MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois freshman running back Nikko Watson (Rock Island/Rock Island) and junior linebacker Theon Dixon (Cleveland, Ohio/Glenville) were named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team, as announced by the league office on Tuesday (Nov. 29).

Dixon, a transfer from Ball State who joined the team last January, played in every game and finished second on the team with 79 total tackles. He led Western with 13.0 tackles for a loss, more than doubling the next closest Leatherneck, and added two sacks. He also intercepted a pass at Illinois State.

The junior outside linebacker recorded a season-high 13 stops at Illinois State and also reached double-figures with 10 stops against North Dakota State. Those 13 tackles were one shy of the team season-high. In the South Dakota State game, Dixon recorded 4.5 tackles for a loss.

Called into play during the eighth game of the season due to injuries in the backfield, Watson made arguably the biggest immediate impact when he rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries at Youngstown State.  He picked up another rushing TD at ISU, then followed with a team season-high 170 yards on 29 attempts versus South Dakota State. Watson ended the year with 106 yards and a score against North Dakota State.

Watson's 115 rushing yards in the second quarter against SDSU are the fifth-most by a Leatherneck in a quarter all-time. His yards at Youngstown are also the most by a freshman making his debut since head coach Mark Hendrickson joined the program (1999-present). Watson teamed in the finale with Caulton Ray to mark just the 12th time in Western history a pair of teammates each rushed for 100 yards in a game. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry (485 yards on 90 attempts) and 121.2 yards per game in his four contests. If Watson met the statistical minimum of games played his rushing yards per game would rank him 13th nationally.