NORMAL, Ill. – The 2023 season opener was a great one for Illinois State, as the Redbirds (1-0) posted their first shutout since 2018 in a 41-0 rout of the Dayton Flyers (0-1) Saturday afternoon at Hancock Stadium in front of 6,740 fans.
How It Happened:
•   Illinois State wasted little time in taking a lead, marching 75 yards in just eight plays in under two minutes to take an early 7-0 lead on a 6-yard rushing touchdown by Cole Mueller just 1:50 into the contest.
•   On the next Redbird drive, the tempo offense was efficient once again as quarterback Zack Annexstad found Daniel Sobkowicz on a 47-yard touchdown strike to cap off a 4-play, 59-yard scoring drive that took just 1:27 off the clock.
•   The ISU defense also got into the act, as an errant snap over Dayton's punter's head was recovered in the endzone by linebacker Lavoise-Deontae McCoy to make it 21-0 with under a minute left in the first quarter.
•   ISU took advantage of a missed Dayton field goal midway through the second quarter, needing just three plays to find the endzone as transfer running back Mason Blakemore broke free for a 71-yard touchdown run to make it 28-0 in favor of the Redbirds.
•   On their final drive of the first half, the Redbirds moved the lead to 31-0 as Ian Wagner connected on a 28-yard field goal with 25 seconds left before halftime.
•   Their first drive of the second half resulted in another field goal make by Wagner, who connected this time from 43 yards to make the score 34-0.
•   Illinois State's final score of the day came on a tough 4-yard rushing touchdown by running back Wenkers Wright with 2:34 left in the third quarter.
Game Notes: Â Â
•   With the win, the Redbirds are now 2-0 all-time against Dayton.
•   The shutout for the Redbirds was their first since the season opener in 2018, when ISU shut out Saint Xavier 46-0 on September 1 at Hancock Stadium.
•   The win in the home opener for ISU moves the Redbirds to 14-1 under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack.
•   With the fumble recovery in the endzone by McCoy, the Redbirds have now tallied at least one defensive touchdown in each of the 15 seasons under head coach Brock Spack.
•   The three-headed monster at running back for the Redbirds was a force to be reckoned with, as Blakemore, Wright and Mueller each found the endzone with under five attempts each.
•   Annexstad was as efficient as ever, completing 23-of-30 passes (76.6 percent) for 255 yards and a touchdown while completing passes to 10 different players.
•   Sophomore wideout Eddie Kasper recorded a career-best six receptions for 73 yards, after tallying just one catch last season for ISU.
•   Wagner scored a career-high 11 points in the win for the Redbirds, as he connected on five PATs and two field goals in the victory.
•   Redshirt freshman linebacker Tye Niekamp led the Redbird defense with nine tackles and finished the day with a half sack and two TFLs with a pass breakup.
•   Transfer linebacker Amir Abdullah also had a great first effort, as he recorded eight tackles, a sack and 1.5 TFLs for the Redbirds.
Next Up:
Illinois State will open Missouri Valley Football Conference play against Western Illinois in Macomb next Saturday, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. at Hanson Field.
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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