Football
Mike Williams
ST. LOUIS – A trio of Illinois State standouts were named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team on Tuesday, as wide receiver Xavier Loyd, offensive tackle JJ Guedet and punter Hayden Futch were voted to the squad that recognizes players who made immediate impacts in their first seasons at their respective schools.
Loyd started in all 12 games during the regular season at wide receiver in first season at ISU, after transferring from Kansas State. The Blue Springs, Missouri, native ranked second on the team and fifth in the MVFC with 853 yards (14.2 per reception) on 60 receptions and he ranked in the top 7 in the league in yards, touchdowns, and receptions. A two-time MVFC Newcomer of the Week selection, Loyd had six 80-plus yard receiving performances on the year, with a pair of 100-plus yard contests. He hauled in a career-high 13 receptions (1 shy of school single-game mark) with 94 yards in a win at Indiana State and tallied a career-best 148 yards in a road win at Murray State. He currently sits just 88 yards shy of 1,000 on the year with six receiving touchdowns following his strong effort in the first-round playoff win at Southeast Missouri State.
Guedet started all 12 games on the offensive line for the Redbirds during the regular season, spending most of the time at left tackle in his first season with ISU after transferring from Minnesota. The Washington, Illinois, native graded out as the Redbirds best offensive lineman on the year and was a key member of the offensive line unit that helped the Redbirds rush for 175.3 yards per game on the ground and score 27.3 points per game. The Redbirds also ranked fifth in the league in total offense at 407.8 yards per game and Guedet helped lead the way for 1000-yard rusher Wenkers Wright, who tallied 1,035 yards and scored 10 touchdowns on the ground.
Futch served as the team’s primary punter and holder on placements during his redshirt freshman season with the Redbirds. The Valdosta, Georgia, native averaged 41.4 yards per punt on 51 attempts, with a long punt of 63 yards and had only one touchback on the year, with 19 punts inside the opponent 20-yard line during the regular season. He recorded seven punts of 50 yards or longer, forced 14 fair catch calls, and did not have a punt blocked on the season. His best game of the year came against Western Illinois, when he averaged 54 yards per punt, with three punts of over 50 yards, in the win to earn MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
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