CHICAGO – Illinois State junior running back Marshaun Coprich had a personal-best effort in the Redbirds' 45-10 win last Saturday against No. 9 South Dakota State, and for his efforts he was named a College Sporting News All-Star for the week ending October 5, 2014 in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
Coprich, who was previously named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week and the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS National Running Back of the Week, earned the honor from CSN along with Chase Edmonds of Fordham, Gordon Hill of Sacred Heart, Tre' Moore of Youngstown State and Ryan Maglio of James Madison.
Coprich had a career day against the Jackrabbits, as he set new bests with 174 yards rushing on 24 carries (7.2 yards-per-carry) and scored a career-high four touchdowns to lead the Redbirds to the victory. The 100-plus yard rushing performance was the fourth in a row to start the season for Coprich, and his four touchdown runs tied three other players in the FCS for the most in the country on Saturday. He scored the first three of his touchdowns in the first quarter to give ISU an early 21-0 lead, and later added a five-yard score in the fourth quarter to cap off his day, which included a long run of 62 yards.
The Victorville, California, native became the first player in the MVFC to rush for four scores this year and is the first league player to do it since 2011 (Shakir Bell vs. Youngstown State; Jamaine Cook vs. Pitt). He also became the first Redbird to rush for four touchdowns in a game since 2009, when Cliffton Gordon scored four on the ground in a win over Austin Peay.
Through four games, Coprich's 10 rushing touchdowsn tie for the best mark in the nation and his average of 151 yards per game ranks sixth in all of FCS football and second in the MVFC. Coprich also leads the country in scoring, with an average of 15 points scored per game through four contests.
After playing their first four games of the season at home, Roberson, Coprich and the rest of the Redbirds will hit the road for the first time this season for matchup against nationally-ranked Indiana State on Saturday, Oct. 11. Kickoff in Terre Haute, Indiana, is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST at Memorial Stadium. The game will also be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, with Kurt Pegler and Boomer Grigsby on the call, and streamed live on ESPN3.
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