Dozen Cardinals Named All-MAC, Martin Claims Top Defensive Honor

MUNCIE, Ind. -- The MAC West Division champion Ball State football team placed 12 players, including 10 seniors, on the 2020 All-MAC teams, led by inside linebacker Brandon Martin as the league's co-defensive player of the year.

Martin was one of four All-MAC first-teamers for the Cardinals, joining two others from the defense -- outside linebacker Anthony Ekpe and safety Bryce Cosby -- and Justin Hall who earned spots on the first team as both a receiver and kick returner.

Ball State had five representatives on the second team in quarterback Drew Plitt, offensive lineman Curtis Blackwell, outside linebacker Christian Albright, cornerback Antonio Phillips and punter Nathan Snyder. The Cardinals had three players on the third team in receiver Yo'Heinz Tyler, inside linebacker Jaylin Thomas and running back Caleb Huntley.

Six of BSU's honorees are multiple-time All-MAC selections, with Hall earning All-MAC honors for the fourth consecutive season.

The 5-1 Cardinals will play this week in the Rocket Mortgage MAC Championship Game for the first time since 2008 as they seek their first league title since 1996. Friday's kickoff versus unbeaten No. 23 Buffalo is set for 7:30 p.m. from Detroit's Ford Field on ESPN and the Ball State Radio Network at 104.1 WLBC.

Ball State Championship Week is presented by Northwest Bank and Community Hospital of Anderson.

All-MAC First Team
Co-Defensive Player of the Year Brandon Martin, who returned this year after sustaining a season-ending injury in the 2019 opener, ranks fourth nationally with 12.0 tackles per game. The redshirt junior from Indianapolis had 6.5 tackles for loss, including 5.0 in the past three games. Martin is the first Ball State player to win the defensive player of the year honor since Brad Maynard won it as a punter in 1996 and the first traditional defensive player to win the award for BSU since linebacker Greg Garnica did it three straight years from 1987-89.

Justin Hall has five All-MAC honors to his name, four as a receiver and one as a kick returner. The senior from Douglasville, Georgia, ranks second in the league with 44 catches and 620 receiving yards. The nation's active leader and the Ball State career record holder with 252 career receptions, Hall has three touchdowns receiving and one rushing this season. He ranks fourth in the country with 178.8 all-purpose yards per game.

Anthony Ekpe leads the MAC with 5.0 sacks and two forced fumbles. His second strip-sack of the season secured the Cardinals' win at Toledo. The Pflugerville, Texas, product leads the Cardinals with 7.0 tackles for loss. A grad transfer in his first season at BSU, Ekpe was previously an honorable mention All-Conference USA selection at Rice.

Bryce Cosby owns 44 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss, and registered an interception in the win at Toledo. The senior from Louisville, Kentucky, has started 41 of the 42 games in his career at safety. He owns seven career interceptions and ranks second among all active MAC players with 264 career tackles.

All-MAC Second Team
Drew Plitt ranks second in the MAC with 1,674 passing yards and 13 touchdowns. The redshirt senior from Loveland Ohio, also has a pair of scores on the ground. Plitt has been at his best over the second half of the season, accounting for 11 total touchdowns over the past three games. He surpassed 6,000 career passing yards last week and moved into a tie for third in BSU history with 46 career touchdown passes.

Curtis Blackwell earned All-MAC honors for the second straight year despite a position change on the offensive line. The senior from Uniondale, Indiana, shifted from right guard to right tackle and helped pave the way for the Cardinals' balanced offense. He has started all six games this year and 36 total in his BSU career.

Christian Albright, who earned All-MAC honors for the second time, owns 6.0 tackles for loss this season, including 3.0 sacks. The senior from Kennesaw, Georgia, has started all 30 games over the past three seasons. He is the Cardinals' active leader in tackles for loss (28.5), sacks (14.0) and forced fumbles (8). His forced fumbles total ranks fifth among all active FBS players.

Antonio Phillips earned All-MAC honors for the second year in a row. The senior from St. Louis, Missouri, ranks fourth in the league this season with five pass breakups. A preseason candidate for the Chuck Bednarik, Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski awards, Phillips owns six career interceptions and 17 career pass breakups.

Nathan Snyder leads the MAC with eight punts of 50 yards or longer in only 19 attempts this season. The senior from Marysville, Ohio, ranks third in the league with a 42.9-yard punting average. Snyder booted three 50-plus yard punts, including a season-best 61-yarder, in the MAC West Division-clinching win over Western Michigan.

All-MAC Third Team
Yo'Heinz Tyler ranks third in the MAC with six receiving touchdowns and fifth with 32 total receptions. The junior from New Orleans, Louisiana, has caught at least one touchdown pass in each of the past five games. Tyler, who owns 413 receiving yards, had his third career two-touchdown game in the win at Toledo.

Jaylin Thomas, who ranks fourth in the MAC with 66 tackles, earned all-league honors for the second straight year. The senior from Lima, Ohio, has 5.0 tackles for loss. His 16 tackles in the West Division-clinching win over Western Michigan were the second-most by a MAC player this season. Thomas is the league's active leader with 277 career tackles.

Caleb Huntley, an All-MAC selection for the second straight year, ran for 437 yards and six touchdowns in the first three games of the season before sustaining an injury that kept him out the rest of the way. The senior from Atlanta, Georgia, finished his career seventh on Ball State's all-time rushing list with 2,902 yards and 10th in school history for rushing touchdowns with 21.

