Oct. 18, 2011

Philadelphia, Pa. - Missouri State safety Mike Crutcher (RFr., S, Wentzville, Mo.) has been added to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List, which was updated on Tuesday (Oct. 18). The inaugural award, which honors the outstanding freshman in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision, is presented by The Sports Network and sponsored by Fathead.com.

The watch list, which now includes 18 freshmen, was expanded by eight players on Tuesday, including Crutcher, Chuck Dibilo (RB, Princeton), Terrance West (RB, Towson), Michael German (QB, Tennessee State), Austin Sumner (QB, South Dakota State) Will Whitman (OT, Harvard), Brady Measom (WR, Southern Utah), Jake Miller (P, Eastern Washington).

Crutcher, a product of Timberland High School, leads the Bears with 59 total tackles, including a team-high 31 solo stops, one tackle for loss and a pass break-up. He was named MSU's Media Player of the Week for the season opener at Arkansas in which he tallied 10 tackles against the Razorbacks. He is coming off a 13-tackle week, a season high, at No. 4 North Dakota State and has notched at least seven tackles in six of his first seven ball games.

A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will select the first Jerry Rice Award winner after the regular season. The legendary wide receiver, who played in the FCS (then Division I-AA) at Mississippi Valley State, will be on hand at the national awards banquet on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas, to present the award.

For more information on the Jerry Rice Award, please visit:

http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/fcsawards/index.aspx