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MVFC honors

• The Missouri Valley Football Conference announced their top individual honors Wednesday. The entire All-MVFC team will be announced Monday.
Offensive Player of the Year — QB Matt Brown, Illinois State.
Defensive Player of the Year — CB Marcus Williams, North Dakota State.
Newcomer of the Year — QB Sawyer Kollmorgen, Northern Iowa.
Coach of the Year — Craig Bohl, North Dakota State.
 

Related Photos

  • Tribune-Star file photo/Joseph C. Garza Big stop: Drake running back T.J. James is stopped at the one yard line by Indiana State's Jacolby Washington during the Sycamores' win Saturday, Sept. 15 at Memorial Stadium.

    SPT 091512 WASHINGTON FILE.jpg

  • Touchdown: Indiana State's #92 Ben Obaseki steps into the end zone to score a touchdown with little resistance from a Quincy defender earlier this season. Jim Avelis

    SPT 090812 OBASEKI SCORES.jpg

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November 21, 2012

A season of accomplishment

LKooking back at the 2012 Indiana State University football season

Todd Golden The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Once the disappointment of missing the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs wore off, Indiana State football coach Trent Miles could look back on the 2012 season with a sense of accomplishment.

He has thoroughly researched just how much the Sycamores’ program has accomplished in the last three years, all winning seasons, including the 7-4 campaign just completed. It’s the first time since 1967-69 that ISU have had as many winning seasons as it currently has.

ISU also finished the season ranked 23rd and 24th in the FCS coaches’ and media polls.

“I thought it was a great season, it just didn’t end the way we wanted. They did a lot of things. They were in every game; there was never a game we didn’t have a chance to win. I’m proud of them, they’ve established this program as a firm top 25 team,” Miles said.

But wait … there’s more.

“ISU began football in 1896, but they started playing eight games a season regularly in 1920. Since then, [ISU] has only had 29 winning seasons and these kids accounted for three of them, almost 11 percent of winning [since 1920] comes from these seniors,” Miles said.

“The only thing that stacks up happened in the 1960s [when ISU had seven winning seasons], and no disrespect to those teams, but their schedule back then had teams like DePauw, Evansville and St. Joe’s on it. This senior class has done a great job and we’ve played tough competition,” Miles added.

ISU’s departing seniors are the foundation of ISU’s recent success and set a high bar for their replacements to live up to. ISU’s defense, whose scoring defense was ranked third in the nation and second in the MVFC behind champion North Dakota State, was chock full of those seniors.

Defensive end Ben Obaseki, linebackers Aaron Archie and Jacolby Washington and cornerback Johnny Towalid have been mainstays through ISU’s three winning seasons.

“The defense played phenomenal. Archie, Washington and Obaseki were outstanding, but it wasn’t just them. Jordan Bright played solid all year, replacing Garrison McElroy who never played a down. We had a lot of men we didn’t know about who stepped up and we were actually better,” Miles said.

Among those men was linebacker Connor Underwood, who led the team with six sacks. Defensive tackle Tyler Boyd and safety Donovan Layne also became quality starters. Junior cornerback Calvin Burnett and safety Larry King will provide senior leadership next season.

Miles was also satisfied with ISU’s offense, even though the Sycamores ranked 100th in the nation in total offense and seventh in the 10-team MVFC.

Running back Shakir Bell rushed for 1,475 yards and 11 touchdowns, both totals were down slightly from his 2011 season. Bell had 1,617 total yards (he had 142 yards on 19 receptions), which comprised 47.7 percent of ISU’s total offense of 3,387 yards.

Sophomore quarterback Mike Perish threw for 1,615 yards and 10 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Perish struggled at times with accuracy, but also was victimized by a receiving corps that suffered from too many dropped passes.

Given that many of ISU’s offensive skill players aside from Bell were new starters this season, Miles is buoyed by the fact that there’s room to grow.

“People forget that we had a sophomore QB that hadn’t played. We lost [wide receiver] Justin Hilton, [quarterback] Ronnie Fouch, [fullback] Brock Lough, [tight end] Alex Jones and FN Lutz [ISU’s starting center who sat out the season with a knee injury],”

Miles said.

“We had a lot of things that we had to overcome. Guys like [tight end] Mike Mardis, [center] Evan Borchers, [fullback] Austen Wozniak and Mike Perish did well,” Miles added.

