ST. LOUIS -- Indiana State University claimed two of the top five honors in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the league office announced Wednesday, Nov. 21, as selected by a vote of the league's head coaches, media and sports information directors.
 
Curt Mallory was selected as the Bruce Craddock Coach of the Year for the first time in his career, while quarterback Ryan Boyle earned the Valley's Newcomer of the Year award.
 
It marks the first time since 2010 (Trent Miles) that ISU has been represented with a Coach of the Year honor and the first time since 2001 (Julian Reese, QB) that the Sycamores have had a Newcomer of the Year.
 
"Curt Mallory being named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Coach of the Year is such an honor," ISU Director of Athletics Sherard Clinkscales said. "I am biased but this award is certainly earned and well deserved. Coach Mallory is a man of high integrity with a genuine love for coaching young men. His resiliency and dedication to changing the culture of this program over the last two years is unprecedented. I am thankful for his steady leadership on the field and for the personal investment that he and his wife Lori have made in the Terre Haute community."
 
After an 0-11 season in 2017, Mallory completed the biggest turnaround in college football, leading the Sycamores to a 7-4 finish, a third-place finish in the MVFC and a No. 22 national ranking.
 
"With any coach of the year honor, it really is a team honor," Mallory said. "We wouldn't be where we are today as a team if it wasn't for the seniors that set the foundation for this season from a leadership standpoint. Our staff has preached an all-in mentality from day one and we saw that come to life this season. I think we're all ready to get to work for next season."
 
"I would trade this award in for a postseason bid in a heartbeat."
 
Coming into 2018, Indiana State was picked to finish last in the MVFC. The Sycamores finished 5-3 in the most grueling league in FCS, ranking ahead to two FBS conferences. Two of the Sycamores three conference losses came by three points, including an overtime loss to No. 3 South Dakota State in Brookings and a loss against Missouri State.
 
The Sycamores closed out the season winning five-straight games, the first time that ISU has won five-straight in league play since 2012. Indiana State is also one of 18 FCS programs to win four road games this season.
 
Earlier this week, Mallory was named a finalist for the STATS FCS Eddie Robinson award, a National Coach of the Year honor.
 
Boyle, a redshirt junior, put together a masterful season under center for the Sycamores. After making his first start in week three against Eastern Illinois, Boyle went on to lead the Sycamore for the remainder of the season. He finished with 1,627 yards, 12 passing touchdowns and a 62.4 completion percent to lead the MVFC. A dual-threat option, Boyle was second on the team with 610 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
 
The Urbandale, Iowa native truly made his mark for the Sycamores in a triple overtime victory against South Dakota where he accounted for a program record seven touchdowns (five passing, two rushing). He went on to score 13 total touchdowns down the stretch, leading the Sycamores to five-straight wins to close out the regular season.
 
All-MVFC honors will be announced Monday, November 26 followed by All-Newcomer honors on Tuesday before the League recognizes All-Academic teams on Wednesday.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Football team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.