NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State needed a late defensive stand to withstand a comeback from Valparaiso Saturday night, but the Redbirds (1-1) came up with big stops when they needed them to come away with a 28-21 win over the Beacons (0-2) at Hancock Stadium in front of 6,937 fans at the home opener.
How It Happened:
•   The Redbirds struck first, as Zack Annexstad connected with running back Nigel White for a 35-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-0 halfway through the first quarter.
•   Valparaiso answered with a nine-play scoring drive that was capped off by an eight-yard touchdown pass from Mason Kaplan to Matt Ross to tie the game at 7-7 with just over a minute left in the first quarter.
•   The Beacons then took the lead when Caleb Rao recovered a muffed punt in the endzone to make it 14-7 just over two minutes into the second quarter.Â
•   On the ensuing kickoff, kick returner Jalen Carr answered immediately leaping a would-be defender before running 98 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 14-14.
•   With 8:45 left before halftime, the Redbirds regained the lead for the first time since early in the first quarter when Annexstad called his own number and ran into the endzone from eight yards out to make it 21-14.
•   The Redbirds extended the lead to 28-14, when Annexstad connected with tight end Bryson Deming for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 5:47 left in the third quarter.
•   Valparaiso narrowed the lead to 28-21 on a 14-yard pass from Kaplan to Evan Jernegan with 2:47 left in the game.
•   The Beacons then recovered the on-side kick, but were turned away by the Redbird defense after an interception by Jeff Bowens.
•   After Valparaiso got the ball back by holding the Redbirds on fourth-and-inches, the ISU defense stepped up big again on a sack by Zeke Vandenburgh and an interception by West that sealed the victory.
Game Notes: Â Â
•   The 98-yard kickoff return for touchdown by Carr was the first for the Redbirds since 2017, when Christian Uphoff returned one 100 yards at South Dakota State.
•   Annexstad completed 64 percent of his passes in the victory for the Redbirds and accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in his first start at Hancock Stadium.
•   Redshirt freshman tailback Wenkers Wright recorded his first career 100-plus yard rushing effort, finishing the game with 101 yards on 21 carries thanks to a strong second half that saw him rush for 85 yards to seal the win.
•   Senior captain Zeke Vandenburgh set a career high with three sacks in the win for the Redbirds and led the way with 12 tackles to go along with a forced fumble.
•   Dillon Gearhart also had a career night, recording two sacks, three TFLs and recording one interception in the contest.
•   Jeremiah Jordan (9) and Jude Okolo (7) also had career-best efforts in tackles for the Redbirds.
•   The interceptions by West and Bowens were their first in a Redbird uniform.
•   For the second week in a row, transfer Sy Dabney recorded a sack and finished with five tackles for ISU.
Next Up:
Illinois State welcomes in longtime foe Eastern Illinois next Saturday for the 110th meeting of the Mid-America Classic, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. at Hancock Stadium.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
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