Illinois State lands 5 on MVFC pre-season team

Posted on July 24, 2017
Hancock Stadium
Illinois State opens the season Sept. 2 against Butler at Hancock Stadium. (Photo courtesy GoRedbirds.com)

By WJBC Staff

NORMAL – As the 2017 football quickly approaches, the Missouri Valley Football Conference announced its annual preseason team with five Redbird players on the annual list voted on by league coaches, media and sports information directors.

Senior defensive back Davontae Harris, senior safety Alec Kocour, senior defensive lineman Dalton Keene and junior wide receiver Spencer Schnell each earned a spot on the roster, and senior placekicker Sean Slattery was selected as an honorable mention selection.

Harris returns as one of the best defensive backs in the conference and the FCS in 2017. The Wichita, Kansas, native was a 2016 All-MVFC First-Team selection, after ranking first in the league in passes defended with 15 (13 PBU, 2 INT), while averaging 1.36 passes defended per game to also top the list. He finished the season with 5.5 tackles-for-loss and 59 total tackles and looks to improve on those numbers in his final year in a Redbird uniform.

A 2016 All-MVFC Second-Team selection, Kocour started in all 12 games for the Redbirds at safety. The Waukesha, Wisconsin, native ranked No. 10 in the MVFC and second on the team in tackles with 91 (47 solo, 44 unassisted) and led all MVFC defensive backs with those 91 stops and 7.6 tackles-per-game average.

With years of starting experience and a pair of MVFC all-conference selections under his belt, Keene looks to put an exclamation mark on his final season with the Redbirds in 2017. The Jacksonville, Illinois, native was a 2016 All-MVFC Second-Team pick and tied for second on the Redbird defense with 7.5 TFL. Keene also tied for second in the league among defensive lineman with 67 tackles on the season.

Schnell made an immediate impact for the Redbirds in his first season at Illinois State, earning MVFC All-Newcomer Team honors in 2016. The Elkhart, Indiana, native ranked second on the team with 59 receptions and was third with 479 yards receiving with one touchdown. Also a special teams standout for the Redbirds, Schnell ranked second in the conference in punt return average (10.4) and was tops among ISU punt returners, recording 228 yards on 22 returns.

Slattery rounds out the group of honorees for the Redbirds, heading into his third season as the team’s primary placekicker and kickoff specialist.  The Rockford, Illinois, native earned 2016 All-MVFC Honorable Mention honors, after ranking second in the league in scoring among kickers with 7.0 points per game and in field goals made with 16. Slattery made 16-of-20 field goal attempts, none more memorable than the game-winning 33-yard field goal to lift ISU past Northwestern, earning the Redbirds’ first win over a Big Ten opponent in program history.

The Redbirds begin fall practices Monday, July 31, in preparation for the season opener Sept. 2 against Butler. Kickoff at Hancock Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m., and tickets can be purchased online at GoRedbirds.com/Tickets or by calling the ISU Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 438-8000.

 

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