Monday, December 1, 2014

North Dakota State Lands 10 on All-MVFC Teams




ST. LOUIS, Mo. – North Dakota State had 10 players named to the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference teams Monday, Dec. 1, by a vote of the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and media.

Defensive end Kyle Emanuel, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, was one of eight NDSU players on the first team along with fullback Andrew Bonnet, left tackle Joe Haeg, center Jesse Hinz, linebacker Carlton Littlejohn, safeties Christian Dudzik and Colten Heagle, and punter Ben LeCompte.

NDSU running back John Crockett and linebacker Travis Beck were selected to the second team.  Quarterback Carson Wentz, wide receiver Zach Vraa and kicker Adam Keller were honorable mentions.

Bonnet, a junior from Council Bluffs, Iowa, has played in all 42 career games as a key run blocker and is part of NDSU’s punt shield protection.  He has 13 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns this season.

Haeg, a junior from Lake Shore, Minn., was a two-time MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week including a 100 percent grade and six knockdown blocks in the win at Iowa State.  He did not allow a sack in the regular season.

Hinz, a senior from Beatrice, Neb., started all 12 games and had a 100 percent assignment grade with a team-high 49 knockdown blocks.  He anchored an offensive line unit that allowed the fewest sacks in the conference.

Emanuel, a senior from Schuyler, Neb., is second in the FCS with 16.5 sacks and 27.0 tackles for loss in addition to eight quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and three passes defended.  He had a career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss against South Dakota State.

Littlejohn, a senior from Minneapolis, Minn., led the nation’s No. 1-ranked scoring defense with 81 tackles including 6.0 tackles for loss.  He forced two fumbles, leads the MVFC with four recoveries, and has five quarterback hurries and four passes defended.

Dudzik, a senior from Omaha, Neb., leads the MVFC with four interceptions and has five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.  He ranks third in NDSU history with 13 career interceptions and fourth with 140 solo tackles.  He was the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week with eight tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble against Youngstown State.

Heagle, a senior from Appleton, Wis., posted 72 tackles with two interceptions and three pass breakups in 12 starts.  He is NDSU’s career leader with 178 solo tackles and ranks eighth with 309 total tackles.  He made a career-high 16 stops at Western Illinois and had eight tackles and an interception at Iowa State.

LeCompte, a junior from Barrington, Ill., ranks second in the FCS with a conference-best 45.0 punting average including 13 punts of 50-plus yards and longs of 63 and 66 yards against South Dakota State.  His 43.87 career punting average is No. 1 in MVFC history.

Crockett, a senior from Minneapolis, Minn., rushed for 1,425 yards with an average of 5.3 yards per carry and ranks third in the MVFC with 118.8 rushing yards per game.  He rushed for over 1,000 yards for the third straight season and has moved into third place on NDSU’s all-time rushing list with 3,740 yards.  Crockett had 139 yards and three TDs at Iowa State and a season-high 177 yards at Missouri State.

Beck, a senior from Munich, N.D., made 62 tackles with one sack, one interception and seven pass breakups in 11 games.  He had a season-high nine tackles twice against Weber State and Montana.  He ranks 10th in NDSU history with 308 total tackles and seventh with 128 solo stops.

North Dakota State (11-1) won a share of its fourth straight conference championship with a 7-1 league record and earned the No. 2 seed for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.  The Bison host South Dakota State (9-4) in a second round game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6.

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