Story courtesy of the Missouri Valley Conference
Photo courtesy of Indiana State Athletics
This week's Missouri Valley Conference players of the week are RB Shakir Bell of Indiana State; DE Colton Underwood of Illinois State; P Ethan Sawyer of South Dakota State; and T.J. Lally of South Dakota State.
OFFENSE
RB Shakir Bell, Indiana State
5-8, 185, Jr., Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central High
Bell rushed for a Missouri Valley Football Conference & Indiana State school record 349 yards as the Sycamores downed Drake 27-10 at home. Bell rushed 33 times for 349 yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding two pass receptions for 27 yards. His 376 yards of total offense are the most receiving and rushing yards combined for an ISU player in a single game since Bill Griffith had 319 receiving yards in 1955 against Evansville. He averaged 10.6 yards per rush, and his 349 yards not only topped his prior school record by nearly 100 yards (set last year against Youngstown State with 256 yds) but also marks the eighth largest single-game rushing effort in FCS history. His 349 rushing yards is also the most yards gained on the ground so far during the 2012 season by anyone in either the FBS or FCS Subdivision.
Strong Consideration: QB Matt Brown, Illinois State
DEFENSE
DE Colton Underwood, Illinois State
6-4, 255, Jr., Washington (Ill.) High
Junior defensive end Colton Underwood had a career day for the Redbirds in their 54-51 double overtime victory over Eastern Illinois Saturday. The Washington, Ill., native set new career-highs with 13 tackles, three sacks and 3.5 tackles-for-loss against the Panthers. Underwood was also credited with a pair of quarterback hurries, as the Redbirds totaled five sacks and eight TFLs overall.
Strong Consideration: T.J. Lally, South Dakota State
SPECIAL TEAMS
P Ethan Sawyer, South Dakota State
6-2, 200, So., Brandon (S.D.) Brandon Valley High
Sawyer helped the Jackrabbits win the battle of field position, punting seven times for an average of 47.9 yards in breezy conditions in SDSU’s 12-8 victory over UC Davis on Sept. 15. Sawyer booted a career-long 72-yarder in the contest and prevented the Aggies from recording any punt returns on the afternoon, landing one punt inside the 20-yard line with two touchbacks. For the season, he is averaging 44.1 yards per punt.
NEWCOMER
LB T.J. Lally, South Dakota State
6-0, 225, Fr., Chicago (Ill.) Marmion Academy High
In his first home start, Lally paced a Jackrabbit defense that didn’t allow an offensive touchdown to UC Davis with 10 tackles (all solo), including four sacks, on Sept. 15. Lally also recovered a fumble on the Aggies’ final offensive play to preserve the 12-8 SDSU victory. His four sacks were the most by a Jackrabbit player in the Division I era. SDSU did not allow UC Davis past the Jackrabbit 25-yard line for the entire game.