Illinois State celebrated its first victory of the season Saturday with a win at North Alabama. (Photo by GoRedirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
For most of Saturday night’s Illinois State road win at North Alabama, the Redbirds’ two-quarterback system featured only starter Tommy Rittenhouse.
The redshirt junior rushed for a career-high 94 yards as No. 21 ISU slipped past the Lions, 24-17, in Florence, Ala.
The non-conference win for the Redbirds (1-1) followed their opening loss at FBS Iowa. North Alabama (0-3) trimmed the ISU lead to seven points with 10 minutes, 57 seconds remaining.
Illinois State, however, preserved the win by holding the Lions on downs late in the game.
“We had to make some adjustments,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said, referring to a rash of injuries the team has suffered in the season’s first two weeks.
Returning leading rusher Mason King and linebacker Amir Abduallah both missed the game after sustaining injuries in last weekend’s loss at Iowa.
Rittenhouse scored three touchdowns – two rushing and one passing. However, he had to leave the game in the second half due to a cramping issue, according to Spack.
Jake Rubley, a junior transfer from Kansas State, replaced Rittenhouse. Illinois State originally had planned to keep Rubley on the sidelines to rest an injured shoulder from the Iowa game.
“(When Rittenhouse went out), we felt we had to play him because that was a critical situation,” Spack said, “and we felt (Rubley) would make the right decision and he did.”
Junior Wenkers Wright rushed for 153 yards on 26 carries. He broke loose for a 54-yard gain late in the game.
Game changers
11:17, 1st quarter: Rittenhouse connected with tight end Mitch Bartol for an 18-yard touchdown pass, giving ISU a fast start and a 7-0 lead.
6:00, 3rd quarter: Rittenhouse broke free for a 71-yard touchdown run, boosting the ISU lead to 11 points.
1:47, 4th quarter: The ISU defense held on the final North Alabama possession as quarterback Ari Patu’s deep pass to the end zone fell incomplete.
What it means
Illinois State returns to Normal with a victory as it prepares for the home opener next weekend against Western Illinois.
Best ‘Birds
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Illinois State players in the game:
Wright, RB: The Haiti native who prepped in Indiana led ISU with 153 yards, the second-highest total of his career. He also caught a 26-yard pass.
Rittenhouse, QB: The Wheaton St. Francis High School graduate accounted for 236 total yards and three TDs.
Mark Cannon Jr., CB: The Evanston High School product led the Redbirds with 10 tackles. He also recorded 1.5 tackles for loss and an interception.
What’s next?
The Redbirds open their home schedule by hosting Western Illinois in a Sept. 14 non-conference contest. Kickoff is at noon.
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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