KALAMAZOO, Mich. – It was a tough night offensively for Illinois State (1-1), as the Western Michigan (1-1) defense shut down the Redbirds and earned a 28-0 victory Saturday night at Waldo Stadium in front of over 18,000 fans.
How It Happened:
•   The Broncos scored on the opening drive of the game, when La'Darius Jefferson scored from one yard out to cap off an 11-play, 75-yard drive to make it 7-0 for WMU just over five minutes into the game.
•   Western Michigan would tack on seven more points with just under three minutes left in the half, when Sean Tyler scored from three yards out to make it 14-0 at the half.
•   A 24-yard touchdown pass from Kaleb Eleby to Jaylen Hall with 9:40 to play in the third quarter made in 21-0 in favor of the Broncos.
•   Jefferson scored his second touchdown of the game, this one from four yards out, to extend the Western Michigan advantage to 28-0 with 1:31 left in the third quarter.
Game Notes: Â Â
•   Linebacker Kenton Wilhoit led the Redbirds with a career-high nine tackles against the Broncos.
•   ISU forced a pair of fumbles, one each by Jude Okolo and Jeremiah Jordan, for the only two turnovers of the game for the Redbirds.
•   Linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh recorded the only sack of the day for the Redbird defense, which accumulated four tackles-for-loss against Western Michigan.
•   Punter JT Bohlken averaged 49.8 yards per punt on nine attempts, with six punts over 50 yards and two downed inside the 20-yard line.Â
•   The shutout for the Redbirds was the first since 2012, when they were defeated 17-0 by Southern Illinois on Oct. 6.
Up Next:
Illinois State heads to Charleston, Illinois, to compete in the 109th Mid-America Classic against the Eastern Illinois Panthers (0-3) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at O'Brien Field.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
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