The Illinois State football team needed a wake-up call during its season-opener against Drake Thursday evening. It took an early score by the Bulldogs to get the Redbirds fired-up in the 90-degree heat at Hancock Stadium as Illinois State pulled away to a 27-13 victory. Drake got on the board early in the contest when Jonathan Taylor (24 carries, 50 yards) jumped over a pile of Redbird and Bulldog players to score the games first touchdown. The extra point was wide right, but the touchdown put the Bulldogs up 6-0. It was the only lead Drake enjoyed. Illinois State responded when Sha-Ron Edwards (16 carries, 152 yards, 2 TDs) got the ball rolling on a pair of first down runs, setting up a 17-yard touchdown run up the left sideline by Demetrus Johnson (20 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD), his first as a Redbird. Quarterback Mike Souza (8-of-16, 45 yards, 1 INT) and Edwards ran the option to perfection on the Redbirds next series, as Edwards scored from 15 yards out, making the score 14-6. A 48-yard field goal by Stephen Carroll put the Redbirds up 17-6 at halftime. The ISU defense rose to the challenge on Drakes opening possession of the third quarter. Linebacker Cavari Dailey forced and recovered a fumble at the Drake 37-yard line, setting up a 31-yard touchdown run by Edwards, making the score 24-6. The touchdown run put Edwards over 100 yards rushing for the first time in his Redbird career. The Redbird defense also held up well against the run, holding the Bulldogs to only 10 yards rushing on the game until late in the third quarter when Taylor broke free on a 41-yard run. An 85-yard run touchdown run by Edwards was nullified early in the fourth quarter when the Redbirds were called for a clipping penalty. But the Redbirds made a break moments later when Tyler Larick recoverd a fumbled punt at the Drake 10-yard line. Carroll followed with a 22-yard field goal to put Illinois State ahead 27-6. Drake quarterback Connor Jostes connected with Shea Moroni on a 5-yard touchdown pass late for the games final score. --ISU--
Game Notes
Illinois State Redbirds (1-0)
- Demetrus Johnson scored his first career touchdown as a Redbird.
- Stephen Carroll kicked a 48-yard field goal with 44 seconds left in the first half. He is now 9-for-16 on 48-yard field goals or more in his career.
- First time Illinois State has won its season opener since they beat West Virginia Tech on August 31, 2000.
- Denver Johnson is now 3-1 in home openers and 2-2 in season openers with the Redbirds.
- ISU now leads the series 4-2.
- This is the first time the Redbirds have faced a Pioneer Football League team since 1990.
- Sha-Ron Edwards recorded the first 100-yard rushing game of his Illinois State career and scored two touchdowns.
- Sha-Ron Edwards is the fourth back to rush for 100 yards in a game in the Denver Johnson era.
- Boomer Grigsby led the Redbird with 11 tackles followed closely by Gean Gilot with 10. Drake Bulldogs (0-1)
- Jonathan Taylor recorded the first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run in the first quarter.
- Freshman Shea Moroni scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 17-yard scoring pass from QB Connor Jostes with 2:48 to go.
- This is the second straight season that Drake has fallen to a Gateway Conference foe in the season opener. They lost to Western Illinois 64-7 last year.
- The Bulldogs were held to just 61 yards rushing.
- Curt Martindale recorded 10 tackles in the game.
