P.J. Mays rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns to help Youngstown State score 14 unanswered points in the second half and beat Illinois State 24-17 in the final home game for the Redbirds this season.
Illinois State, 5-5 overall, 3-3 in the Gateway, were led by Quincy Washingtons 73 yards on 23 carries, but an interception set up one touchdown and an on-side kick led to another in the third quarter as the Penguins, 6-4, 4-3 in the Gateway, came away with the victory. Three key fourth-down conversions led to YSU scores as the Penguins overcame a 17-10 deficit in the third quarter.
The Redbirds were first on the scoreboard when Stephen Carroll set a Hancock Stadium record with a career-long 56-yard field goal that put Illinois State ahead 3-0 with 5:45 left in the first quarter. It was the second longest field goal in Redbird history.
Sha-ron Edwards put the Birds up 10-0 when he dove into the endzone from three yards out with 9:52 remaining in the first half to cap a drive highlighted by a 21-yard run by Washington. On the ensuing possession, the Penguins marched 72 yards on nine plays to cut the Illinois State lead to three, 10-7, on a four-yard run by P.J. Mays, his ninth rushing touchdown of the season.
With 1:09 remaining in the first half, Youngstown State decided to gamble on a fourth-down-and-four situation from the Redbird 42 yardline with four yards to go. The gamble paid off as the Penguins were able to tie the game, 10-10, on a 42-yard field goal by Jake Stewart with three seconds remaining.
On the first drive of the second half, the Redbirds went 58 yards on 10 plays to pull ahead 17-10 on a five-yard run up the middle by Washington with 10:08 left in the third quarter. It was Washingtons eighth rushing touchdown and the 15th of his career, which ranks sixth in the Illinois State record book.
Matt Mechlings interception of a Mike Souza pass deep in Redbird territory gave the Penguins the ball back at ISUs 10-yardline with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter. Youngstown State was able to punch it in four plays later on 4th-and-1 on a run by Mays to the left side to tie the game at 17.
A successful on-side kick attempt on the ensuing kickoff gave the Penguins the ball back in Redbird territory and Youngstown State again scored on fourth down, this time on a 34-yard pass from Aaron Marshall to Jerald Burley in the right corner of the end zone, to take the lead for the first time. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter as Mays and the YSU offensive line maintained possession most of the final period.
