Aug. 20, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
Reeling from back-to-back three-point conference defeats, Illinois State traveled to McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Ill., on Oct. 15, 2005, starving for a win. The challenge was immense as Southern Illinois entered the game ranked No. 1 nationally, but the Redbirds put on a clinic as unranked ISU notched a 61-35 victory over the top-ranked Salukis. The dominating ISU performance has been selected as the most memorable Redbird football game in Redbird All-Access' countdown of the best televised games in recent history.
The Brian Thompson put the `Birds on the board with a 1-yard plunge, following a fumble recovery by Kye Stewart. ISU took a 14-0 lead when Luke Drone connected with Pierre Jackson on a 6-yard touchdown pass and Thompson scored his second touchdown with an 8-yard run at the 2:38 mark in the first quarter.
SIU responded with a pair of touchdowns to open the second quarter, but the Redbirds withstood the rally by rattling off 27 unanswered points. In between a pair of Kevin Mazur field goals, the Redbirds scored three touchdowns in the second frame, including another catch by Jackson and two more runs by Thompson.
Leading 48-21, Illinois State increased the lead when Drone found a wide-open Laurént Robinson on a 60-yard touchdown pass to close out the third quarter. Pierre Rembert pushed the Redbird point total to 61 points with an 8-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Thompson finished with 165 yards rushing and four touchdowns, while Drone passed for 319 yards on 23-for-29 passing. Robinson was the leading receiver for the Redbirds with nine catches for 180 yards. Kye Stewart led the way defensively with 11 tackles.
This concludes the weekly countdown of the most memorable televised games on GoRedbirds.com. The discount of 25 percent off an annual subscription to Redbird All-Access will be offered through Aug. 26. Redbird All-Access provides ISU fans and alums with hundreds of hours of video including live webcasts of football, volleyball, soccer, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball and softball. There is also access to game-day features, season highlights, exclusive interviews and classic games.
