No. 12 Redbirds Fly Away With Mid-America Classic Trophy After 21-3 Win

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The No. 12 ranked Illinois State football team scored on its first drive of the game and never looked back, as the Redbirds (2-1) retained possession of the Mid-America Classic trophy with a 21-3 victory at O'Brien Field over the Eastern Illinois Panthers (0-3) Saturday in the 108th meeting between the two squads.

How It Happened:
•    The Redbirds took the opening kickoff and marched methodically downfield, as James Robinson carried the ball six times for 54 yards and capped off the 7-play scoring drive with a 6-yard touchdown run to give ISU a 7-0 lead.
•    Robinson was back at in the second quarter as he found his way into the endzone for the second time of the day, this time from 7 yards out to extend the ISU lead to 14-0.
•    Just before halftime, the Panthers put their only points of the game on the scoreboard via a Josh Delgado 34-yard field goal to make it 14-3 at halftime.
•    Robinson capped off a stellar day with his third touchdown of the contest, when he broke loose for a 52-yard touchdown in the third quarter to make it 21-3 in favor of the Redbirds.

Game Notes:    
•    Robinson finished the game with 146 yards and tied his career high with three touchdown runs … it marked his second-straight game scoring a trio of touchdowns and going over 100 yards on the ground.
•    Jeff Proctor had his best game as a Redbird, rushing for a career-best 71 yards on 17 carries against the Panthers.
•    Dylan Draka led the way for the Redbirds with seven total tackles and added a tackle for loss.
•    Romeo McKnight was disruptive all day, recording 2.5 sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss on the contest.
•    Freshman Josh Dinga recorded his first career sack late in the contest.
•    In total, the Redbird defense tallied eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss against the Panthers and held them to just 197 yards of total offense.
•    The win was the third-straight for the Redbirds in the series, the third straight for ISU in Charleston, and their fifth win in the last six games overall against the Panthers.
•    With the win, the Redbirds extended their advantage in the all-time series to 57-42-9. 

Up Next:
Illinois State returns home to Hancock Stadium next Saturday to welcome in Northern Arizona, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

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