Trickett Named Special Teams Player of the Year, Six Named All-MAC
12/4/2019 11:04:00 AM | Football
KENT, OHIO- Kent State sophomore place kicker Matthew Trickett earned the Mid-American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, highlighting six players that earned All-MAC honors as announced by the conference on Wednesday.
In addition to the Special Teams Player of the Year honor, Trickett also cements himself on the All-MAC First-Team for the second-straight season. Joining Trickett on the All-MAC teams are: Jamal Parker (Second Team-Defensive Back), Mike Carrigan and Isaiah McKoy (Third Team-Wide Receivers), Theo Majette (Third Team-Down Lineman) and Derek Adams (Third Team-Punter).
Trickett has enjoyed a phenomenal sophomore campaign, setting a school record and leading the MAC with 24 made field goals so far, this season. He is currently one of five players in the FBS to have made at least 24 field goals this season.
Trickett has two games this season where he went 4-4 on field goal attempts (Kennesaw State, TSDTR) and two more where he hit three field goals (Miami, Buffalo). The sophomore had two walk-off game winners (Kennesaw State, Buffalo) and hit the game-winner against Ball State with under 20 seconds remaining. Away from the place kicking, Trickett has 28 touchbacks on kick-offs this season and recovered his own on-sides kick against Buffalo.
Jamal Parker leads the Kent State defense with three interceptions on the season and is one of the leaders in the Mid-American Conference in passes defended with 12. Parker helped to lead a secondary that has allowed just 15 touchdown passes this season, second fewest in the Mid-American Conference this season. On the season, Parker has posted 58 tackles to go along with those team-leading 12 passes defended.
The receiving tandem of Mike Carrigan and Isaiah McKoy was one of the best in the Mid-American Conference this season. McKoy led the Mid-American Conference in yards with 769 and touchdowns with seven. His 76.9 yards per game average led the MAC and is 39th in the FBS this season. The 769 yards ranks fifth all-time in school history and the seven touchdowns currently sits tied for third. Against Ball State, McKoy became the first Kent State wide receiver with three touchdown catches in a game since Eugene Baker in 1997.
Carrigan gave Kent State two receivers in the top-10 in the MAC in yards, ranking 10th with 535 yards and eighth with five touchdown receptions. He joined McKoy with a record-setting day against Ball State, rolling up 178 receiving yards, the most in three seasons at Kent State. The senior stepped it up in conference play, with all five of his touchdown catches coming against MAC opponents, tied atop the league.
Theo Majette was a force on the defensive line for the Golden Flashes this season. The senior led the team in sacks with five and quarterback hurries with four. His five sacks ranks eighth in the Mid-American Conference. Â The Michigan native was also second on the team with seven tackles for loss. Majette had big games against Ball State and Bowling Green, recording a pair of tackles for loss and a sack in each game.
Derek Adams returned to form in 2019 after an injury cost him most of the 2018 season. His 43.3 yards per punt ranks second in the conference and is right in line with his 2017 total of 43.6 yards per kick. Adams had a long of 76 yards this year and boomed 11 punts over 50 yards. Perhaps most impressively, he had 19 punts fair caught and Kent State ranks 10th in the nation in allowing just 2.7 yards per punt return this season.
The six members of the All-MAC squad are the most for the Golden Flashes since they had nine in 2012.
You can view the All-Conference selections here.
