Four Spartans Garner All-Big Ten Honors on Offense
11/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Four Michigan State players earned All-Big Ten honors as the conference announced its offensive all-league selections on Wednesday night during a television special on BTN. The defensive teams were announced on Tuesday.
For the second consecutive season, junior offensive guard Brian Allen earned second-team honors from the media, while senior tight end Josiah Price received third-team recognition from the coaches for the second year in a row. Allen was also a third-team pick by the coaches.
Senior wide receiver R.J. Shelton, an honorable mention choice a year ago, was named to the second team by the coaches. Sophomore running back LJ Scott garnered third-team plaudits from the media.
In addition, Price (media), Scott (coaches) and Shelton (media) were also recognized as honorable mention.
Jr. OG Brian Allen (Second team, media; third team, coaches)
A mainstay on the offensive line, Allen was one of only three players on the team and the only offensive lineman to start every game this season. He led the team with twice as many knockdowns as any other lineman and also ranked first in dominators.
The Hinsdale, Illinois, native, who was also a second-team selection by the coaches and media as a sophomore in 2015, started three positions on the offensive line as a junior in 2016. Allen started the first three games at left guard, then shifted to center for two games before moving to right guard for five games. The versatile lineman started at left guard the final two contests.
Allen earned Spartan Offensive Lineman of the Week accolades twice this season (vs. Furman and Rutgers). In the win at No. 18 Notre Dame, Allen helped the Spartans rack up a season-high 501 yards of total offense, including 260 rushing yards, as he produced a team-best 12.5 knockdowns.
Down the stretch, Allen was instrumental in providing consistency to an injury-riddled offensive line that started seven different combinations. The Spartans rushed for more than 200 yards five times in 2016, including four of the last six games (270 vs. Maryland, 217 vs. Michigan, 277 vs. Rutgers, 207 vs. Ohio State).
Allen will enter his senior season in 2017 having started in 14 consecutive games, the longest active streak on the team. He has played in 38 career games, including 25 starts (16 at left guard, five at right guard, four at center).
Sr. TE Josiah Price (Third team, coaches; honorable mention, media)
Price closed out his record-setting Spartan career with a career-high 38 receptions for 387 yards and five touchdowns as a senior in 2016. His five TD catches were the most by a Big Ten tight end in the regular season and his 38 catches tied for second most by a Spartan tight end in a single season.
A native of Greentown, Indiana, Price finished his career with the most touchdown catches (21) by a tight end in Michigan State history, which also ranks fourth among all players in the school record book. Price's 104 career catches and 1,238 receiving yards also rank third most among Spartan tight ends.
Price, who was named to the Mackey Award Midseason Watch List for the nation's most outstanding tight end, tied his career high with six catches for 63 yards in his final collegiate game at No. 7 Penn State last Saturday. He also had six receptions (65 yards) at Illinois on Nov. 5. In the 49-0 win over Rutgers on Nov. 12, Price recorded his first career multi-touchdown game with TD grabs of 2 and 4 yards against the Scarlet Knights.
Price was also recognized throughout the season for his work off the field. He was named one of 11 semifinalists for the Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," and selected as one of 30 nominees for the Senior CLASS Award. In addition, he was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded annually by the National Football Foundation to the nation's top scholar-athlete.
Price was also named the team's nominee for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
So. RB LJ Scott (Third team, media; honorable mention, coaches)
Scott led the Spartans in nearly every rushing category, compiling career highs in rushing yards (994), carries (184) and rushing touchdowns (6). His 82.8 rushing yards per game average ranked eighth in the Big Ten during the regular season and his 86.9 ypg in conference play was sixth best. Scott's 994 rushing yards were sixth most by a Spartan sophomore in a single season. He also had a team-best 10 runs of 20 yards or longer.
The 6-1, 230-pound Scott had five 100-yard games this season, tied for third most in the Big Ten, including four of the last six games (109.7 ypg last six games). He collected career highs in rushing yards (160), all-purpose yards (236) and receiving yards (76) vs. No. 2 Ohio State on Nov. 19. Scott scored on the second play from scrimmage against the Buckeyes on a career-long 64-yard TD reception and also recorded a career-long rush with a 61-yard scamper in the first quarter. He finished with 19 carries for 160 yards (8.4 avg.) and two catches for 76 yards.
Scott rushed for 139 yards against No. 2 Michigan on Oct. 29, the most by a player against the Wolverines this season. He also compiled 100-yard games against Furman (105), Maryland (128) and Rutgers (122). Scott had 98 yards with a touchdown on 22 carries in the 36-28 win at No. 18 Notre Dame on Sept. 17.
In 26 career games, including 11 starts, the Hubbard, Ohio, product has rushed for 1,693 yards (65.1 ypg; 5.1 avg.) and 17 touchdowns.
Sr. WR R.J. Shelton (Second team, coaches; honorable mention, media)
Shelton led the team in receptions (53), receiving yards (789) and all-purpose yards (1,377), and tied for the team lead in touchdown catches (5), all of which were career highs. During the regular season, he ranked tied for fifth in the Big Ten in receptions (4.4 pg), fifth in all-purpose yards (114.8 ypg), sixth in receiving yards (65.8 ypg) and tied for ninth in TD catches (5). Shelton led the team with 22 plays of 20 yards or more (11 kick return, 10 receptions, one rush), and four of MSU's eight plays of 50-plus yards this season featured Shelton.
The 5-11, 202-pound Shelton caught two 86-yard touchdown passes (at Indiana, vs. Northwestern) this season from Tyler O'Connor, becoming one of only two players in school history to have two touchdown receptions of 86 yards or longer in the same season (Sherman Lewis, 1963).
Shelton had two 100-yard receiving games this season: career-high 190 vs. Northwestern (Oct. 15) and 141 at Indiana on Oct. 1. He had TD grabs of 86 and 59 yards against the Wildcats and finished with a career-high 260 all-purpose yards. The 190 receiving yards against Northwestern were the second-highest single-game total by a Big Ten player during the regular season.
Shelton hauled in at least seven catches in five different games, including a career-high eight for 80 yards in the win at No. 18 Notre Dame on Sept. 17. He also had seven catches vs. Indiana (141 yards), Northwestern (190), Maryland (89) and Illinois (80).
A four-year letterwinner, Shelton finished his career with 116 career catches for 1,471 yards and scored a total of 16 touchdowns (11 receiving, four rushing, one kick return) in 53 career games, including 23 starts. The Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, native ranks among MSU's all-time leaders in kick return yards (second with 1,855), kick returns (second with 80), all-purpose yards (13th with 3,900), receptions (tied for 17th with 116) and touchdown catches (tied for 18th with 11).
