ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State football team picked up a crucial road win headed into a bye week at Murray State on Saturday, and a pair of offensive standouts for the Redbirds have garnered attention as quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week and transfer wide receiver Xavier Loyd has been tabbed the MVFC Newcomer of the Week for their performances against the Racers.
Rittenhouse had the best game of his career against Murray State, as he accumulated 475 yards of total offense and accounted for three touchdowns in Illinois State's 40-32 road victory. The Geneva, Illinois, native completed 27-of-38 passes for a career-high 347 yards with a touchdown and added a career-best 128 yards and two scores on the ground for ISU.Â
Rittenhouse started the scoring on the day with a 40-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter and added his second rushing touchdown of the day early in the third quarter, that one from 26 yards out to give the Redbirds a 23-14 advantage at the time. Then, after the Racers cut the ISU lead to one score at 30-22, Rittenhouse came back into the game after leaving for an injury check and proceeded to throw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Sobkowicz to effectively put the game away. On the year, Rittenhouse is completing 64 percent of his passes and has thrown for 1420 yards and eight touchdowns, while rushing for 375 yards and six scores on the ground.
Loyd had his best receiving performance as a Redbird in the win over the Racers. The Blue Springs, Missouri, native averaged 29.6 yards per catch and finished the game with five grabs for a career-best 148 yards. He had receptions of 42 yards from Rittenhouse and a 38-yarder from his former Kansas State teammate Jake Rubley, which set up a Redbird touchdown just two plays later. Loyd now leads the Redbirds with 622 receiving yards on the season and is second on the team with three receiving touchdowns while averaging 17.3 yards per catch.
The Redbirds will have a bye week this weekend, before hosting Youngstown State for a 2 p.m. contest at Hancock Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2.
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