CARBONDALE, Ill. – With two wins already against in-state FCS foes, No. 18 Illinois State was looking to go 3-0 against teams from the Land of Lincoln on Saturday against No. 19 Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Illinois. Thanks to a strong offensive effort and a bend but don't break defensive performance, the Redbirds (4-2, 1-1 MVFC) pulled away in the second half to pick up a big 45-10 win over the Salukis (2-4, 0-2 MVFC) on Homecoming at Saluki Stadium.
How It Happened:
•   The Redbirds took the early lead on their first possession of the contest, as Tommy Rittenhouse was facing second down and 20 to go and ripped off a 36-yard touchdown run to give the Redbirds a 7-0 lead with 9:46 left in the first quarter.
•   SIU would tie the game early in the second quarter on a 10-yard touchdown run by quarterback Hunter Simmons, bringing the score to 7-7 with 12:42 left in the quarter.
•   ISU would get the lead back with 7:24 left before halftime, as Rittenhouse connected on a 38-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Sobkowicz down the sideline to make it 14-7 in favor of the Redbirds.
•   The Redbirds tacked on three more points just before halftime, as Ian Wagner connected on a career-long 47-yard field goal to make the score 17-7 in favor of ISU with 1:09 left on the clock.
•   On the first drive of the second half, Rittenhouse led the Redbirds on an 8-play, 75-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 29-yard touchdown run by freshman tailback Matt Lawson which made the score 24-7 in favor of ISU with 12:21 remaining in the third quarter.
•   The Salukis got three of those points back via a 23-yard field goal make by Paul Geelen with 8:51 left in the third quarter to cut into the Redbird lead at 24-10.
•   Following an interception by linebacker Tye Niekamp that gave ISU the ball back in Saluki territory, the Redbirds pulled a trick out of their hat as Sobkowicz took a backwards pass and stopped in his tracks to throw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Loyd to make the score 31-10 with 12:42 left in the game.
•   After a turnover on downs by the Salukis, quarterback Jake Rubley threw the first touchdown pass of his Redbird career when he connected in the back of the endzone with Braden Contreras for a 20-yard score to make it 38-10 in favor of the Redbirds.
•   The Redbirds tacked on one more score late in the game, as Seth Glatz scored his first touchdown as a Redbird with a 26-yard dash with 3:24 left in the game to bring the score to its final at 45-10.
Game Notes: Â Â
•   The win against the Salukis was the first for the Redbirds since 2019, when they beat SIU 21-7 in Carbondale.
•   Rittenhouse's touchdown run was his team-leading fourth of the season … he finished the day with a team-leading 84 yards on the ground to go along with his 172 yards passing and one passing touchdown.
•   Sobkowicz's touchdown catch in the second quarter was his team-leading fourth of the season and his touchdown pass was his second in as many seasons.
•   Mark Cannon's interception in the third quarter was his team-leading third of the season and Niekamp added his second of the season.
•   The touchdown pass in the fourth quarter from Rubley to Contreras was a milestone one for both players, as it marked Rubley's first touchdown pass at ISU and Contreras' first touchdown reception as a Redbird.
•   Niekamp was all over the field for the Redbirds, finishing with 11 tackles, a sack, 2.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and an interception in the win for ISU.
•   Lavoise-Deontae McCoy led the Redbird defense with a team-high 12 tackles, with a sack and a pass breakup.
Next Up:
Illinois State returns home next Saturday, Oct. 12, for a noon kickoff against Missouri State (3-2, 1-0 MVFC) 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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