Hooper named national special teams players of week

Sycamores' Hooper named national special teams player of week

PHILADELPHIA, PA (9-13-2004) One day following being named Gateway Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, Indiana State sophomore placekicker Kyle Hooper (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot) garnered national attention earning The Sports Network National Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Hooper took the honor following a school-record performance in the Sycamores' 33-30 overtime win at Eastern Illinois. After missing his first field goal attempt, he was a perfect four-of-four through the balance of the contest.

He tied the school record for field goals made in a game by hitting four. After starting with a career-long 46-yarder early, Hooper notched a pair of 40-yarders in the fourth quarter - including one as time expired to force overtime. He put ISU ahead in the first overtime, hitting a sharp-angle, 20-yard field goal giving the Sycamores a three-point advantage which proved enough for the win. Hooper was a perfect three-for-three on PAT's which combined with his four field goals accounted for 15 of ISU's 33 points.

The Sycamores continue their three-game swing against the Ohio Valley Conference as they open the home slate Saturday against Murray State. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. (CDT). All three contests are part of the Gateway-OVC Challenge Series, as the Sycamores represent the GFC in three of six matchups scheduled for 2004. Thus far, the Gateway is 2-0 versus the OVC in 2004, and a perfect 11-0 since the series began in 2003. USA-365.com provides live Internet audio streaming with Brian Fritz providing the play-by-play and Pete Emmert with the color commentary. The pre-game show starts Saturday at 12:40 p.m., with the kick-off set for 1:00 p.m., CDT / EST on www.USA-365.com.