Sept. 16, 2006
Stats
NORMAL, Ill. -
NORMAL, Ill. -- Saturday night's football game between the No. 7 ranked Illinois State Redbirds and the No. 18 Eastern Illinois Panthers was the 94th meeting between the two schools and also marked the first time in which both schools had been ranked going into the game. For the fourth year in a row, the Redbirds came away with a win as the `Birds came from behind to defeat the Panthers, 44-30, in front of 12,512 fans at Hancock Stadium.
Eastern Illinois jumped out to an early lead, driving 64 yards on 10 plays to score the first points of the day. Running back Vincent Webb capped off the drive with a four-yard touchdown run to give the Panthers a 6-0 advantage and a Zach Yates extra point extended the lead to 7-0 with 7:58 left in first quarter.
A Zach Yates 33-yard field goal with 43 seconds left to play in the first quarter extended the EIU lead to 10-0. The score would remain the same until the second quarter when ISU marched 80 yards in nine plays to cut the EIU lead to three points at 10-7. Running back Pierre Rembert plunged into the end zone from one yard out for the touchdown, his first of the season, and a Kevin Mazur extra point put the `Birds within three with 12:48 left to play in the second quarter.
The Panthers would answer the Redbird touchdown later in the quarter on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Mike Donato to Micah Rucker to make the score 16-7. However, Yates' extra point attempt hit the left upright and bounced out of bounds and the lead remained nine points with 6:19 left in the half.
ISU that score was answered just over a minute later on a 55-yard touchdown pass from Luke Drone to Pierre Jackson to make the score 16-13. Mazur's second extra point of the game pulled the Redbirds within two points 16-14 with 4:59 left in the half. EIU's attempt to answer the ISU touchdown was thwarted by Jason Tate, as he recorded the first interception of his career to give the `Birds the ball back. That turnover would prove costly for the Panthers, as Drone would find Jason Horton on a 41-yard touchdown strike to give ISU its first of the game at 20-16. The ensuing two-point conversion try would fail for the Redbirds, though, and the lead would stay at four with just under two minutes left to play in the half.
EIU's next possession also ended with an interception, as James Temple snagged his first of the season and then lateraled to Tate and the ball was returned to the eight yard line. After three consecutive pass incompletions from Drone, Mazur connected on a 25-yard field goal to put ISU up 23-16 going into the locker room at halftime.
In their first drive of the second half, the Panthers tied the game at 23-23 Donato's second touchdown pass of the evening to Rucker, a 19-yard strike with 10:50 left in the third quarter. Following the Redbirds' third interception of the day, this time by Jesse Caesar, ISU regained the lead on Rembert's second touchdown run of the day. Mazur's PAT conversion then widened the lead to seven points at 30-23 with 3:50 left in the third quarter.
The seven-point lead would hold until the fourth quarter when Drone connected with Jackson on their second touchdown pass of the game, this time a four-yard completion, to widen the ISU lead to 36-23. Mazur's fourth PAT conversion of the game gave the Redbirds a 14-point lead with 12:49 left in the game.
With 4:43 left in the game, Donato's third touchdown pass of the game cut the ISU lead to seven at 37-30. However, the Redbirds would get the final score of the game on a 24-yard touchdown run by Rafael Rice with 35 seconds left in the game to extend the lead to 44-30. The game would end that way, and ISU secured its fourth-consecutive victory over the Panthers and its seventh in the last eight contests.
