A total of seven Missouri State football players have been named to 2016 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference teams, including senior linebacker Dylan Cole and junior return specialist Deion Holliman, who were honored as first-team All-MVFC choices for the second-straight year Monday.
Following the selections of Cole and Holliman to the league’s top postseason squad, a pair of Bears also picked up second-team all-conference recognition. Tight end Erik Furmanek was joined by fellow junior defensive lineman Colby Isbell on the second team, while freshman linebacker McNeece Egbim and receivers Malik Earl and Zac Hoover earned honorable mention recognition.
A finalist for STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award, Cole registered eight consecutive double-digit tackle totals to close season, recording at least 13 tackles in each of the Bears’ eight MVFC games this fall. He led MSU in tackles in nine of 11 games overall and averaged 15.0 stops in league play. The Rogersville, Mo., product paced the Valley and all of FCS football in total tackles per game (12.9) and averaged 7.7 solo stops per outing to rank second nationally. The four-year starter at linebacker was a CoSIDA Academic All-District VI pick and concluded his MSU career third on the Bears’ career tackles (457) chart and ninth all-time on the MVFC career list.
Like Cole, Holliman earned his second-consecutive first-team All-MVFC nod after ranking sixth in the FCS in combined kick return yardage (950). The Camden, Ark., native rates second in the MVFC in both kickoff returns (23.5) and all-purpose yardage (119.6 ypg.) after topping the 100-yard mark for kickoff returns in four different contests this season. Holliman brought the season’s opening kick back 91 yards for a touchdown and returned a punt 57 yards for a score vs. Southern Illinois, making him the only FCS returner to record both a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown in each of the last two seasons.
Furmanek picked up his first all-conference nod after starting all 11 contests at tight end this fall, finishing as the Bears’ second-leading receiver with 23 catches and four touchdowns in MVFC play. The Belleville, Ill., product caught 27 passes for 245 yards overall, marking the most receptions in a season by a Bears tight end since 2012. Furmanek pulled down scoring receptions in three of MSU’s final four games, including a career-best six-catch day for 68 yards in MSU’s victory over Southern Illinois.
For the second year in a row, Isbell started all 11 games on the Bears’ defensive line, logging 33 total tackles and team highs of 6.5 sacks, 12.0 tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries. He also broke up three passes and forced a fumble, while ranking fifth in TFLs and sixth in sacks among all MVFC defenders. Isbell, a Rogers, Ark., native, made a career-high seven tackles against both Indiana State and Southwestern, including 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in the latter.
Earl hauled in a team-high 41 receptions for 534 yards and three touchdowns this fall. The Oklahoma City product recorded 29 receptions for 407 yards in MVFC play, ranking fifth among all Valley receivers in receptions per game (4.7) and seventh in receiving yards (58.1 ypg.). For the season, he ranked eighth overall in the MVFC in both receptions (4.1) and receiving yards per game (53.4).
Egbim made seven starts at linebacker as a redshirt freshman, finishing as the Bears’ No. 2 tackler with 76 stops for the season. His season tackle total is the top mark for a Missouri State rookie since 2011. The Rowlett, Texas, product recorded double-digit tackle efforts in two games while ranking 12th overall (6.9) in tackles per game in the Valley.
Hoover reeled in a team-best six touchdown receptions and 496 yards on his 27 total catches this fall. At South Dakota State, he caught the longest pass reception of the season by an MVFC receiver with his 91-yard scoring catch. Hoover, a senior from Grain Valley, Mo., also scored on receptions of 36, 39 and 76 yards this fall, totaled a club-high 267 yards after catch—an average of 10.3 per reception—and averaged 19.1 yards per reception to lead the Bears.
The MVFC will announce its 2016 All-Newcomer Team on Tuesday (Nov. 29) and its All-Academic Team on Wednesday (Nov. 30).
