MACOMB, Ill. – A 17-point first quarter outburst by the Illinois State offense staked the No. 4 nationally ranked Redbirds to an early lead over longtime FCS rival Western Illinois on Saturday. After that point, it was all Redbirds (2-0) who tallied nearly 500 yards of total offense and held the Leathernecks (1-1) to just 52 yards rushing in a dominant 41-10 defeat on a hot night at Hanson Field in Macomb.

How It Happened:
•    The Redbirds drove down the field on their first possession of the game, using 13 plays to drive 62 yards before Michael Cosentino drilled a 30-yard field goal to make it 3-0 with 10:29 left on the clock.
•    On the next ISU possession, the Redbirds needed one play more to find the end zone as Beckham Pellant found Alex Herrera on a 23-yard touchdown pass to cap off a 14-play scoring drive that took nearly five minutes off the clock to bring the score to 10-0.
•    A 2-yard touchdown run by former Leatherneck Seth Glatz extended the lead for the Redbirds to 17-0 with 13 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
•    The Leathernecks got on the board just over five minutes into the second quarter on a 22-yard field goal by Ronan Culkin that cut the ISU lead to 17-3. 
•    ISU answered the WIU score with one of its own, as Gage Roy took advantage of a free play and aired one out to Stevan Gavric who made a leaping grab at the goal line and came down with the football in the end zone with a 36-yard touchdown reception to extend the lead to 24-3 with 5:24 left before halftime.
•    Following an interception by Dexter Niekamp that gave the Redbirds great field position, Cosentino booted his second field goal of the game this one from 29 yards to bring the score to 27-3 with 26 seconds left before the break.
•    Illinois State scored on its first drive of the second half, as Victor Dawson bowled his way into the end zone from one yard out to cap off a 7-play scoring drive and the extra point by Cosentino brought the score to 34-3 with 10:23 left in the third quarter.
•    Dawson then scored his second touchdown of the game, this one from six yards out, to widen the Illinois State lead to 41-3 with 13:38 left in the contest.
•    The Leathernecks got a late touchdown on a 3-yard touchdown run by Cason Carswell to cut into the ISU lead at 41-10 with 7:06 left in the game, but that's where the score would stay as the Redbirds finished the game in victory formation.

Game Notes:    
•    With the win, Illinois State now leads the all-time series against the Leathernecks 53-52-3, breaking the tie headed into the contest.
•    The FCS road win was the tenth in a row for the Redbirds, the longest active streak in the FCS.
•    The offensive attack was extremely balance for the Birds, who rushed for 239 yards and threw for 257 yards to fall just four yards short of 500 yards of total offense.
•    The touchdown reception by Herrera in the first quarter was the first of his career at Illinois State.
•    Gavric's touchdown in the second quarter was his second of the season and second in as many games.
•    Dexter Niekamp intercepted his second pass in as many games late in the second quarter, which set up a field goal by Cosentino.
•    Roy finished the game 8-for-13 for 125 yards with a touchdown, while Pellant threw for 132 yards and a touchdown. Third-string quarterback Chase Kwiatkowski was also a threat on the ground, as he averaged 19.0 yards per carry and finished with 76 yards on the ground to help ice the win for the Redbirds.
•    Dawson ended the game with the two scores and rushed for 73 yards to balance out a strong rushing attack for the Redbirds that racked up 239 yards on the ground.
•    Mason Kaplan led a balanced defensive effort for the Redbirds with five tackles and a TFL, while Nio Espinoza and Anthony Corona also finished with five each.
•    Defensive backs Key Crowell and Jack Oliver also added two pass break ups apiece in the win over the Leathernecks.

Next Up:
No. 4 Illinois State (2-0) will continue its string of game against Land of Lincoln foes next Saturday, when the Redbirds travel to DeKalb to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies (0-1). Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT at Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium, with the game set to be broadcast live on Mountain West+.

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