The Illinois State football team held a 7-point lead for three quarters Saturday against Northern Iowa, but a strong Panther defense held the Redbirds to 48 yards total in the second half, resulting in a 16-7 Northern Iowa victory in front of 12,026 on Family Weekend at Hancock Stadium.
Northern Iowa put itself in position to score first when Tom Petrie (6-of-20, 135 yards TD, 2 INTs) hit Marlus Mays on a 54-yard pass completion. Two plays later however, Richard Carter fumbled at the ISU 1 and Leon Kittrell recovered the ball in the end zone.
The offense could not capitalize on the turnover though, and were forced to punt.
Defensively, the Redbirds held tough early on. Josh Chrestman picked up his second sack of the season, but the offense struggled to get points on the board. That all changed midway through the second quarter when Illinois State head coach Denver Johnson rolled the dice.
Johnson gambled on fourth-and-1 at the Northern Iowa 16, deciding to go for the first down instead of a field goal. A sweep to the right by Demetrus Johnson resulted in a first down, and then some. Johnson galloped into the end zone on a 16-yard run, resulting in a 7-0 score.
Tyler Larick stalled a Panther drive late in the second quarter when he intercepted a Petrie pass. The interception was the first of Laricks Redbird career.
But Larick wasnt the only Illinois State player to pick up his first INT. William Rolles third quarter pick stalled a Northern Iowa drive at the Illinois State 28 after Petries pass slipped through the hands of a Panther receiver. Rolle returned the ball into Northern Iowa territory, but an illegal block in the back penalty by the Redbirds placed the ball back at the Redbird 14 and the offense couldnt capitalize.
Momentum swung to the Northern Iowa sideline early in the fourth quarter when Troy Maskel lined up to punt for the Redbirds. The ball sailed over Maskels head and into the back of the end zone for a Panther safety.
After the free kick, Northern Iowa took the lead just two plays into the drive. Petrie completed a 58-yard touchdown pass to Brian Cutright, who broke several tackles on his way to the end zone.
The Panthers were given two chances at a two-point conversion when the Redbirds were called for pass interference on the first try. Terrence Freeney converted Northern Iowas second try, making the score 10-7.
Carter went over 100 yards rushing on the Panthers next possession when he ran 47 yards to the Illinois State 4. Freeney picked up where Carter left off and scored on the next play, putting the Redbirds away and giving the Panthers a 16-7 lead.
A bright spot for the Redbirds was the play of linebacker Boomer Grigsby, who tallied 21 tackles on the afternoon.
Illinois State returns to action next Saturday when they travel to Carbondale to face the 11th ranked Southern Illinois Salukis.
