No. 6 ISU Scores 28 Unanswered Points To Beat SIU, 42-21

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Illinois State football team used an explosive second-half rushing attack to avoid a potential upset, defeating Southern Illinois, 42-21, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Carbondale.

After trailing 21-14 at halftime, the Redbirds (8-2, 6-1 MVFC) stormed back against the Salukis (3-7, 2-5 MVFC) with 28 unanswered points in the second half behind the two-headed rushing attack of Marshaun Coprich and Tre Roberson, who combined for five touchdowns, while Jamal Towns added another rushing score.

Coprich was the workhorse once again for ISU, sprinting his way to 254 yards on 29 carries and three touchdowns. The 254 yards were four yards short of his career high of 258, which he set against Eastern Washington in the FCS Quarterfinals on Dec. 13, 2014. Roberson, who struggled through the air, finishing 4-for-13 for 88 yards, was able to get it done on the ground with 89 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.

The game was scoreless until early in the second quarter, when SIU quarterback Mark Iannotti found Adam Fuehne for a seven-yard score to take the first lead of the game, but ISU fired back immediately with an eight-play, 57-yard drive culminating in Coprich's first score of the day from 11 yards out for a 7-7 tie. 

Following another Iannotti passing score, Towns broke free up the middle for a 40-yard rushing score, sprinting past several Saluki defenders on his way to knotting the score at 14-14 with 3:07 left before halftime. However, the Salukis took a 21-14 lead into the locker room after Iannotti found Billy Reed in the back of the end zone with four seconds on the clock. 

The 'Birds came out fired up in the second half, though, holding the Salukis to a three-and-out on their first drive before methodically marching down the field to tie it up at 21-21. Roberson found receiver Christian Gibbs on a deep pass for 41 yards to set up Roberson's first score of the game from 23 yards out, during which the quarterback bounced off right tackle to the pylon. Following a fumble recovery by Jalen Battle on the ensuing kickoff, Roberson punched in a 13-yarder off left tackle three plays later for ISU's first lead of the game and the 'Birds did not look back. 

Following another stand by the ISU defense, Coprich and Roberson combined for 78 yards rushing on their third drive of the game in which Coprich capped off a seven-play drive with a 22-yard score to take a commanding 35-21 lead late in the third quarter. Senior linebacker Pat Meehan recovered a fumble forced by safety DraShane Glass and Meehan returned it 74 yards inside the 10-yard line, although an ISU fumble inside the five stalled the ensuing drive. The ISU defense stood strong to force an SIU punt, and after the teams traded drives, Coprich took a 75-yard run to pay dirt for his third score of the game for some insurance to round out the scoring at 42-21.

Dalton Keane led the ISU defense with a career-best 11 total tackles, including two tackles-for-loss, a half sack and a forced fumble. Alejandro Rivera also chipped in 11 tackles and a pair of TFLs while Teddy Corwin added nine tackles and his fourth career interception.

The Redbirds return home for the final game of the regular season next Saturday against South Dakota (5-5, 3-4 MVFC). With a win against the Coyotes, the Redbirds will claim at least a share of the Valley Football crown for the second-straight year. The game will be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago and streamed live on ESPN3.

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