NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State and Lindenwood were separated by just six points at halftime, however the Redbirds (3-1, 1-0 MVFC) took control in the second half outscoring the Lions (2-2, 0-1 BS-OVC) 28-3 to come away with a 48-17 non-conference win on Saturday in front of a sellout crowd of 13,391 fans at Hancock Stadium as part of Family Weekend at ISU.
How It Happened:
•   Illinois State took an early lead on its first offensive drive of the game, when Cole Mueller punched his way in from five yards out to cap off a 10-play, 65-yard drive that took just over four minutes off the clock to give the Redbirds a 6-0 lead just six minutes into the game.
•   The Redbirds extended the lead to 13-0, after an 11-yard touchdown pass from Zack Annexstad to Eddie Kasper capped off an 11-play, 61-yard drive with 3:54 left on the clock.
•   Lindenwood cut the lead in half on a three-yard run by Robert Giaimo with 10:14 left in the second quarter, after the Lions took advantage of a fumble on the previous possession by the Redbirds.
•   ISU wasted little time getting that score back, as it took advantage of a costly pass interference call on Lindenwood when Annexstad connected with Daniel Sobkowicz on a 62-yard touchdown strike to make the score 20-7 just a minute later after the extra point from Ian Wagner was good.
•   The back-and-forth continued, as the Lions quickly answered the Redbird score with one of their own on a 73-yard touchdown pass from Cole Dugger to Jeff Caldwell that trimmed the ISU lead to 20-14 with 7:33 left in the second quarter.
•   Illinois State took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched its way down the field to make it a two-score game, as Mueller leaped over defenders at the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown score to make it 27-14 with 12:02 left in the third quarter.
•   The Lions were able to chip away at the lead, thanks to a 21-yard field goal by Logan Siebert with 6:43 left in the third quarter to make the score 27-17 in favor of the Redbirds.
•   Illinois State was able to answer the Lindenwood score with a touchdown, as Josh Robison bowled his way in from two yards out to cap off a 13-play, 84-yard drive to make it 34-17 with just under a minute left in the third quarter.
•   Annexstad then called his own number to score from two yards out, following a long run by Robinson, to extend the ISU lead to 41-17 with 9:40 left in the contest.
•   The Redbirds put the capper on the game late in the fourth quarter, when Tommy Rittenhouse found Max Ziebarth for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 1:29 left to bring the score to its final at 48-17.
Game Notes: Â Â
•   Annexstad set a career-high at Illinois State, completed 26-of-33 attempts (78.7 percent) for a new high of 288 yards with a total of three touchdowns (2 passing, one rushing).
•   Sobkowicz also set a career-high with 99 yards receiving on five receptions, just missing out on the first 100-yard receiving game for a Redbird receiver since 2021.
•   The touchdown reception for Kasper was the first of his career at ISU and he finished the day with a career-best tying six grabs for 45 yards.
•   Robinson led the Redbird rushing attack with a career-high 84 yards on the ground, with his first career rushing touchdown in the win over the Lions.
•   The touchdown catch by Ziebarth late in the game was not only his first career score, but also his first career reception.
•   Keondre Jackson tied for the team lead in tackles with seven, while recovering a big fumble that turned the tide of the game.
•   Fellow safety Dillon Gearhart matched Jackson with seven tackles, one of which went for a loss.
•   Tye Niekamp and Josh Dinga also added sacks for the Redbirds, to up their season total to 20 on the year.
Next Up:
Illinois State will have a bye week coming up, before returning to Hancock Stadium on Saturday, October 7, to host defending national champion and No. 1 ranked South Dakota State with kickoff slated for 6 p.m.
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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