Despite playing with a cast on his left hand, tight end Cam Grandy caught a career-high 11 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
Visiting Northern Iowa held off Illinois State in a game both teams desperately desired in hopes of a playoff bid.
UNI (5-3, 4-1) gained a vital 24-21 Missouri Valley Football Conference road win against Illinois State (4-4, 2-3).
The Panthers, ranked No. 23 in the Stats Perform FCS poll, built a 21-7 first half lead and then fended off the Redbirds.
“We played significantly better on defense in the second half, (but) still not good enough to win a game like that,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said.
Northern Iowa limited Illinois State to 45 rushing yards on 20 carries and forced a first-half fumble.
“Their ability to slow our running game down was a factor in the game because that’s something we have to do to be successful,” Spack said.
The lack of an effective running game undoubtedly affected the entire Redbird offense.
ISU quarterback Zack Annexstad was forced to throw the ball 44 times, completing 33 for a career-high 292 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once.
“Their defense did a really good job of stopping our run. We didn’t run it well enough,” Annexstad said. “It comes down to me. I have to play at a really high level, and I didn’t play at a high enough level today.”
A 31-yard field goal by Matthew Cook with 2:48 left in the game provided UNI some breathing room.
Cook’s kick capped a drive that ate up nearly 9 minutes on the clock, leaving ISU with little time with which to work.
“They (UNI) made some critical third-down conversions on the drive that made it a 10-point game,” Spack said.
The Redbirds, however, strung together a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with Annexstad firing a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cam Grandy.
“He caught everything that came to him,” Spack said.
Grandy’s catch in the middle of the end zone, followed by Ian Wagner’s extra point, sliced UNI’s lead to three points. However, only 27 seconds remained.
Wagner delivered a well-executed onside kick that bounded high in the air. A pair of Redbirds appeared to have chances to get hands on the ball, including receiver Daniel Sobkowicz.
The ball, however, just eluded Sobkowicz’s outstretched fingertips and bounced out of bounds.
“It came down to situational football, and they made plays in critical situations and we did not,” Spack said.
ISU linebacker LaVoise-Deontae McCoy said, “We kind of came out flat, but we found our footing (and) got our feet wet (in the second half) and anchored down.”
Game changers
3:05, 2nd quarter: ISU defensive back Jeff Bowens recovered a fumble by UNI receiver Sergio Morancy to thwart a Panther drive into Redbird territory.
0:51, 2nd quarter: Annexstad connected with Sobkowicz on a slant route for an 8-yard touchdown. Wagner’s extra point cut UNI’s lead to 21-14.
0:27, 4th quarter: Annexstad’s 17-yard TD pass to Grandy capped a drive that took 2 minutes, 21 seconds and covered 75 yards.
What it means
Illinois State’s playoff hopes are severely dimmed with the loss.
Spack was denied his 100th career coaching win for the second straight week.
Best ‘Birds
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Redbird players in the game:
Grandy, TE: Despite wearing a cast on his left hand because of an injured thumb, the Missouri Southern transfer led ISU with a career-best 11 catches for 122 yards and one touchdown.
McCoy, LB: The junior registered 14 tackles to go along with a pass breakup and half a sack.
Jalan Gaines, DE: The senior was credited with 10 tackles, two pass breakups, a sack and tackle for loss.
What’s next
The Redbirds travel to Missouri State Nov. 4 for another MVFC game.
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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