2020 MAC Specialty Award Winners
Coach of the Year: Lance Leipold, Buffalo
Offensive Player of the Year: Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo
Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Brandon Martin, LB, Ball State; Troy Hairston II, DE, Central Michigan
Special Teams Player of the Year: D'Wayne Eskridge, WR/KOR, Western Michigan
Freshman of the Year: Lew Nichols III, RB, Central Michigan
Vern Smith Leadership Award Winner: Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo

2020 All-MAC First Team Offense
Quarterback – Dustin Crum, Kent State
Offensive Lineman – Kayode Awosika, Buffalo
Offensive Lineman – Mike Novitsky, Buffalo
Offensive Lineman – Tommy Doyle, Miami
Offensive Lineman – Bryce Harris, Toledo
Offensive Lineman – Mike Caliendo, Western Michigan
Tight End – Quintin Morris, Bowling Green
Wide Receiver – Justin Hall, Ball State
Wide Receiver – Isaiah McKoy, Kent State
Wide Receiver – Tyrice Richie, Northern Illinois
Wide Receiver – D'Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan
Running Back – Teon Dollard, Akron
Running Back – Jaret Patterson, Buffalo
Placekicker – Marshall Meeder, Central Michigan

2020 All-MAC First Team Defense
Outside Linebacker – Anthony Ekpe, Ball State
Outside Linebacker – Troy Brown, Central Michigan
Inside Linebacker – Brandon Martin, Ball State
Inside Linebacker – James Patterson, Buffalo
Down Lineman – Malcolm Koonce, Buffalo
Down Lineman – Ralph Holley, Western Michigan
Down Lineman – Troy Hairston II, Central Michigan
Down Lineman – Mohammed Diallo, Central Michigan
Defensive Back – Bryce Cosby, Ball State
Defensive Back – Willie Reid, Central Michigan
Defensive Back – Noski LaFleur, Eastern Michigan
Defensive Back – Bricen Garner, Western Michigan
Punter – Luke Elzinga, Central Michigan

2020 All-MAC First Team Specialists
Kickoff Return Specialist – Justin Hall, Ball State
Kickoff Return Specialist – D'Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan

2020 All-MAC Second Team Offense
Quarterback – Drew Plitt, Ball State
Offensive Lineman – Curtis Blackwell, Ball State
Offensive Lineman – Jake Fuzak, Buffalo
Offensive Lineman – Derek Smith, Central Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Bill Kuduk, Kent State
Offensive Lineman – Jaylon Moore, Western Michigan
Tight End – Danie Crawford, Northern Illinois
Wide Receiver – Antonio Nunn, Buffalo
Wide Receiver – Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan
Wide Receiver – Jack Sorenson, Miami
Wide Receiver – Skyy Moore, Western Michigan
Running Back – De'Montre Tuggle, Ohio
Running Back – La'Darius Jefferson, Western Michigan
Placekicker – Chad Ryland, Eastern Michigan

2020 All-MAC Second Team Defense
Outside Linebacker – Christian Albright, Ball State
Outside Linebacker – Jamal Hines, Toledo
Inside Linebacker – Bubba Arslanian, Akron
Inside Linebacker – Terry Myrick, Eastern Michigan
Down Lineman – Turan Rush, Eastern Michigan
Down Lineman – Weston Kramer, Northern Illinois
Down Lineman – Desjuan Johnson, Toledo
Down Lineman – Austin Conrad, Ohio
Defensive Back – Antonio Phillips, Ball State
Defensive Back – Jordan Gandy, Northern Illinois
Defensive Back – Tycen Anderson, Toledo
Defensive Back – Nate Bauer, Toledo
Punter – Nathan Snyder, Ball State

2020 All-MAC Second Team Specialists
Kickoff Return Specialist – Tray Rudolph, Northern Illinois
Kickoff Return Specialist – De'Montre Tuggle, Ohio

2020 All-MAC Third Team Offense
Quarterback – Kaleb Eleby, Western Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Sidy Sow, Eastern Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Nathan Monnin, Kent State
Offensive Lineman – Danny Godlevske, Miami
Offensive Lineman – Brayden Patton, Northern Illinois
Offensive Lineman – Brett Kitrell, Ohio
Tight End – Zac Lefebvre, Buffalo
Wide Receiver – Yo'Heinz Tyler, Ball State
Wide Receiver – Hassan Beydoun, Eastern Michigan
Wide Receiver – Isaiah Winstead, Toledo
Wide Receiver – Jaylen Hall, Western Michigan
Running Back – Caleb Huntley, Ball State
Running Back – Kevin Marks, Buffalo
Placekicker – Alex McNulty, Buffalo

2020 All-MAC Third Team Defense
Outside Linebacker – Kholbe Coleman, Bowling Green
Inside Linebacker – Jaylin Thomas, Ball State
Inside Linebacker – Kyle Pugh, Northern Illinois
Inside Linebacker – Treshaun Hayward, Western Michigan
Down Lineman – Eddie Wilson, Buffalo
Down Lineman – Jose Ramirez, Eastern Michigan
Down Lineman – Kam Butler, Miami
Down Lineman – Lonnie Phelps, Miami
Defensive Back – A.J. Watts, Akron
Defensive Back – Devonni Reed, Central Michigan
Defensive Back – Emmanuel Rugamba, Miami
Defensive Back – Dev Lafayette, Northern Illinois
Punter – Nick Mihalic, Western Michigan

2020 All-MAC Third Team Specialists
Kickoff Return Specialist – Bryson Denley, Bowling Green
Kickoff Return Specialist – Ron Cook, Buffalo

Dozen Cardinals Named All-MAC, Martin Claims Top Defensive Honor

Players Mentioned

Christian Albright

Curtis Blackwell

Bryce Cosby

Anthony Ekpe

Justin Hall

Caleb Huntley

Brandon Martin

Antonio Phillips

Drew Plitt

Nathan Snyder

Jaylin Thomas

Yo'Heinz Tyler

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