Nov. 29, 2011
ST. LOUIS -- Two Missouri State Bears are part of the 24-man All-Newcomer Team released by the Missouri Valley Football Conference on Tuesday (Nov. 29).
Redshirt freshmen Andrew Beisel (ILB, Fenton, Mo.) and Mike Crutcher (S, Wentzville, Mo.) give MSU 67 All-Newcomer selections, the second-most in the conference, since the MVFC began naming a team in 1994.
Beisel led the Bears in total tackles (84), making him the first freshman to lead MSU in defensive stops since 1998. He was also the club leader in tackles for loss (6.0) and third on the squad in sacks (2.5). During the 2011 campaign, Beisel forced three fumbles and recovered two, while being named MSU Defensive Player of the Week three times. The Rockwood Summit High product finished 11th in the conference in total tackles (7.64) and had at least five tackles in 10-of-11 games this year with double-figure tackles in four contests.
Crutcher started all 11 games and is a finalist for The Jerry Rice Award, the inaugural honor for FCS Freshman of the Year. He finished with 83 total tackles, including team-high 45 solo stops, with one sack, one interception and four passes defended. Crutcher was named MSU Media Player of the Week for his 10 tackles in the season opener at Arkansas (Sept. 3). He finished 13th in the league in total tackles (7.54) and had at least six tackles in 9-of-11 games.
The MVFC will announce its Academic All-Conference team on Wednesday.
On Monday, the Bears earned six All-MVFC selections with Jermaine Saffold (Sr., WR, Grandview, Mo.) on the first team, Mikel Ruder (Sr., DE, Lawrence, Kan.) and Jimmie Strong (Sr., CB, Texarkana, Texas) on the second team, and honorable-mention recognition for Jordan Chiles (Sr., P, Hillsboro, Ill.), Trevor Wooden (So., QB, High Springs, Fla.) and Matt Thayer (Jr., TE, Bellevue, Neb.).
Missouri State finished 2-9 in 2011, but ended the season with wins in two of its final four games, in addition to a double-overtime loss in that span. MSU was 2-6 in the MVFC to tie for seventh place.
The team's annual recognition banquet will take place on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. in the Plaster Student Union Ballroom. Tickets are $20 per person and can be reserved by calling (417) 836-5343 or emailing bearsfootball@missouristate.edu. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
