Scots Football Lands 11 on All-Conference Teams

Korbyn Personett Named MWC Defensive Line MVP

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (11/16/2021) — The Monmouth College football team had 11 player honored with All-Conference selections on Tuesday, highlighted by defensive end Korbyn Personett (Pittsfield, Illinois) as the Midwest Conference Defensive Line MVP.

The Scots put eight players on the First Team, two on offense, five on defense and one on special teams. The Scots First Team selections are: OL Derek Brown (Pekin, Illinois), LB Drake Dietrich (Chilicothe, Illinois), P Addison Fletcher (Monmouth, Illinois), DB Devin Graham (Monticello, Illinois), LB Evan Otto (Canton, Illinois), Personett, DB Kaleb Plattenberger (Mount Carroll, Illinois) and Jake Uryasz (Farmington, Illinois).

Brown, a junior, was a first team selection in 2019 as well. This season he started the first four games at guard and the last six games at center. With Brown's leadership the offensive line paved the way for the Scots to average 203.7 yards per game on the ground and 417.7 total yards of offense while allowing just nine sacks all season.

Dietrich, a senior, led the Scots with 77 tackles this season, 36 of them solo. He posted three games with at least 10 tackles, including a career-high 14 against Knox in the season finale. Dietrich had six tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and two forced fumbles on the season.

Fletcher, a junior, led the Midwest Conference in punting at 39.4 yards per punt. He had seven punts downed inside the 20, six of at least 50 yards and a long of 65.

Devin Graham, a junior, was second in the MWC in interceptions with five, and fifth in passes broken up with four, despite missing the last two games of the season with an injury, Graham had 37 tackles and one fumble recovery on the season.

Otto, a senior, was second on the Scots with 66 tackles and added six TFL and 3.5 sacks. He was the MWC Defensive Player of the Week after the Grinnell game on September 11 and scored a touchdown on Homecoming against Cornell with a fumble return.

Personett, a senior, broke the Monmouth single-season sacks record on Saturday with two more as he finished the year with 16. He leads all Division III players in the nation in sacks (16), solo sacks (15), tackles for loss (25) and solo tackles for loss (21). He amassed 52 tackles on the season with four pass break ups, six quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. He was the MWC Defensive Player of the Week on October 2 and again in the final week of the season while also making the D3football Team of the Week after the October 2 game.

Plattenberger, a senior, finished the season with 57 tackles and two interceptions, including one in the end zone against Chicago. He had five pass break ups on the season and one tackle for loss. He was the MWC Defensive Player of the Week for the Chicago win on October 9.

Uryasz, a senior, was a second-team selection back in 2019 at wide receiver. This year he caught 50 passes for 586 yards and five touchdowns. He caught at least three oases in all 10 games and had five or more catches three times.

The Second Team selections are RB Henderson Francois (Naples, Florida), WR Nathan Graham (Monticello, Illinois) and OL Matthew Shimko (Jacksonville, Florida).

Francois, a junior, led the Scots with 671 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. He finished fourth in the MWC in rushing touchdowns and rushing yards per game (74.6). Francois ran for 6.8 yards per carry and also had nine catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns on the season. He had four 100-yard games this season and five times scored more than two touchdowns in a game before being limited by injury in the last three games.

Graham, a senior, was a first-team selection as a special teamer in 2019 and is now selected as a wide out. He caught 42 passes for 558 yards on the season with a team-leading seven receiving touchdowns. Graham averaged 55.8 yards per game and 13.3 yards per catch. He posted a career-high 118 yards and two touchdowns against Cornell on Homecoming

Shimko, a junior, started all 10 games at right guard for the Scots and helped lead the offense to 35.3 points per game. The offensive line, with Shimko, was named to the D3football Team of the Week after the October 9 win over Chicago.

The Scots finished the 2021 season on Saturday with a 38-7 win over Knox, their 22nd straight Turkey Bowl win. Monmouth went 8-2 on the season, 8-1 in Midwest Conference play, finishing in second place.

Nathaniel

Graham