NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State shut out an opponent for the first time since 2005, as the Redbird football team beat Mississippi Valley State, 62-0, Saturday evening in front of 10,243 fans at Hancock Stadium.
Transfer quarterback Tre Roberson shined in his Redbird debut, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for two touchdowns, for a total of 41 rushing yards and 204 passing yards, completing 10-of-15 passes. Meanwhile, Marshaun Coprich set a career-high with 169 yards rushing while earning his fifth-career game with over 100 yards on the ground.
MVSU's opening possession did not last long after quarterback, Patrick Ivy, threw an interception to Redbird free safety, DraShane Glass. The Redbirds proceeded to drive 43 yards to score the first touchdown of the night, finished by an 18-yard rush from Roberson. Â
Later in the first quarter, Roberson scored his second touchdown of the night with a 5-yard rush. At the end of the first quarter, the Redbirds led the Delta Devils, 13-0.
The Redbirds struck first in the second quarter when Coprich finished the eight-play, 83-yard drive with an 11-yard rush for a touchdown to take a 20-0 lead. ISU closed out the first half scoring when wide receiver, Lechein Neblett, caught a 24-yard pass from Roberson to gain a 27-point lead.
Coprich continued his record-setting game by rushing for another touchdown with 10:25 left in the third quarter. ISU scored two more times in the third quarter with a 40-yard pass from Roberson to tight end, Joe Farmer, which was Farmer's first career-catch. That was followed by a 47-yard pass from backup quarterback, Blake Winkler, to wide receiver, Anthony Warrum, to put Illinois State up 48-0.
The Redbirds proceeded to score in the fourth quarter, with Winkler under center, on a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver, Scott Kuehn, and line-backer, Jalen Battle, returned a 12-yard interception for another touchdown.Â
ISU's defense helped in the win by forcing their first shut-out in the last nine years. Illinois State collected two sacks and 73 tackles in the victory.
Off to a 1-0 start, the Redbirds return to Hancock Stadium next Saturday, Sept. 13 versus in-state rival Eastern Illinois. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT, with tickets available on GoRedbirds.com, by calling (309) 438-8000 or by visiting the Illinois State Athletics ticket office. The game will also be televised live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
GoRedbirds.com:Â Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