Miles stressed that ISU returns nearly its entire offensive line next season (right tackle Casey Paswater graduates). Miles is excited about ISU’s future at the quarterback position. He feels Perish will improve and will continue to be pushed in practice by Robert Tonyan Jr. and Trent Lancaster.

“Perish, Tonyan Jr. and Lancaster will be battling, and I think they’re all good,” Miles said.

One area of significant improvement was in the kicking game. Kicker Tanner Fritschle solidified a spot that had been uncertain for several years. The sophomore converted 83.3 percent of his field goal attempts and made all but one of his extra point attempts.

Punter Lucas Hileman was the MVFC’s best with a 44.1 per punt average, including 22 punts placed inside the 20.

Miles acknowledged that ISU needs to learn how to win championships in its next step of its evolution. Phase one of his initial plan to blow up the program and start over is completed, but the effects on recruiting are still being felt and will continue to be felt in the coming years.

Miles wants to get ISU on the footing of having normal departing class sizes and normal incoming recruiting classes.

“You can’t rid of 42 players in three years and have them all replaced. There’s certain areas to focus on to get the right mix when players leave and that’s a seven-year deal,” Miles said. “Last year, we went heavy for defense. Now we have to improve our offensive skill. We need more receivers.”

Miles declined to comment on one of the fruits of his and ISU’s success. His name has been mentioned in published reports for job openings at the FBS level. His name has been speculatively brought up in conjunction with openings at Kentucky, Purdue, and on Tuesday, Western Michigan.

Miles has three years left on a contract extension signed in 2011.

n ISU injuries — ISU lost Towalid and Layne in its loss to Youngstown State last Saturday. Towalid had a lower fibula injury on his right leg. It had not yet been determined whether he broke the leg. Layne suffered a bruised leg.

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Sports
SPT0512213mcmillan.jpg

Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Winners: Terre Haute North students Chanli Mundy and Calvin Blank are the 2013 McMillan Award winners.

  • Blank, Mundy named McMillan Award winners

    Posing side-by-side for photos following Terre Haute North High School’s Senior Awards ceremony, seniors Calvin Blank and Chanli Mundy couldn’t look more different.

    May 23, 2013 4 Photos

  • SPT 052213 JENKINS JUBI.jpg North baseball pulls away from South in sectional opener

    In high school baseball little things mean a lot, and the crack in the door doesn’t have to be open very wide.
    Terre Haute North burst through that crack in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday evening at Terre Haute South, scoring seven two-out runs — all unearned — and going on to a surprisingly easy 12-2 victory over the host Braves in Class 4A sectional action.

    May 23, 2013 4 Photos

  • Indiana State baseball now one win from MVC Championship

    Indiana State’s Wednesday morning wish list probably read something like this: a dominant complete game effort from starting pitcher Devin Moore, near-immaculate defense to support him, and a steady diet of clutch situational hitting from lineup spots one to nine.

    May 23, 2013

  • West Vigo baseball advances with 10-0 win behind Stewart's two-hitter

    West Vigo got off to a good start in Class 3A high school sectional baseball action Wednesday evening at Dick Ballinger Field.
    The Vikings scored four runs in the first inning of the first sectional game and went on to defeat Brown County 10-0 in five innings with Kevin Stewart hurling a two-hitter.

    May 23, 2013

  • Terre Haute South tennis claims regional crown

    It was a lot tougher than some thought it would be, but the Terre Haute South girls tennis team won the Greencastle regional for the second year in a row Wednesday evening at DePauw University Tennis and Track Center.

    May 23, 2013

  • evans-jump.jpg METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman's Evans honored as Great Lakes' top athlete

    Rose-Hulman senior Liz Evans earned her fifth career NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year honor, according to results released Wednesday by the U.S. Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association.

    May 23, 2013 1 Photo

  • Terre Haute's Mascari running 10,000 meters for chance to get to Hayward Field

    Indiana State freshman and Terre Haute North graduate John Mascari is among the enormous group of Sycamores competing this weekend at the NCAA East Preliminary. The top 48 NCAA track and field competitors in each event on this half of the United States are narrowed down to 12 who will compete at the NCAA meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

    May 23, 2013

  • SPT0511613trackseibert.jpg Big group of Wabash Valley boys head to Evansville looking for state berths

    The top four finishers in each event from last week’s Terre Haute North, Evansville Central, Jasper and Princeton boys high school track and field sectionals will converge on Evansville Central today for regional competition.

