ST. LOUIS – Illinois State picked up a big win on the road against FBS foe Northern Illinois last Saturday and for their efforts, Gage Roy and Tye Niekamp Hayden Futch each earned Missouri Valley Football Conference Player of the Week honors for their performances against the Huskies. Roy was named the MVFC Newcomer of the Week, while Niekamp was tabbed as the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week by the league office on Monday.
Joining the Redbird duo as weekly honorees were quarterback Beau Brungard of Youngstown State (Offensive Player of the Week), running back/return specialist Charles Langama of North Dakota (Special Teams Player of the Week) and left tackle Griffin Hile of Indiana State (Offensive Lineman of the Week).
Roy earned his first career start at ISU and proceeded to lead the Redbirds to their first win over an FBS foe since 2018 on Saturday, as he led the Redbirds to a 28-24 win over Northern Illinois on the road in DeKalb. The fifth-year quarterback transfer from USC was extremely efficient, completing 20-of-23 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over NIU. His biggest throw of the night was his last, as he faced 3rd and 1 deep in NIU territory down by three. However, Roy stepped up and found tight end Alex Herrera in the flat and Herrera found his way into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. The Dallas native's completion percentage of .869 is the second highest single-game mark in school history and his two touchdowns now give his six in three games for the Redbirds.
Niekamp, who was also selected as the National FCS Defensive Player of the Week on Monday by Stats Perform, 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
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.
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