ST. LOUIS - A year after finishing in a six-way tie for third place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Illinois State football team was selected fifth in the 2011 MVFC Preseason Poll, as announced by the conference office Monday. The annual poll is voted on by the league head coaches, media members and sports information directors. The Redbirds were awarded 169 total points.
Northern Iowa received the poll's top spot, after winning the 2010 MVFC championship with a 6-2 overall record. UNI tallied 316 total points and 29-of-36 first-place votes. The Panthers were one of three league teams that qualified for the FCS playoffs last year, along with North Dakota State and Western Illinois. NDSU finished second in the preseason balloting, receiving 275 points, while Southern Illinois (207) was picked to finish third.
The next three spots in the pre-season poll were tightly contested, as four points separated South Dakota State (172), Illi¬nois State (169) and Indiana State (168) in fourth through sixth places, respectively. Western Illinois (151), Youngstown State (88) and Missouri State (74) rounded out the poll.
Illinois State also received four 2011 MVFC Preseason Team selections in the annual vote. Senior defensive lineman Eric Brunner, senior linebacker Josh Howe, senior offensive lineman Cal McCarthy and junior wide receiver Tyrone Walker were among 30 MVFC student-athletes listed on the preseason lineup. In addition, junior quarterback Matt Brown, senior wide receiver Marvon Sanders and senior offensive lineman Nick Bledsoe were tabbed as preseason honorable mention selections.
Brunner was a 2010 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First-Team selection, started all 11 games at defensive tackle, ranked fifth on the team with a career-high 53 tackles and the team with four sacks and 9.5 tackles-for-loss. He was also an MVFC All-Academic First Team honoree, a CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District V Team selection and a Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team member.
Howe earned a place on last season's All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Second-Team, after starting all 11 games at middle linebacker and leading the Redbirds with a career-high 112 tackles, the most for an ISU player since 2007.
McCarthy was also an All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Second Team selection, after starting all 11 games at center and anchoring an offensive line that helped ISU post 4,279 yards on the season, the eighth-best single season mark in school history.
Walker finished the 2010 season as an MVFC Second-Team selection after starting 10 games and leading Illinois State with 974 yards receiving on 59 catches. His 12 touchdown passes were the second-highest single-season total in school history.
The Redbirds will open the season Thursday, Sept. 1, at Eastern Illinois in Charleston, Ill., for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff. ISU starts MVFC play Saturday, Sept. 17, at Youngstown State.
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