NORMAL, Ill. – A safety by Youngstown State early in the first quarter put Illinois State in the hole, however the No. 19 Redbirds (6-3, 3-2 MVFC) scored 16 unanswered points and never looked back in a 23-16 defeat of the Penguins (3-7, 2-4 MVFC) on Military Appreciation Day at Hancock Stadium.
How It Happened:
• Backed up deep in its own end, Illinois State quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse was sacked in the end zone for a safety as the Penguins took a 2-0 lead with 11:21 left in the first quarter.
• With 2:03 left in the first quarter of play, Redbird placekicker Ian Wagner connected on a 33-yard field goal to give the Redbirds the lead at 3-2.
• Illinois State extended its lead to 9-2, when Tommy Rittenhouse connected with Wenkers Wright on a three-yard touchdown pass out of the backfield as Wright just extended the ball inside the pylon for the score with 11:44 left in the second quarter.
• On Illinois State's first drive of the second half, the Redbirds drove 75 yards in five plays to find the end zone as Rittenhouse called his own number and ran it in from 11 yards out for a 16-2 lead for the Redbirds with 13:05 left in the third quarter.
• The Penguins cut into the Redbird lead at 16-9, when Tyshon King scored from one yard out to make it a one-score game with 7:27 remaining in the third quarter.
• The Redbirds widened the lead back to two scores, as Rittenhouse found Javon Charles for a 4-yard touchdown pass that capped off an 8-play scoring drive with 3:38 left in the third to make the score 23-9.
• Youngstown State trimmed the Illinois State lead to just seven at 23-16 when quarterback Beau Brungard connected with Max Tomczak on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 4:34 left in the contest, however the Redbirds would roll out the clock and come away with the home victory in front of 6,381 fans.
Game Notes:
• Linebacker Amir Abdullah recorded six tackles, 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss in his first game back since suffering a leg injury in the season opener at Iowa.
• Middle linebacker Tye Niekamp paced the Redbird defense with 11 tackles and recorded his third interception of the season.
• Rittenhouse was solid once again for the Redbirds, completing 15-of-19 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 30 yards and a score.
• Wright recorded his fourth 100-plus rushing yard effort of the season, with 104 yards on 10 carries against the Penguins.
• Daniel Sobkowicz led all receivers with four receptions for 81 yards, with a long grab of 44 yards.
• Freshman tailback Matt Lawson was impressive once again, as he averaged 5.2 yards per carry on the day and finished with 68 yards on 13 carries with a long run of 23 yards.
Next Up:
Illinois State begins a two-game road swing next Saturday, when it travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the UNI Panthers (2-7, 0-5 MVFC) at the UNI Dome.
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