NORMAL, Ill. – One week after suffering their first loss of the season, No. 12 Illinois State (8-1, 5-1 MVFC) bounced back, dropping No. 10 Youngstown State (7-3, 4-2 MVFC), 35-21, Saturday afternoon at Hancock Stadium.
ISU grabbed sole possession of second place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, behind two strong performances from junior transfer quarterback Tre Roberson and junior running back Marshaun Coprich. Roberson connected with senior wide receiver Cameron Meredith for a 29-yard touchdown to put the Redbirds ahead, 28-21, and they never looked back. Meredith finished with 101 yards receiving.
Roberson finished the game 16-for-24 with 178 yards passing and two touchdowns. He added 79 yards rushing and a touchdown late in the game to seal the Redbird victory. Roberson's leadership and poise helped ISU stay relaxed even after falling behind by a touchdown three separate times throughout the game.
Coprich continued his historic streak of 100-plus yard rushing performances with his ninth-straight to start the season. He added two scores on 144 yards rushing. The two touchdowns lifted him into second place on ISU's single-season rushing touchdowns list with 17, passing Pierre Rembert (2006).
The Redbird defense was exploited in the first half, giving up 325 yards of total offense, but the second half was a different story, as ISU shut down the Penguins' offensive attack, giving up only 86 yards and no scores. The Penguins exploded early with a 13-play, 86-yard opening drive finished off by a dump pass over the middle from Hunter Wells to Martin Ruiz to beat the Redbird blitz.
ISU got on the board during its second possession, highlighted by a long scramble from Roberson that set up Coprich's first touchdown of the game from two yards out to tie the game at 7-7.
Youngstown State answered immediately with a quick 4-play, 96-yard drive that broke open with a 68-yard pass from Wells to Andre Stubbs, followed by an 11-yard rushing score from Jody Webb on a counter play. Webb's shifty run followed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which put the Penguins inside the red zone.
Roberson connected with senior tight end James O'Shaughnessy on a six-yard passing touchdown on ISU's next drive to tie the game at 14-14. The catch was O'Shaughnessy's fifth receiving touchdown of the season, with all of the scores coming in the last four games. A trick play capped a third-consecutive touchdown drive, as the Penguins dug deep into their playbook, pulling out a flea flicker from Wells to a wide-open Andrew Williams for a 39-yard score.
The first half ended with a blocked field goal from defensive lineman Collin Keoshian. The senior's block stopped the Penguins from entering halftime with momentum and just a seven-point lead at 21-14.
Bottled up for almost the entire first half, Coprich broke loose on the opening drive of the third quarter, exploding for 55 yards and his second rushing touchdown of the game. His score tied the game, 21-21. With the Penguins driving deep into Redbird territory, sophomore linebacker Oshay Dunmore came up with a momentum-shifting sack to push Youngstown State back, and their field goal attempt was blocked by senior defensive lineman Bradon Prate to keep the game tied.
After Meredith's go-ahead touchdown, the Redbird defense came up with two big stops, and Roberson broke away for a 36-yard score, using his quick first step to blow past several defenders to put the game away. The Redbirds hit the road next week as they travel to South Dakota to take on the Coyotes in Vermillion, S.D., at 1 p.m.
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