NORMAL, Ill. - A third quarter touchdown from Drew Kiel to Kelvin Chandler was not enough to propel the Illinois State football team (2-5, 1-3 MVFC) to a come-from-behind victory, as the Redbirds dropped their third-straight game overall and third-straight home contest, 25-7, to No. 25 North Dakota State (4-4, 2-3 MVFC) Saturday afternoon at Hancock Stadium.
Kiel's lone 51-yard pass that resulted in a touchdown to Chandler in the third quarter was a career-best reception for Chandler and career-best pass for Kiel. Safety Tom Nelson had a season-high 12 tackles and one fumble recovery for ISU to highlight the defense's efforts in a lopsided loss against the Bison.
ISU allowed North Dakota State's Tyler Rohl (229 yards rushing) and Pat Paschall (133 yards rushing) to run all over the Redbird defense during the game, as they racked up a total of 362 yards combined rushing yards. Rohl's rushing total was his fourth-career 200-yard rushing game. Rohl and Paschall's are the first pair of rushers this year to both gain over 100 yards rushing on the ISU defense in a single game.
The ISU defense allowed 479 total offensive yards, while the Bison held the ISU offense to 147 offensive yards.
A short-lived defensive attack in the fourth quarter led by Antonio Adams forced a fumble on NSDU quarterback Nick Mertens that was recovered by Nelson.
Illinois State was able to get on the scoreboard in the third quarter when Kiel connected with Chandler on a career-long 51-yard reception that set up the Redbird touchdown. The drive ended with a touchdown when Kiel and Chandler connected once again on a 4-yard pass.
The ISU defense was unable to stop North Dakota State's running game, as it allowed the Bison to rack up 222 yards on the ground in the first half. Nelson contributed to the defensive attack with six tackles during the first half. Illinois State ended the second half with a Kiel pass being intercepted by Nick Schommer at the NDSU 25-yard line.
The Redbirds were held to 43 total offensive yards in the first half, with tailback Parrish Fisher leading all ISU rushers with 22 yards on eight carries.
The North Dakota State offensive attack continued in the second quarter, as Roehl produced another touchdown.
North Dakota State jumped out to a 8-0 lead in the first quarter after Redbird quarterback Kevin Brockway was sacked in the ISU end zone by NDSU's Joe Lardinois in the beginning minutes of the game.
With the ball back in the Bison's hands, Tyler Roehl ran for a 46-yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked by Illinois State defensive lineman Michael Rhines.
Illinois State will conclude its current three-game home stand next Saturday (Nov. 1) when it plays host to Missouri Valley Football Conference foe Youngstown State. Kickoff from Hancock Stadium is slated for 1:30 p.m.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
