ST. LOUIS - A year after finishing third place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Illinois State football team was selected fourth in the 2012 MVFC Preseason Poll, as announced by the conference office Wednesday.
Defending FCS national champion and co-league champion North Dakota State received the top spot, earning 37 of 38 first-place votes, in the annual poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors. Northern Iowa, which shared the league crown with the Bison last year, was second with 300 points, followed closely by Youngstown State in third (291) and the Redbirds in fourth (287).
Indiana State was fifth (228) followed by South Dakota State (182) and Southern Illinois (167) in sixth and seventh places, respectively. South Dakota, the newest member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, was selected eighth (97), seven points ahead of Western Illinois in ninth (90). Missouri State rounded out the poll in 10th with 69 points.
Illinois State also received four 2012 MVFC Preseason Team selections in the annual vote. Senior wide receiver Tyrone Walker, senior linebacker Evan Frierson, senior defensive end Nate Palmer and junior fullback Jordan Neukirch were among 27 MVFC student-athletes listed on the preseason lineup. In addition, senior quarterback Matt Brown was tabbed as a preseason honorable mention selection, signifying he received at least five votes on the ballots submitted.
A 2011 All-MVFC Second-Team selection, Walker led the team with 64 catches for 787 yards and eight touchdowns on the season and averaged 12.3 yards per catch. The Indianapolis, Ind., native was selected as a 2012 third-team preseason All-American by College Sporting News and The Sports Network and heads into his senior season ranked fourth in the ISU record books in career receiving yards (2,246) and receptions (160) and is second in career receiving touchdowns with 23.
Frierson made an immediate impact on the Redbird defense and started 10 games at outside linebacker for ISU, which led the conference in total defense (294.8 ypg) in 2011. The Washington, D.C., native was named a First-Team All-MVFC and All-Newcomer Team selection and led the team and was second in the Valley with 15 tackles-for-loss and ranked second on the team with 66 tackles and 6.5 sacks. Frierson was also selected as a 2012 third-team preseason All-American by College Sporting News.
Palmer was an All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Second-Team selection and an All-Newcomer Team pick in 2011, after hestarted all 11 games at defensive end for the Redbirds. The Chicago, Ill., native led the team and the MVFC with 9.5 sacks and recorded 46 tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss and forced two fumbles.
Neukirch was named a 2012 third-team preseason All-American by The Sports Network and earned All-MVFC Second-Team honors at fullback for the Redbirds in 2011. The Algonquin, Ill., native played in all 11 games, with five starts, and helped the Redbirds rush for 183.4 yards per game, up from 131 yards per game in 2010. He was the primary lead blocker for Ashton Leggett, who rushed for 1,031 yards and 11 touchdowns and became the first Redbird back to rush for over 1,000 yards since 2006.
The Redbirds will open the season Saturday, Sept. 1, at home against Dayton, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
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