Coprich, Barton named to AP All-American teams

Posted on December 17, 2014

(Photo courtesy GoRedbirds.com)

NORMAL – The Football Championship Subdivision’s leading rusher and his right tackle earned national recognition Wednesday, as Illinois State junior running back Marshaun Coprich and senior offensive lineman Jermaine Barton were named to The Associated Press FCS All-America team.

Coprich was tabbed as a first-team selection on the annual list, a day after he was named to the 2014 Walter Camp Football FCS All-America team, while Barton was picked as a third-team selection.  

With his 258 yards rushing in ISU's quarterfinal playoff win at Eastern Washington last weekend, the 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year became the first Redbird in school history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season, upping his season total to 2,089 yards.  The Victorville, California, native also extended his school record of consecutive 100-plus yard rushing games to 13 overall.

Coprich also holds the ISU single-season rushing touchdowns mark with 26, has posted the highest rushing yards per game average in school history at 160.7 rushing yards per game, and has the most all-purpose yards in a season with 2,135.  In addition to his re-writing of the school record books, Coprich has put his name in the national spotlight and currently ranks No. 1 in the FCS in rushing yards, rushing yards per game and rushing touchdowns.

A 2014 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First-Team selection, Barton has started all 13 games for the Redbirds at right tackle and is a three-year starter on the offensive line.  The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native was a key member of the offensive line unit that led the way for Coprich and topped the conference in scoring (40.5 points per game), rushing offense (244.1 yards per game), and total offense (467.2 yards per game).  

The fifth-seeded Redbirds have advanced to the FCS semifinals for the second time in school history and will travel to Durham, New Hampshire, for a Saturday contest against the top-seeded New Hampshire Wildcats.  Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (CST), and the game will be broadcast live on ESPNU and streamed live on the WatchESPN app.

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