SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Illinois State football team was dominant throughout the day, finishing with a 38-2 victory over Missouri State on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Plaster Field in front of 14,212 fans on Homecoming in Springfield, Mo.
The Redbirds (5-1, 3-0 MVFC) defeated the Bears (1-5, 0-3 MVFC) for the fifth time in their last seven tries. Wide receiver Anthony Warrum exploded for seven catches, totaling a career-best 194 yards with three touchdowns. Warrum hauled in touchdown receptions of 20, 34 and 75 yards in a stellar performance for the junior wide out. Tre Roberson finished 15-of-23 for 304 yards and three touchdowns to capture his first 300-plus yard passing game of the season and third in his career. Marshaun Coprich carried the ball 16 times for 139 yards and scored twice on his way to breaking the ISU career all-purpose yards record, finishing the day at 4,491 career all-purpose yards.
Once again, the Redbird offense set the tone with a fast start, finishing off an eight-play, 83-yard drive on their first possession with the first connection between Roberson and Warrum on the day. Less than six minutes of game time later, Roberson found Warrum for a 34-yard touchdown to take an early 14-0 lead.
With ISU's first two plays of the second quarter, the team totaled 151 yards and two scores. On the Redbirds' first play of the quarter, Coprich broke free off tackle through a huge hole provided by the Redbirds' offensive line and exploded up the left sideline, outrunning a host of Bears' defenders, sprinting for a 76-yard touchdown. Following a three-and-out forced by the ISU defense, Roberson connected with Warrum on a breakout 75-yard touchdown with the receiver hauling in the pass on the left sideline and cutting across the field and breaking away from several defensive backs.
ISU placekicker Sean Slattery then booted a 39-yard field goal through the uprights to give his team a commanding 31-0 lead going into halftime. Throughout the first half, the Redbird defense stood strong time and again, holding MSU to just seven first downs on just 105 total yards of offense, compared to ISU's 379 yards. The scoring subsided in the second half, as the 'Birds only found themselves in the end zone once on a one-yard third quarter plunge by Coprich and the Bears added a safety midway through the fourth quarter to avoid a shutout and account for the 38-2 final score.
The Illinois State defense was led by Soniel Estime and his career-high 11 total tackles, which included six solo stops from his safety position. Alejandro Rivera added a career-high eight tackles of his own, while David Kenney and DraShane Glass both tallied seven total tackles, including 0.5 tackles-for-loss apiece. Jalen Battle also stood out with six tackles and 1.5 TFLs, while Matt McCown, Brannon Barry and Dalton Keene all added one sack.
The Redbirds will now return home to take on in-state rival Western Illinois in their 2015 Homecoming contest. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Hancock Stadium next Saturday, and the game will be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago and streamed on ESPN3. Â
GoRedbirds.com: Â Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
