Quarterback Matt Brown will face Appalachian State on Dec. 1. (Photo By B Corbin/WJBC)

By WJBC Staff

ST. LOUIS - Illinois State senior quarterback Matt Brown was named the 2012 Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year Wednesday, in a vote conducted by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and members of the media.

With the honor, Brown becomes the third Redbird in school history to win the league's offensive player of the year award. He joins running back Toby Davis (1992) and current Jacksonville Jaguar wide receiver Laurént Robinson (2005) as winners of the league's top offensive honor. Brown adds this to his mantle along with the 2009 MVFC Freshman of the Year Award and his 2011 All-MVFC Second Team selection.

"This is a great honor for Matt and he certainly deserves it," Illinois State head coach Brock Spack said. "He's put in a lot of effort and has been a great player at Illinois State for the last four seasons. We are excited for him, but he would be the first to tell you that his story is not over just yet. I know he would love to help this team have a great playoff run and win a national championship and have that be the way he caps off his great career here at ISU."

The Marion, Ill., native started all 11 games for the Redbirds during the regular season and extended his streak to 43-straight games starting under center. Brown led Illinois State and the MVFC in passing yards (2,676), passing yards per game (243.3) and total offense yards (2,789) this season. He also threw 20 touchdown passes, just two off his career-high, and added a career-best six rushing touchdowns.

During the course of the season, Brown also set seven school and four MVFC career records. He holds school records for pass attempts (1,375), completions (880), passing yards (9,897), passing touchdown (71), completion percentage (64.0), total offense yards (10,219) and touchdowns responsible for (79). Brown also became the conference's all-time leader in pass attempts, completions, passing yards and total offense yards to cement him as one of the best quarterbacks in league history.

In his career, Brown has amassed nine games with over 300 yards passing which ties Kevin Glenn for the school record in that category. He's also the only quarterback in ISU history to throw for over 2,000 yards in four-consecutive seasons and has led the Redbirds to a 27-17 record as the team's starting quarterback.

Brown and the No. 15 ranked Redbirds (8-3) will head to Boone, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 1, to face No. 6 Appalachian State (8-3) in the second round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Kick off is scheduled for 1 p.m., with Redbird Preview at 12 p.m. on WJBC AM 1230 and on WJBC.com.