NORMAL, Ill. – A late Indiana State touchdown ruined Senior Day for Illinois State, as the Sycamores (5-6, 3-5 MVFC) scored with under four minutes to play to complete their comeback over the Redbirds (4-7, 2-6 MVFC) Saturday afternoon at Hancock Stadium in the season finale for both teams.
How It Happened:
• After a punt by the Sycamores that was returned by Spencer DeForest to the Indiana State 40-yard line, the Redbirds wasted little time putting points on the board as Jackson Waring connected with Austin Nagel on a 40-yard touchdown strike on the first play from scrimmage to make the score 7-0 just over a minute into the game.
• A 34-yard field goal by JT Bohlken as time expired before halftime made the score 10-0 in favor of the Redbirds.
• Indiana State scored its first touchdown of the day on a six-yard rushing touchdown by Kurtis Wilderman with 3:50 left in the third quarter and then converted on a two-point conversion to make the score 10-8.
• Wilderman scored his second touchdown of the game on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to give the Sycamores a 15-10 lead with 3:58 left in the contest and that would prove to be the game-winning score.
Game Notes:
• Tight end Tanner Taula led all receivers with a career-best six catches for 58 yards … Nagel finished the game with 74 yards and the touchdown on three receptions.
• Freshman running back Cole Mueller finished the season with 977 yards rushing after amassing 99 in the season finale against the Sycamores falling just short of becoming the 16th Redbird in school history to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau.
• Senior JT Bohlken averaged 45.9 yards per punt in his final game as a Redbird, with a long punt of 63 yards and five placed inside the Indiana State 20-yard line.
• Dillon Gearhart led the team with a career-best 10 tackles on the day and Jacob Powell finished the game with a career-best 2.5 TFLs against the Sycamores.
• Freshman Keondre Jackson recorded his first career sack for the Redbirds and finished the game with a career-best five tackles.
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