BROOKINGS, S.D. – It was an extremely cold day in Brookings, South Dakota, on Saturday as Illinois State travelled to take on No. 1 ranked South Dakota State. After taking an early lead on a special teams touchdowns, the Redbirds (5-5, 3-4 MVFC) were stymied the rest of the way by the Jackrabbits (10-1, 8-0 MVFC) who scored 31 unanswered points to secure a 31-7 victory at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
How It Happened:
• The Redbirds grabbed the first lead of the game on special teams, as Dillon Gearhart shot a gap and blocked the Hunter Dustman punt attempt which rolled into the endzone and was recovered by Sy Dabney for the touchdown to make it 7-0 with 1:40 left in the first quarter.
• South Dakota State trimmed that lead with 12:40 left in the second quarter on a 22-yard field goal by Dustman to make it 7-3 in favor of the Redbirds.
• The Jackrabbits then took the lead with 3:11 before halftime as quarterback Mark Gronowski ran it in from six yards out to give SDSU a 10-7 advantage.
• As time expired in the first half, Dustman connected from 45 yards to make the score 13-7 for the Jackrabbits.
• The Jackrabbits extended their lead to 21-7 with 7:09 left in the third quarter, as they took advantage of a Redbird turnover and marched down the field for a score as Isaiah Davis ran it in from eight yards out and Gronowski added a two-point conversion run to give SDSU the 14-point advantage.
• Just before the end of the third quarter, Gronowski connected on a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Heins to extend the SDSU lead to 28-7 with 53 seconds left in the quarter.
• Dustman's third field goal of the day, this one from 35 yards, widened the SDSU lead to 31-7 with 6:39 remaining in the contest.
Game Notes:
• The blocked punt by the Redbirds was their first since the Southern Illinois game in 2021.
• Defensive captain Zeke Vandenburgh had a career day for the Redbirds, tying his career high with three sacks and setting a personal best with four TFLs to go along with 10 tackles, an interception and a pass breakup.
• Vandenburgh's interception in the first quarter was the first of his career, as he became the sixth different player to record an interception for the Redbirds this season.
Next Up:
The Redbirds will wrap up the regular season at home next Saturday against Western Illinois, with kickoff set for 11 a.m. at Hancock Stadium.
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