Dawson, Maldonado Earn MVFC Weekly Honors

ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State football team is coming off one of its more complete performances of the season, a 52-20 road win over Indiana State last Saturday in Terre Haute. For their performances against the Sycamores, running back Victor Dawson was named the MVFC Newcomer of the Week and placekicker Matt Maldonado was honored as the co-Special Teams Player of the Week.

The Redbird duo joins running back Bill Jackson of UNI (Offense), linebacker Donovan Woolen of North Dakota State (Defense), punter Aaron Bickerton of North Dakota State (co-Special Teams) and offensive lineman Jacob Arop as this week's conference players of the week.

Dawson went over the 100-yard mark for the second-straight week to help the Redbirds run away with a 52-20 road win against Indiana State. The transfer from Cincinnati carried the ball a season-high 21 times for a season-best 116 yards and he added a touchdown in the victory over the Sycamores. Dawson averaged 5.5 yards per carry and scored his third touchdown of the year on a 6-yard run early in the second quarter that gave the Redbirds a 14-7 lead at the time. With his 116 yards on the ground, Dawson took over the team lead with 616 rushing yards on the season. 

Maldonado was named the MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season following his strong performance against Indiana State. The transfer from Murray State scored 10 total points for the Redbirds and booted a 49-yard field goal in the victory over the Sycamores. Maldonado was a perfect 7-for-7 on PAT attempts and scored the final points of the game with 1:01 left in the third quarter on a 49-yard field goal.

No. 13/14 Illinois State (7-3, 4-2 MVFC) will travel to Brookings, South Dakota, on Saturday to take on the No. 14/15 ranked Jackrabbits (7-3, 3-3 MVFC) in a crucial league matchup with playoff aspirations on the line.

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