NORMAL – After being stalled throughout most of the game, the No. 3-ranked Illinois State football team captured its 17th straight home victory with a 27-24 win over No. 21 Indiana State on a rainy, overcast Saturday afternoon at Hancock Stadium.
The Redbirds (7-1, 5-0 MVFC) extended their home winning streak, the longest in the nation at the FCS level, by marching down the field on an eight-play, 82-yard drive capped off by a five-yard touchdown run by quarterback Tre Roberson on a bootleg in the fourth quarter. The score put the 'Birds ahead and a two-point conversion attempt was punched in by Marshaun Coprich to give Illinois State some insurance with a 27-24 lead over the Sycamores (4-4, 2-3 MVFC), who could not get anything going on their ensuing drive which was stalled after four plays by the Redbirds' defense.
The go-ahead score came on the back end of a drive based exclusively on the rushing attack, as all eight of the plays came on the ground. It was a sudden offensive explosion that came at the perfect time for the 'Birds, after their offense had struggled most of the day due to a strong defensive showing from the Sycamores. However, the offense came alive late, as Roberson rushed for 61 yards and two touchdowns on the day, and Coprich tallied his seventh-straight 100-yard rushing game with 165 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.
The defense was led by David Perkins, who finished with one sack and disrupted Indiana State quarterback Matt Adam throughout the day with his pressure on the pass rush. Perkins finished with 10 tackles, while Dalton Keene added five stops with a sack and 2.5 tackles-for-loss. Teddy Corwin added two tackles-for-loss, while Alec Kocour led the 'Birds with 13 total tackles.
The action began to heat up early in the game when the Redbirds could not punch the ball into the end zone, after being stopped on four straight plays inside the five-yard line. However, the Illinois State defense broke through the line to bring the Sycamores' quarterback down for a safety to take an early 2-0 lead. Roberson then capped off an eight-play drive with a 10-yard rushing score on a scramble by diving into the end zone to push the lead to 9-0 early in the second quarter.
The Sycamores took complete control of the game, though, as they tallied 24 straight points to take a 24-9 lead in the third quarter before the Redbirds bounced back with 18 unanswered points of their own. Indiana State was able to take the lead behind an outstanding passing attack from Adam and the Sycamores' receiving corps.Â
Adam connected with Robert Tonyan throughout the entire game, most notably with three straight touchdowns to end the first half. Tonyan hauled in the three scores, while finishing with nine catches for 117 yards, and Adam finished 19-for-30 for 231 yards and three scores. Adam hooked up with Tonyan on an 18-yard touchdown and then found his receiver again on a 10-yard score and an ensuing two-point conversion try to take a 15-9 lead. The pair then connected on a 19-yard passing score to take a 21-9 advantage heading into halftime.
A 38-yard field goal from Sycamores' placekicker Eric Heidorn opened up the scoring in the second half, but the Redbird offense bounced back with a quick three-play scoring drive. Roberson connected with Anthony Warrum for passes of 22 and nine yards, respectively, before Coprich broke loose for a 44-yard rushing score in which he bolted through a wide open hole provided by the offensive line before splitting a pair of defenders and sprinting into the end zone to cut the lead to 24-16 with 2:33 left in the third quarter.
Illinois State then opened the fourth quarter with a huge momentum swing, when Nathan Iloilo blocked an Indiana State punt to give the Redbirds great field position, and they responded with a 23-yard field goal from Sean Slattery to trim the lead to 24-19. After a pair of Indiana State drives and one Illinois State possession, the Redbirds were able to break free with their game-winning touchdown drive. Coprich tallied 45 yards on four carries during the final drive before Roberson capped it off.
After the win that helped the Redbirds maintain first place atop the Missouri Valley, they will now hit the road for a tilt against nationally-ranked South Dakota State, next Saturday at 2 p.m., in Brookings, S.D.Â
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