ISU’s Bello named MVFC Newcomer of the Week

Posted on November 14, 2016

By ISU Sports Information

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Illinois State defense dominated in a 37-0 shutout victory over Missouri State Saturday, and linebacker B.J. Bello was a big part of that tenacious Redbird defense. His performance against the Bears earned him Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week honors Sunday, when the league office announced its weekly awards.

The weekly honor is the first for Bello in his career at ISU and the fifth for a Redbird player this season. Last week, quarterback Jake Kolbe was named the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week, and center Mark Spelman and tackle Cameron Lee have each earned MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors this season. Dalton Keene was also previously honored by the league office as the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Bello was a thorn in the side of the Missouri State offense Saturday. The senior transfer from Illinois finished the game with eight tackles, three of which were solo stops, combined for a half tackle-for-loss and broke up a pair of pass attempts in the win for the Redbirds over the Bears.

The Redbird defense domination was apparent on both sides of the football, however the defensive effort was strong for the third week in a row. ISU held a 514-193 advantage in total offense and held an opponent under 200 yards for the first time this season. The Redbirds totaled seven tackles for loss, broke up six passes and tallied two interceptions to close out the win and finish the season 6-5 overall and 4-4 in MVFC play.

Illinois State has a bye week this Saturday, and next week’s FCS matchups will determine whether they receive a playoff bid when the playoff bracket is announced live on ESPNU at 10 a.m., Sunday.

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