Oct. 8, 2005
Final Stats |
Quotes
Normal, Ill. -
Chris James' 43-yard field goal in regulation and 33-yard field goal in overtime foiled Illinois State's chances to upset No. 3 Western Kentucky, as the Hilltoppers won 37-34 in a Gateway Football Conference game at Hancock Stadium.
Before a Homecoming crowd of 10,416, a 38-yard Kevin Mazur field goal with 50 seconds left put ISU ahead 34-31, but Western Kentucky converted a James field goal with no time remaining in regulation and held the `Birds scoreless in the top session of overtime to set up James' game-winner.
Illinois State, 3-3, 0-2 in the Gateway, has lost four straight to the Hilltoppers, 4-1, 2-0--the last three all by three points. The Redbirds have lost two weeks in a row on late field goals, including last week's 20-17 loss at Youngstown State.
The Hilltoppers recovered a Redbird fumble on the opening play from scrimmage and marched from the ISU 43 to the Redbird 19 yard line. But a WKU penalty and a Justin Martindale sack pushed the Toppers back and they had to settle James' first field goal, a 45 yarder, with 11:15 left in the first quarter.
Brian Thompson's 35-yard kickoff return set up a responding drive by Illinois State which covered 65 yard in 10 plays and was punctuated by Rafael Rice's five-yard run for the score with 6:49 left in the opening quarter. It was Rice's fifth straight game with a rushing touchdown. ISU led 7-3.
Five plays after the ensuing kickoff, Cameron Siskowic made the hit and James Temple picked up the fumble and sprinted 56 yards fpr a touchdown to put Illinois State ahead 14-3 after Mazur's second extra point conversion. The Toppers answered with a seven-play, 76-yard march to score on a 36-yard pass completion from Justin Haddix to Curtis Hamilton. The PAT cut ISU's lead to 14-10 with 2:53 left in the opening period.
Following an early second-quarter Redbird punt, Lerron Moore's 38-yard run was the centerpiece on a nine-play, 80-yard drive which ended on a six-yard pass from Haddix to Maurice Perkins which gave WKU a 17-10 lead. Moore led all rushers with 190 yards for the game.
After the kickoff, ISU dodged a bullet thanks to a pair of brilliant defensive plays by senior defensive end Brent Hawkins. On the first play after that kickoff, Jon Hedges intercepted an Illinois State pass and set the Toppers up at the ISU 38. But Hawkins sacked Haddix on first down and swatted away a screen pass attempt on third down to force a Western Kentucky punt.
The Redbirds ran the two-minute drill to tie the score, with the help of a 16-yard Luke Drone to Laurént Robinson pass that set up a Mazur 22-yard field goal with 21 seconds left in the half to knot the score at 17 apiece at intermission. It was one of 12 Robinson receptions for the day, good for 126 yards.
Brandon Fitzgerald's 13-yard touchdown run just 3:41 into the third quarter completed an eight-play, 80-yard Hilltopper drive for a 24-17 lead. The `Birds came back with an 11-play, 53-yard drive which ended in Rice's five-yard run on the final play of the third quarter. The PAT tied the game again, 24-24.
Western Kentucky answered that score with a 16-yard pass from Haddix to Chris Jackson for a 31-24 WKU lead with 10:32 left in the game. A 29-yard pass from Drone to Pierre Rembert got the `Birds in position to score in the final six minutes. The `Birds were faced with a fourth-down situation on the WKU nine, but Robinson's catch and run came up short, and Western Kentucky took over.
But the Redbird defense rose up again, as Kye Stewart picked off a Haddix pass and scampered 21 yards to the end zone to tie the score at 31-31 with 2:07 left. Just 27 seconds later, Siskowic pounced on a Haddix fumble at the WKU 32 yard line, setting up a 38-yard Mazur field goal to put the `Birds on top 34-31 with 43 seconds left. But WKU answered just in time to push the game to overtime. A Bobby Kelsey field goal at the end of the Redbirds' overtime possession was blocked, and James hit the game winner for Western Kentucky.
The Redbirds continue a three-game stretch of meeting nationally-ranked teams when the `Birds meet No. 2 Southern Illinois next Saturday in Carbondale.
Game Notes
With the 37-34 loss, Western Kentucky leads the all-time series 10-2, with both Illinois State wins coming at home. Illinois State moves to 3-3 while Murray State moves to 4-1 in 2005. Illinois State head coach Denver Johnson falls to 28-34 in his career and 1-7 against the Hilltoppers. Western Kentucky head coach David Elson moves to 22-8 in his career and 3-0 against Illinois State.
Illinois State Notes:
- Illinois State's 17 points off turnovers vs. Western Kentucky give the `Birds 56 of 197 points off turnovers this season--29 percent of their total points.
- With the first of a career-high 12 receptions on the first play from scrimmage, Laurént Robinson extended his streak of consecutive games with a catch to 20, fourth-best in Illinois State history.
- Scoring ISU's first touchdown of the day, Rafael Rice has a rushing touchdown in five consecutive games this season.
- James Temple's 56-yard return of a fumble caused by Cameron Siskowic was Illinois State's fourth fumble return for a touchdown this season.
- Luke Drone began the game by connecting on his first nine passes, 9-for-9 for 70 yards, before a second-quarter drop ended the streak.
- Laurént Robinson became the eighth Redbird player to reach 100 career catches with his sixth catch of the game--a catch which set up ISU's field goal to tie the game at 17-17 in the final minute of the first half.
- Laurént Robinson's career-high 12 catches moved him into sixth place on the all-time ISU career receptions list with 106. He was the first Redbird in two seasons to have double-digit receptions in a game. Only two players have caught more in a game for ISU.
- Laurént Robinson's 126 yards receiving vs. WKU moved him into fifth place all-time on the ISU career receiving yards list with 1,420.
- Brent Hawkins' sack gave him 5.5 on the season and 12.5 in his career at ISU. He also has forced two fumbles and recovered one this season.
- The Redbirds tried for a fourth down conversion once and didn't make it, falling to 1-for-10 for the season on fourth-down tries.
- Kye Stewart's interception for a touchdown gave ISU 15 turnovers forced for the season--they only had 14 all year in 2004.
- The last three ISU-WKU games all have been decided by three points--all in the Toppers' favor.
- Illinois State is 4-3 in overtime games.
Western Kentucky Notes:
- The Hilltoppers came into the game as the #3 ranked team in the country by The Sports Network and ESPN/USA Today.
- Larron Moore's 190 yards rushing were the most allowed by an Illinois State defense this season. He had 128 in the first half.
- Lerron Moore became the fifth player to rush for over 3,000 in his career at WKU. He has 3,138 career rushing yards.
- The 16th straight 100-yard rushing game for Lerron Moore ties him for eighth place on the GFC career list.
- Kicker Chris James has connected on 56 consecutive PATs, breaking the school record previously held by Jeff Poisel.
- Illinois State's defense had not given up more than 140 yards rushing in a game this season, but WKU had 143 at halftime and 233 for the game.
- Justin Haddix's three touchdown passes tied his career high at Western Kentucky.
- Justin Haddix moved into second-place on the WKU all-time list for pass completions in a career with 301.
