Preseason All-American Amir Abdullah (22) returned to the Illinois State lineup for the first time since the Aug. 31 opener at Iowa. He collected six tackles, 1.5 for loss. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
Amir Abdullah waited nine weeks to take to the field again after a knee injury in Illinois State’s Aug. 31 season opener at Iowa.
The preseason All-American linebacker proved to be one of the key players as the Redbirds outlasted Youngstown State, 23-16, in Saturday’s Missouri Valley Football Conference game at Hancock Stadium in Normal.
ISU (6-3 overall, 3-2 MVFC) also snapped a three-game losing streak against the visiting Penguins (3-7, 2-4). The last Redbird win against YSU came in the final game of the 2018 season.
“It felt great to be out there with my brothers,” said Abdullah, who has six tackles and 1.5 sacks. “That (first sack) was my welcome back to myself (moment).”
ISU head coach Brock Spack was happy to have Abdullah back in the lineup.
“You saw it right away. He didn’t get a sack, but he forced the quarterback (Beau Brungard) to flush (from the pocket),” he said.
Illinois State fell into an early hole when quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse was tackled in the end zone for a safety by YSU defender Jaylen Castleberry early in the first quarter.
The Redbirds took a 3-2 lead on a 33-yard field goal by Ian Wagner with 2:03 left in the first quarter.
Wagner, however, missed an extra point following Illinois State’s first touchdown, which came on a 3-yard pass from Rittenhouse to running back Wenkers Wright early in the second quarter.
Although the Redbirds built a 23-9 lead, Youngstown State remained in the game when Lincoln-Way East graduate Max Tomczak reeled in a 7-yard touchdown reception with 4:34 remaining.
However, Illinois State was able to run out the clock on the next possession. A 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on YSU’s D.J. Harris gave the Redbirds the final first down they needed.
“It was a gritty, tough, grind-it-out win,” Spack said. “We were able to make enough plays in this game to win it.”
Game changers
11:44, 2nd quarter: Wright scored on a 3-yard touchdown reception from Rittenhouse, boosting ISU’s lead to 9-2.
13:05, 3rd quarter: Rittenhouse capped the Redbirds’ first drive of the second half with an 11-yard touchdown run.
3:38, 3rd quarter: Tight end Javon Charles caught a 4-yard TD pass from Rittenhouse, upping ISU’s lead to 23-9. It was Charles’ first touchdown this season and second of the senior’s career.
Best ‘Birds
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the the top three Illinois State players in the game:
Tye Niekamp, LB: The sophomore topped ISU tacklers with 11 stops and grabbed his third interception of the year.
Rittenhouse, QB: The junior completed 15-of-19 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 30 yards and a score.
Wright, RB: The junior rushed for 104 yards on 10 carries. It was his fourth game over the century mark this season. It was his first against a conference opponent this year.
What it means
Illinois State, ranked No. 19 in the American Football Coaches Association poll and No. 21 in the Stats Perform FCS poll, adds another win to its playoff resume.
What’s next
Illinois State travels to Northern Iowa (2-7, 0-5) for its next MVFC game. Kickoff is 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9.
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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