Losing to Northern Iowa in the Gateway Football Conference opener on Saturday was bad enough for head coach Denver Johnson and the Illinois State football team, but injuries to two key defensive players, Josh Chrestman and Leon Kittrell, was like pouring salt in the wound.
Chrestman will miss at least four to six weeks after tearing his medial collateral ligament in his right knee against the No. 15 Panthers. He will have an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test on Wednesday to determine if there is any further damage to his knee.
Chrestman ranks second on the team in tackles for defensive lineman with 27 stops. He has four tackles for loss, two sacks and five quarterback hurries in six games.
Kittrell, who sat out practice Tuesday, had an MRI on Monday to diagnose the extent of the injury to his right knee.
Kittrell played in all six games and started the first three for the Birds at cornerback. He has eight tackles on the season with two tackles for loss and a pair of pass break-ups. Kittrell recovered a fumble Saturday against UNI prior to the injury.
