MVFC Release
 
ST. LOUIS – Five Missouri State football standouts were honored by the Missouri Valley Football Conference on Monday with the league's announcement of its annual All-MVFC teams.
 
Headlining the Bears' quintet was offensive lineman Marquis Prophete (Sr., Florissant, Mo.) who earned All-MVFC second-team distinction, while tight end Jordan Murray (Fr., Lee's Summit, Mo.), linebacker Angelo Garbutt (Jr., Carrollton, Texas), linebacker McNeece Egbim (Jr., Rowlett, Texas) and wide receiver Tyler Currie (Jr., Cordova, Tenn.) were named honorable mention honorees.
 
Prophete was on the 2018 Preseason All-MVFC Team after earning All-MVFC honorable mention laurels in 2017. He averaged 4.2 knockdown blocks per game this season and was named Valley Offensive Lineman of Week on Sept. 10. He anchored a Missouri State offensive line that produced 345.5 yards per game. Prophete started at three different positions in 2018, including seven starts at right guard.
 
Murray was one of the top true freshman performers in the league in 2018, hauling in 33 receptions for 378 yards and four touchdowns. His reception total was an MSU freshman record and helped him average 11.5 yards per catch. His 378 receiving yards ranked third in program history by a freshman. Murray also had a team-high six "money receptions" this season for first downs or touchdowns. His best effort was vs. Southern Illinois on Oct. 27 when he snagged seven receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown
 
Garbutt led the Bears with 99 total tackles with 45 solo stops, 8.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He recorded 10 or more tackles in five straight games from Oct. 6 to Nov. 3, including three road games, with a season-high 12 stops at South Dakota on Oct. 6 and also vs. Southern Illinois on Oct. 27. Garbutt ranks 31st nationally and fifth in MVFC in total tackles. He stopped 11 UNI ball carriers on Nov. 17 to end the season for his sixth double-figure tackle game of the campaign.
 
Egbim ranked second on the team with 96 tackles and 9.0 tackles for loss while securing a team-high 48 solo stops. He posted double-figure tackles in three straight games from Oct. 6-20 with a season-high 14 total stops at South Dakota on Oct. 6 with 9 solos. The MSU co-captain also brought down 11 ball carriers at UNI on Nov. 17 to end the year with five games of 10 or more tackles. Egbim ranks 42nd nationally and sixth in MVFC in total tackles.
 
Currie shared the team lead with 35 pass receptions and led the club with 548 yards and five receiving touchdowns. He ranks 85th nationally and eighth in the Valley in receiving touchdowns and 121st nationally in receiving yards. He had multiple receptions in seven games, including a season-high seven receptions for 113 yards at South Dakota on Oct. 6. Currie also had a pair of touchdowns on five receptions for 84 yards vs. Southern Illinois on Oct. 27.
 
Coach Dave Steckel's Bears finished his fourth season with a 4-7 overall record and 2-6 ledger in MVFC play. The Bears' season was highlighted by a 4-2 start that included back-to-back wins over ranked opponents for the first time since 1989. MSU was also ranked in the Division FCS Top 25 on Oct. 1, spending a week at No. 24 in the STATS poll.