    May 22, 2013 2 Photos

  • SPT0512113WVSB mcclain.jpg West Vigo comes up short against 19-9 Brown County softball

    West Vigo got off to a good start but Brown County finished better in Class 3A high school softball sectional semifinal action Tuesday night at Edgewood.
    The Eagles bested the Vikings 7-5 and will meet South Vermillion, a 12-7 winner over Owen Valley, for the sectional championship on Thursday starting at 6 p.m.
     

    May 22, 2013 5 Photos

  • Valley baseball teams have been keeping busy heading into sectionals

    When high school baseball sectionals begin around the Wabash Valley today, one complaint that’s not expected to be heard from any coach is that his team has had too much time off.

    May 22, 2013

Local Interest
evans-jump.jpg

  • METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman's Evans honored as Great Lakes' top athlete

    Rose-Hulman senior Liz Evans earned her fifth career NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year honor, according to results released Wednesday by the U.S. Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association.

    May 23, 2013 1 Photo

  • SPT 051913 TIM TERRY.jpg Terry enjoys strong year with Wildcats, and still enjoying suiting up to play

    South Vermillion’s Tim Terry is the longest tenured coach in Wabash Valley high school baseball as his Wildcats are set to begin sectional play Thursday against Owen Valley.
    But on the Yankees, a 35-and-over team in the Terre Haute Men’s Senior Baseball League, Terry is “just a youngster” if you ask Larry Roesch, his 68-year-old teammate on the Volkers Group Yankees.

    May 22, 2013 4 Photos

  • softballsecs.jpg Softball sectionals up for grabs

    All three Vigo County high schools and Northview appear to have a realistic chance of winning sectional championships in softball this week.

    May 20, 2013 1 Photo

  • Indiana State baseball series canceled

    Heavy rain from Thursday through Saturday has forced Indiana State and Tennessee Martin to cancel their three-game weekend baseball series in northwest Tennessee.

    April 27, 2013

  • METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman baseball to play DePauw on Thursday after Tuesday's rain

    The Rose-Hulman baseball team has rescheduled its non-conference game with DePauw to Thursday night.
    The start time remains 7 p.m. for the single nine-inning game that was originally scheduled for today. Tuesday’s scheduled Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game at Anderson was moved to Sunday because of rain.

    April 24, 2013

High School
College
  • Indiana State baseball now one win from MVC Championship

    Indiana State’s Wednesday morning wish list probably read something like this: a dominant complete game effort from starting pitcher Devin Moore, near-immaculate defense to support him, and a steady diet of clutch situational hitting from lineup spots one to nine.

    May 23, 2013

  • Terre Haute's Mascari running 10,000 meters for chance to get to Hayward Field

    Indiana State freshman and Terre Haute North graduate John Mascari is among the enormous group of Sycamores competing this weekend at the NCAA East Preliminary. The top 48 NCAA track and field competitors in each event on this half of the United States are narrowed down to 12 who will compete at the NCAA meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

    May 23, 2013

  • Manaea's shoulder causing him latest pain

    Indiana State pitcher Sean Manaea has battled through so many aches and pains during the 2013 season that it can be hard to discern the serious pain from the pain he pitches through.

    May 22, 2013

  • ISU's Negele answers call in big way in wake of Manaea injury

    When Indiana State starting pitcher Sean Manaea slumped on the mound in obvious pain after he took his warm-up pitches, red flags raised for ISU’s Missouri Valley Conference tournament hopes.

    May 21, 2013

  • SPT0511613manaea3.jpg ISU baseball hoping Manaea can get its MVC Tournament moving in right direction

    Indiana State’s baseball team has been waiting all season for its stars to align.
    But this is the 2013 Sycamores, after all, and after a season in which seemingly little has gone right, it appears its stars will remain crossed at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

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Terre Haute Rex
SPT 071512 DORSETT FILE.jpg

Consultation: Rex manager Brian Dorsett talks with his pitcher and players during a time-out Sunday, July 15, at Sycamore Field. (Tribune-Star file/Bob Poynter)

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