Illinois State redshirt sophomore Daniel Sobkowicz has emerged as a reliable receiver for the Redbirds. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
MACOMB – In a game that saw more than its fair share of momentum shifts, Illinois State’s Daniel Sobkowicz delivered the key game-changer Saturday at Western Illinois University’s Hanson Field.
With ISU nursing a 20-18 lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Redbirds faced a third-and-12 from their own four-yard line.
Two plays earlier, quarterback Zack Annexstad had narrowly avoided a potential game-tying safety by diving out of the end zone and away from the grasping arms of Western Illinois defensive lineman Jake Detiveaux.
After a 2-yard run by Mason Blakemore, the stage was set for Sobkowicz’s big play.
The Arlington Heights native lined up wide left with teammate Eddie Kasper in the slot.
“At that point I was looking at the scoreboard and how much time we had left (just under 8 minutes),” Sobkowicz said. “We needed someone to make a play.”
That someone was Sobkowicz, who played football and basketball at Rolling Meadows High School.
How it happened
At the snap, Annexstad quickly fired a pass to Sobkowicz. WIU defensive back Willie Jones broke inside while the pass sailed outside.
After breaking off the line of scrimmage, Sobkowicz began to slant inside before readjusting his upper body to the flight of the throw. After catching the ball, he spun away from Jones and headed upfield.
“Zack threw a great ball,” Sobkowicz said. “I felt him (Jones) pushing in, so I wrapped around (with a spin) and headed for the sideline. We’ve been practicing that a lot. Everything just clicked.”
Cradling the ball, Sobkowicz raced down the sideline before being angled out of bounds by WIU safety K.J. Coleman at the ISU 49. The 45-yard gain took the Redbirds out of harm’s way.
“Huge play,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said. “We were playing on a short field for most of the second half with our defense. To put them out there again would have been tough.
“But Daniel’s play flipped the field.”
It also set up what happened next.
Blakemore broke free for 51-yard touchdown run, upping the ISU lead to nine points.
“That kind of took the wind out of their sails,” Spack said of upset-minded Western. “It’s always been a battle with these guys. The games are almost always very close . . . but those are the kind of games that good teams find a way to win.”
Sparked by Sobkowicz and Blakemore’s career-high 170 yards rushing, Illinois State went on to post a 34-18 win in Saturday’s Missouri Valley Football Conference opener.
The Redbirds (2-0) play their annual non-conference rivalry game Saturday with Eastern Illinois. Kickoff is 2 p.m. at Charleston’s O’Brien Field.
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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