Redbirds Fall To No. 1 Bison, 28-14, At The Fargodome

FARGO, N.D. – The No. 7 ranked Illinois State Redbirds (5-2, 2-2 MVFC) fell to No. 1 North Dakota State (7-0, 4-0 MVFC) by a final score of 28-14 in front of 18,553 fans at the Fargodome Saturday afternoon in a matchup of two of the top teams in the FCS.

How It Happened:
•    On the opening drive of the game, North Dakota State running back Lance Dunn rushed in for a touchdown from four yards out to give NDSU a 7-0 lead with 11:46 remaining in the first quarter.
•    NDSU wide receiver Dallas Freeman then took a sweep handoff from nine yards out to score with 11:18 left in the first half to make it 14-0 over the Redbirds 
•    Dunn would cross the end zone line one more time in the first half with 1:11 remaining, as the Bison took a 21-0 lead over ISU into halftime.    
•    The Bison scored on their first drive in the second half, after a big punt return by wide receiver Darrius Shephard that set up a two-yard touchdown run by Dunn with 12:40 left in the third quarter to bring the score to 28-0.         
•    Illinois State put together an eight-play, 99-yard drive that was capped off by a James Robinson 11-yard touchdown run with 1:38 remaining in the third quarter to get on the scoreboard and make it 28-7.      
•    Redbird quarterback Brady Davis connected on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Spencer Schnell with 6:46 left in the game to make the score 28-14, which is where the game would stay as the Bison picked up the victory to remain undefeated on the season.

Game Notes:    
•    Robinson eclipsed the century mark for the third straight game and for the fifth time in six contests, as he carried the ball 20 times for 128 yards with a touchdown. His 128 yards are the most the Bison defense has given up this year to a back.    
•    Davis finished the day 12-of-24 for 206 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
•    Schnell caught five passes for 112 yards to notch his second 100-plus yard performance of the season and recorded his sixth touchdown reception of the season.
•    Defensively, the Redbirds were led by Willie Edwards, who was the only Redbird with double digit tackles with a career-best 11 including seven solos. 
•    Zachary Mathews had nine tackles to up his team-leading total to 63 on the season, and Mitchell Brees had seven tackles with an interception.   

Up Next:
Illinois State will return to Hancock Stadium next Saturday, as they host No. 2 ranked South Dakota State on Family Weekend. Kickoff is set for noon, and fans can listen to the game on WJBC AM 1230, 93.7 FM and on the TuneIn app.

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