MACOMB, Ill. – In a back-and-forth game that saw momentum change several times, it was Illinois State (2-0, 1-0 MVFC) who came away with the road victory against Western Illinois (0-2, 0-1 MVFC) Saturday afternoon in Macomb as the Redbirds recorded seven sacks and used four rushing touchdowns to run away from the Leathernecks late.
How It Happened:
•   After the first quarter was filled with a plethora of punts for both squads leading to a 0-0 tie after one, the Leathernecks finally took a lead early in the second quarter on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Matt Morrissey to Tajh Sanders, but the extra point kick was missed as the Leathernecks took a 6-0 lead with 11:14 left in the second quarter.
•   WIU extended its lead to 9-0 with 4:38 left before halftime on a 20-yard field goal by Owen Valek.
•   The Redbirds got on the scoreboard just before the half, as Mason Blakemore picked up a first down on 4th-and-1 and then followed that with a 42-yard touchdown run to make it 9-6 with 2:30 left, after the extra point attempt by the Redbirds missed.
•   After a quick 3-and-out by the Redbird defense, the offense got the ball back at their own 35-yard line and proceeded to drive 65 yards in just seven plays to score the go-ahead touchdown on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Zack Annexstad to Cam Grandy to give the Redbirds a 13-9 lead with 39 seconds left and that's where the score would stay headed to the break.
•   Illinois State extended the lead to 20-9 with 6:38 left in the third quarter, after Cole Mueller punched the ball into the endzone from six yards out to cap off a 10-play, 53-yard drive that took five minutes off the clock.
•   WIU took advantage of a pass interference penalty on third down and scored on a 2-yard touchdown sneak by Morrissey to make it 20-15, but an errant snap on the 2-point conversion kept the score there with 14:52 left in the fourth quarter.
•   The Leathernecks then took advantage of a muffed kick return and booted a 37-yard field goal to further trim the ISU lead to 20-18 with 13:40 left in the final quarter of play.
•   The Redbirds got some breathing room, when Blakemore broke another long run this one for 51 yards and a score to make it 27-18 with 7:06 left in the game.
•   Blakemore capped off a tremendous afternoon with his third touchdown of the day, this one from six yards out, to bring the score to its final at 34-18.
Game Notes: Â Â
•   Prior to the game, Illinois State and Western Illinois announced a non-conference matchup in September of 2024 to continue their longstanding series.
•   With the win, the have now five of the last six meetings against the Leathernecks and brought the all-time series record to 52-51-3 in a rivalry that dates to 1904.
•   The win was the 14th in 16 meetings against the Leathernecks for head coach Brock Spack.
•   Blakemore had a career day, rushing for a career-best 170 yards on 19 carries with a career-high three rushing touchdowns: a fitting celebration for his 21st birthday which fell on Saturday.
•   Safety Keondre Jackson was all over the field for the Redbird defense, setting career bests with nine tackles, two sacks and four TFLs in the victory for ISU.
•   Newcomer Amir Abdullah also had a solid game for the Redbirds, recording a pair of sacks to tie Jackson for the team lead.
•   Safety Dillon Gearhart was also a force to be reckoned with, as he tallied a sack, two TFLs and four tackles against WIU.
•   Grandy's touchdown late in the second quarter was his first as a Redbirds, after transferring from Missouri Western.
Next Up:
Illinois State will travel to Charleston, Illinois, to take on Eastern Illinois in the 111th meeting of the Mid-America Classic next Saturday, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. at O'Brien Field.
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