NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State wide receiver Eyad Salem tied yet another school record with 100 yards receiving in his third consecutive game as he helped the Redbirds defeat Indiana State, 38-21, in Saturday's homecoming contest at Hancock Stadium.
Salem, a senior from Elgin, Ill, led all receivers with nine catches for 133 yards to tie former Redbird receiver Laurent Robinson and added the 17th touchdown reception of his career as Illinois State (3-4, 2-2 MVFC) handed the Sycamores (0-7, 0-4 MVFC) their 33rd-consecutive loss. Senior running back Geno Blow rushed scored twice from one-yard out, to move into seventh-place all-time with 18 career touchdowns. Redbird quarterback Matt Brown was 19-of-26 for 243 yards with two touchdowns.
Illinois State and Indiana State combined for 31 plays in the first 15:51 minutes without a score - with both team's opening drives ending with a missed field goal try. The Redbirds made good on their second possession of the contest, taking the ball 79 yards on three plays for the first score of the game. Brown found Tyrone Walker on the left side of the end zone for a 28-yard strike and spurred a 17-0 by the Redbirds. Walker finished the game with three catches for 44 yards.
On the ensuing drive, Illinois State senior defensive lineman Bert Whigham blocked an Indiana State punt and recovered the ball at the 13 to set up Blow's first one-yard scamper. Illinois State added a 38-yard field goal from Zach Kutch on the next drive to cap the unanswered run.
The Sycamores posted their first points of the game on a 17-yard scramble by quarterback Ryan Roberts, but the Redbirds answered immediately with another 28-yard pass from Brown, this time to Salem, to give Illinois State a 24-7 halftime advantage.
Illinois State continued its push on the ground in the second half with Blow finding the end zone again on the team's first possession. The Sycamores wrapped two touchdowns around another Redbird score, but couldn't get pull close before the final bell.
Indiana State rushed for 218 yards as a team and were led by Antoine Brown's 17-carry, 102-yard effort. Roberts finished the game with 70 yards rushing and completed 10-of-16 passes for 136 yards. Bryant Kent was the Sycamores leading receiver with four catches for 97 yards and a late score.
The win marked the 44th homecoming win for the Redbirds and was seen by 11,514 fans at Hancock.
The Redbirds have a bye week next week and will continue Missouri Valley Football Conference play Oct. 31, when they travel to Springfield, Mo., to battle Missouri State. The Bears will host the Redbirds on Halloween with a 1 p.m. at the Plaster Sports Complex.
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