Turnovers Cost No. 7 Illinois State in 27-10 Loss to No. 9 UNI

NORMAL, Ill. – Four costly turnovers doomed No. 7 Illinois State Saturday afternoon, as the Redbirds (6-3, 3-2 MVFC) gave No. 9 UNI (6-3, 4-1 MVFC) prime scoring opportunities off giveaways in the fourth quarter that allowed the Panthers to secure a 27-10 victory at Hancock Stadium.

How It Happened:
•    The Panthers broke a scoreless tie with 3:28 to play in the first quarter, when Will McElvain connected with Jaylin James on an 11-yard touchdown pass to give UNI a 7-0 lead.
•    Illinois State answered on its next possession and tied the game on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Brady Davis to Braxton Haley to make it 7-7 just four seconds into the second quarter.
•    UNI took advantage of an interception late in the quarter and took a 14-7 lead with 11 seconds left before the end of the half on a 16-yard pass from McElvain to Suni Lane.
•    As the third quarter wound down, Sam Fenlason connected on a 34-yard field goal to trim the UNI lead to 14-10 with under a minute to play before the start of the final quarter of play.
•    The Panthers pulled away in the fourth quarter, as McElvain and Lane connected for the second time on the afternoon for a 27-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-10 with 11 minutes left in the game.
•    Two field goals down the stretch set up by turnovers by the Redbirds put the game out of reach, as Matthew Cook connected from 23 and 33 yards respectively to bring the score to its final at 27-10.

Game Notes:    
•    Haley led the way for the Redbird offense with a season-high six catches for 52 yards with the game's only touchdown.
•    Luther Kirk led all tacklers with 10 stops, while Romeo McKnight added a career-high nine stops with a TFL and a pass breakup.
•    The interception by Devin Taylor in the second quarter was his second of the season and sixth of his career at Illinois State. 
•    With his tackle-for-loss against the Panthers, Brandon Simon has now recorded at least one TFL in three of the past four games.

Up Next:
Illinois State travels outside the state lines for the first time this season, when the Redbirds travel to Brookings, South Dakota, for a big road contest at No. 4 South Dakota State next Saturday. Kickoff at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium is set for 2 p.m.

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