NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State defense came up time and time again Saturday against No. 13 ranked Northern Iowa, as the Redbirds (4-5, 2-4 MVFC) took advantage of a pick six and nine tackles-for-loss to come away with a 17-10 win over the Panthers (5-4, 3-3 MVFC) in overtime at Hancock Stadium.
How It Happened:
• The Redbird defense struck first on the day, as Clayton Isbell stepped in front of a Theo Day pass and returned it 40 yards for the touchdown to put ISU up 7-0 with 4:11 left in the first quarter.
• A 44-yard field goal by Aidan Bresnahan into the wind in the second quarter then extended the Redbird lead to 10-0 with three seconds left in the first half.
• After a scoreless third quarter, the Panthers finally put points on the scoreboard on a 27-yard field goal by Matthew Cook to trim the Redbird lead to 10-3 with 9:48 left in the contest.
• UNI would then tie the game at 10-10 with 2:35 left on a four-yard touchdown pass from Day to Sam Schnee.
• The Panthers had the ball at the end of regulation, but a sack by Jeremiah Jordan forced a stop and sent the game into overtime.
• Illinois State had the first possession of overtime and two plays in, Jackson Waring connected with Austin Nagel on a 27-yard touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone to put the Redbirds up 17-10.
• UNI picked up a first down on its ensuing possession, but the ISU defense forced the Panthers into a 4th-and-7 and the pass from Day went incomplete as the Redbirds secured the overtime victory.
Game Notes:
• The overtime win for the Redbirds was their first since a 34-31 win on the road at Eastern Illinois on Sept. 19, 2015.
• It was ISU's second-straight win over a ranked opponent, following its 20-14 win over No. 15 South Dakota two weeks ago.
• The pick six by Isbell was the first of his career and the third interception return for a touchdown by the Redbirds this season … the interception was his third overall this year and the fifth of his career.
• Zeke Vandenburgh led the Redbird defense with a career-high 14 tackles, two sacks and a career-high 3.0 TFLs.
• Jordan recorded a pair of sacks to set a new career best and up his season total to three.
• The nine tackles for Iverson Brown were also a career high for the safety.
• Eight tackles for Franky West were a career-high for the sophomore cornerback and he added a pair of pass breakups in the win.
• JT Bohlken set career highs with 12 punt attempts and 516 total punt yards, which is the most at Hancock Stadium and in a Redbird MVFC game and the second-highest total in school history … he finished the day averaging 43.0 yards per punt with four inside the 20 and two over 50 yards.
Up Next:
Illinois State heads to Grand Forks, North Dakota, to take on the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (4-5, 2-4 MVFC) for the first time in MVFC play. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Alerus Center.
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