ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State offense scored 45 points in its win against No. 9 South Dakota State on Saturday, thanks to strong performances by quarterback Tre Roberson and running back Marshaun Coprich. For their efforts, Roberson was selected as the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week and Coprich earned MVFC Offensive Player of the Week honors from the league office Sunday.
The honors are the first for both players in their time as Redbirds and bring ISU's total to four MVFC honors this season. Linebacker Pat Meehan and offensive lineman Rocco Ammons were previously honored for their performances against Eastern Illinois and Austin Peay, respectively.
Roberson was dangerous with his arm and his legs in the Redbirds' 45-10 victory over the Jackrabbits. The junior transfer from Indiana completed seven passes for 168 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but also rushed for a career-high 151 yards on the ground to help the Redbirds pull away from the Jackrabbits. The Indianapolis, Indiana, native helped the team capitalize on three early turnovers and pull out to a 21-0 lead and later connected with Cameron Meredith for a 28-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to make the score 38-3 at the time.
On the season, Roberson has led the Redbirds to a 4-0 record as the starter, with wins over a pair of ranked opponents in Eastern Illinois and SDSU. He has completed 35-of-62 pass attempts for 753 yards and thrown nine touchdowns, while rushing for 237 yards and two scores, and leads the MVFC in passing efficiency with a mark of 196.7.
Coprich had a career day against the Jackrabbits, as he set new bests with 174 yards rushing on 24 carries (7.2 yards-per-carry) and scored a career-high four touchdowns to lead the Redbirds to the victory. The 100-plus yard rushing performance was the fourth in a row to start the season for Coprich, and his four touchdown runs tied three other players in the FCS for the most in the country on Saturday. He scored the first three of his touchdowns in the first quarter to give ISU an early 21-0 lead, and later added a five-yard score in the fourth quarter to cap off his day, which included a long run of 62 yards.
The Victorville, California, native became the first player in the MVFC to rush for four scores this year and is the first league player to do it since 2011 (Shakir Bell vs. Youngstown State; Jamaine Cook vs. Pitt). He also became the first Redbird to rush for four touchdowns in a game since 2009, when Cliffton Gordon scored four on the ground in a win over Austin Peay.
Through four games, Coprich is tied for the league lead with 10 rushing touchdowns, is second in the league in rushing yards per game at 151 per contest and has rushed for 604 yards in four wins for the Redbirds.
After playing their first four games of the season at home, Roberson, Coprich and the rest of the Redbirds will hit the road for the first time this season for matchup against nationally-ranked Indiana State on Saturday, Oct. 11. Kickoff in Terre Haute, Indiana, is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST at Memorial Stadium. The game will also be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, with Kurt Pegler and Boomer Grigsby on the call, and streamed live on ESPN3.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
