NORMAL, Ill. – In a highly-anticipated matchup between Top-10 FCS teams, No. 4-ranked Illinois State defeated the No. 6 Northern Iowa, 21-13, on a windy, overcast Saturday afternoon in front of a second-straight sold out crowd (13,391) at Hancock Stadium.
With the win, the Redbirds extended their home winning streak to 15 games in a row and have now won four out of the last five meetings against the Panthers.
The Redbirds (3-1, 1-0 MVFC) defated the Panthers (2-2, 0-1 MVFC) for the second-straight time behind the strong running of All-American running back Marshaun Coprich. The senior took sole place of the ISU career rushing yards record, passing Toby Davis (3,702) and finishing the game with 3,738 yards. He carried the ball 33 times for the second-consecutive week for 169 yards and two touchdowns, while shouldering another big workload for the 'Birds and leading them to a victory in the MVFC opener. For the Redbirds' stout defense, tight end Brannon Barry was used a defensive end and the redshirt freshman had an outstanding game, finishing a big day with two sacks and an interception off a deflected pass.
ISU got off to a hot start, finishing off a 12-play, 75-yard drive with a one-yard plunge by Coprich to take control of the game early. The touchdown drive was set up by three straight completions from Jake Kolbe to Bryce Jefferson and a key 13-yard quarterback keeper from Tre Roberson. Jefferson finished with five catches for 43 yards in a solid performance from the true freshman.
In the second quarter, Coprich capped a quick scoring drive with a two-yard run to give the 'Birds a 14-0 lead after the first play of the second quarter. The Panthers fired back, however, when Tim Kilfoy picked off a Kolbe pass, who was hit as he released the ball. On the ensuing play, Aaron Bailey connected with Michael Malloy on a deep 45-yard post route to cut the lead to 14-7. After drives by each team stalled out, Coprich broke free for an explosive 61-yard run down the right sideline, which included a key downfield block from wide receiver Anthony Warrum. His run set up a 10-yard rushing score from Jamal Towns to enter halftime with a 21-7 lead.
Following a quick, fast-paced first half, the last two quarters of the game slowed down as neither team was able to put together much offense and both defenses stood tall to force several punts. The ISU defense stayed strong time and again in the red zone, forcing three field goal attempts from the Panthers. UNI placekicker Michael Schmadeke finished 2-of-3, nailing kicks of 25 and 35 yards, respectively to inch his team closer at 21-13. The Panthers missed their chances, dropping a pair of potential touchdown receptions to force Schmadeke's attempts. The ISU defense held in the final minutes as well, holding off the UNI offensive attack to take home a victory on Family Weekend.
For the ISU defense, several players stood out to help contribute to allowing just 250 yards of total offense. Alec Kocour led the unit with 11 tackles, including three solo stops and an interception, and Davontae Harris finished with 10 tackles with six solo stops. Kocour and Harris were each outstanding in pass coverage, continually locking down the Panthers' receivers. Kocour came up with his big interception on a long pass attempt from Bailey, while Harris tallied a deflected pass that led to Barry's interception.
Adam Conley, Alejandro Rivera and Dalton Keane each tallied one sack apiece, while Matt McCown and Pat Meehan each picked up a half sack. The Redbirds will now hit the road to square off against Youngstown State in another big MVFC showdown next Saturday at 6 p.m., in Youngstown, Ohio.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
