind., native led the team with 974 yards receiving on 59 catches, both career highs, and hauled in 12 touchdown passes, the second-highest single-season mark in school history. Walker finished the season ranked second in the MVFC with those 12 TD catches and 974 yards currently ranks 13th in the country with 88.55 receiving yards per game. He posted five games with 100-plus yards receiving, including three-straight from Oct. 23-Nov. 6, and set new career-highs with 206 yards receiving and three touchdowns in a win over Youngstown State, which earned him MVFC Offensive Player of the Week and The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS National Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Coming off knee surgery that forced him to miss the final two games of the 2009 season and most of the preseason, McCarthy started all 11 games at center and was the most consistent Redbird offensive lineman in 2010. The Shorewood, Ill., native anchored the offensive line unit that helped ISU post 4,279 yards on the season, the eighth-best single season mark in school history, and was second-best passing offense in the conference . McCarthy was frequently nominated for and won MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors, after he graded out at over 90 percent, was credited with seven knockdowns and helped the Redbirds amass 488 yards of total offense against Youngstown State.
Howe rounds out the second-team selections, after putting together the best season of his career for the Redbirds. Howe led the team with a career-high 112 tackles, the most for an ISU player since 2007, and ranked second in the conference in tackles. The Chicago Heights, Ill., native averaged 10.18 tackles per game, which is tied for 24th in the country, and ranked second on the team with 7.5 tackles-for-loss. He tied a then career-high with 14 tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss against Southern Illinois and set a new career-high with 16 tackles in a victory over Youngstown State.
After putting together a record-breaking freshman campaign that earned him 2009 MVFC Freshman of the Year honors, Brown was named a 2010 All-MVFC Honorable Mention selection as he improved his statistics in nearly every category. In a league full of talented veteran signal-callers, Brown set new career highs with 2,665 yards passing and 22 touchdown passes and ranked second in the MVFC in passing yards, touchdown passes and passing efficiency. The Marion, Ill., native ranked 16th in the country in passing efficiency and completed 64.2 percent of passes on the season, the second-highest mark in school history. His 22 touchdown passes tied for second-best single-season mark in ISU history and his mark of 2,665 passing yards sits fourth on the single-season list.
Sanders made an immediate impact in the passing game for ISU, after transferring from Eastern Michigan following the 2009 season. Sanders led the team with 73 catches, the fourth-highest single-season mark in school history, and finished the season with 754 yards and two receiving touchdowns. The Ypsilanti, Mich., native averaged 6.6 receptions per game, which led the conference and ranked 10th in the country, tied the school record with 14 receptions against Youngstown State, and recorded four 100-plus receiving yard performances. He was also named the MVFC Newcomer of the Week, after recording 10 catches and a touchdown in a road win at No. 20 South Dakota State.
Fetzer wrapped up his impressive career at Illinois State by serving as the team's primary placekicker, punter and even handled kickoff duties in 2010. Fetzer led the Redbirds in scoring with 77 points and connected on 14-of-20 field goal attempts, including two makes from over 50 yards. The Mahomet, Ill., native opened the season by scoring 11 points in 55-54 overtime win over Central Missouri and kicked a 39-yard field goal in the second overtime to beat Missouri State. He also made career-long 51-yard field goal against the Bears to finish with a career-high three field goals to earn MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. In addition, Fetzer averaged 37.3 yards per punt on 47 attempts in his first season as the team's punter.
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