Oct. 14, 2012
ST. LOUIS -- Missouri State sophomore Julian Burton (Cordova, Tenn.) has been named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, the league announced Sunday (Oct. 14).
Burton helped set up Missouri State's game-winning field goal in the deciding seconds of Saturday's 27-24 home win over South Dakota with a 30-yard punt return in the final minute of the game. His effort set the Bears up at the USD 42 yard line with 53 seconds left. Five plays later, the Bears' Austin Witmer kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to win the game.
He finished with 3 punt returns for 68 yards (22.7) and a game-high 166 all-purpose yards. He also had a career-high 98 receiving yards on 4 catches, including a career-long 60-yard TD grab with 5:27 left in the fourth quarter to pull the Bears within 24-17 at the time.
Burton is MSU's first MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week since Witmer won the honor as a freshman (Oct. 30, 2010). The third-year sophomore standout is also MSU's first non-kicker to earn the distinction since 2006 (Marcus Tolbert).
The Bears (1-6, 1-3 MVFC) return to action this Saturday afternoon at Illinois State (6-1, 3-1 MVFC) before a Homecoming clash with Western Illinois at Plaster Field on Oct. 27, also at 1 p.m. Homecoming tickets are available now at MissouriStateTix.com or by calling (417) 836-7678 during regular box office hours.
