NORMAL, Ill. – After helping lead Illinois State to an FBS road win over in-state foe Northern Illinois on Saturday, Illinois State All-American linebacker Tye Niekamp was honored as the Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week on Monday by the organization.
Niekamp was joined by Youngstown State's Beau Brungard (Offense), Tennessee Tech's Tre' Holloway (Special Teams) and Austin Peay's Denver Harper (Freshman) as the Stats Perform FCS National Players of the Week for Week 2 college football games. In addition, the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks were named the Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week.
In a big game against an FBS foe, ISU's most decorated defensive player stepped up to lead the Redbird defense in a 28-24 road win over the Huskies. Niekamp, a fifth-year middle linebacker from Normal, Illinois, came up huge for the Redbirds, posting 11 tackles, two sacks and 3.0 tackles-for-loss in a win over NIU. One of those tackles came late in the game, when the Redbirds buckled down for a fourth-down stop deep in their own territory that gave them the ball back on downs. Niekamp's two sacks set a single-game high and his 3.0 TFLs tied a career best for the Redbird captain.Â
The ISU defense held the Huskies to just 112 yards on the ground, while recording three sacks, eight tackles-for-loss and two interceptions in the contest. The win over an FBS foe was the fourth for the team under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack and it extended the Redbirds' road winning streak to 11 games, the longest streak in the nation.
No. 4 Illinois State (3-0) returns home this Saturday to host Eastern Illinois (1-2) in the 114th meeting of the Mid-America Classic. Kickoff on Family Weekend is set for 2 p.m. CT on Jay and Lori Bergman Field at Hancock Stadium.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
Â
