NORMAL, Ill. – It's officially awards season in college football, and Illinois State head coach Brock Spack is getting into fray as he has announced his program's annual team awards for the 2017 season.
Sophomore running back James Robinson and senior defensive tackle Dalton Keene were voted as the team's Carter Harris Award recipients as the top offensive and defensive player, respectively. The honor is named after a former ISU employee and avid football fan, and the annual winners are recognized on a plaque hanging in the Kaufman Football Building.
Keene, who finished third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year voting, led all defensive linemen and ranked second in the MVFC overall with eight sacks in 2017. The Jacksonville, Illinois, native also tied for third in the MVFC with 13 tackles for loss and finished the season with 45 tackles, six pass breakups and eight quarterback hurries. His All-MVFC First-Team honor is the third for Keene, who earned honorable mention honors as a sophomore in 2015 and second-team plaudits in 2016.
Also an All-MVFC First-Team selection for the Redbirds, Robinson ranked second in the MVFC and No. 11 in the FCS in rushing touchdowns (12) and third in the MVFC in yards (933). The Rockford, Illinois, native posted six games with 80 yards or more and scored multiple touchdowns in four contests for ISU in 2017. Robinson was the team's leading rusher with 165 attempts for 933 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry (second-best in MVFC).
The Special Teams Player of the Year Award went to junior team captain and linebacker Brannon Barry. The St. Charles, Illinois, native saw action in all 11 games for ISU and ranked second on the team with 58 total tackles. He was also credited with five tackles for loss, three pass breakups, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble on the season.
Senior defensive tackle Matt McCown was honored with the Fred Cleland Award, given to a player that has showed inspirations and strength throughout the season. The Casey, Illinois, product played in all 11 games, with nine starts at defensive tackle for the Redbirds. McCown began his career as a walk-on and fought through several injuries throughout his career to become a key starter for ISU, recording 24 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss in his final season for the Redbirds.
Rounding out this year's honorees were Scout Team Players of the Year Weslye Brown (offense), Zeke Vandenburgh (defense) and Connor Janes (special teams).Â
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