Illinois State running back Wenkers Wright (32) left Saturday’s first-round FCS playoff game with an upper-body injury. The junior has rushed for 1,052 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigksin.com)
By Barry Bottino and Dan Verdun
Illinois State running back Wenkers Wright “should be available Saturday” for the Redbirds’ second-round FCS playoff game at UC Davis, head coach Brock Spack said Monday.
Wright left the field with an injured left shoulder near the end of the third quarter in Saturday’s 35-27 first-round playoff win against Southeast Missouri. The junior did not return and was seen with his left arm in a sling after the game.
“We’re going to monitor that (in practice),” Spack told Prairie State Pigskin. “I think he’ll be fine. We may have to rotate a little bit more than we have been to protect him and get some rest (this week).”
Wright took over as ISU’s feature back after preseason All-American Mason King sustained a season-ending knee injury on Aug. 31 against Iowa.
Wright, who had 36 carries in 2023, has responded with a 1,052-yard performance on 210 carries this season. He also leads ISU with 11 rushing touchdowns, including a 2-yard TD run Saturday at SEMO.
Wright is Illinois State’s leading receiver out of the backfield and tied for fourth best on the team with 18 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown.
If Wright cannot play in Saturday’s 3 p.m. game, the Redbirds will likely alternate freshman Matt Lawson and junior Seth Glatz in the backfield. Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State’s second-leading rusher, certainly factors in as well.
Lawson, ISU’s third-leading rusher, has 419 yards with three touchdowns on 97 carries. He also has seven receptions for 47 yards.
Glatz, a transfer from Western Illinois, ranks fourth on the team with 250 yards with two touchdowns on 45 carries. He has three receptions for 28 yards.
Sophomore Josh Robinson, who rushed for 68 yards on 24 attempts, announced on social media Nov. 28 that he was entering the transfer portal.
Spack added that fullback Cal Martine could see more action against UC Davis.
“He’s a special teams guy. He’s a big back,” Spack said of the 5-foot-11, 235-pounder. “He’s very good with protection and as a (pass) catcher. He’s a different style runner.”
All-conference honors
Eleven Redbirds received all-league honors when the Missouri Valley Football Conference released the recipients Monday.
“It’s great,” Spack said. “There’s always a couple of guys you would like to have seen get on there too, but I can’t vote for my own players. But what can you do? We’re happy about (the 11 players).”
Senior safety Keondre Jackson and sophomore linebacker Tye Niekamp each were first-team selections.
Niekamp also placed third in the MVFC Defensive Player of the Year voting. South Dakota defensive lineman Mi’Quise Grace won the award.
Junior receiver Daniel Sobkowicz, sophomore defensive lineman Jake Anderson and junior defensive back Mark Cannon Jr. landed on the All-MVFC second team.
Five Redbird offensive players – linemen Ryan Gudaitis and J.J. Guedet, quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse, Wright and receiver Xavier Loyd – were honorable mention picks, along with linebacker Amir Abdullah on the defensive side.
Loyd finished third in the balloting for the league’s Newcomer of the Year.
Spack was fourth in MVFC Coach of the Year balloting.
Moving in on milestones
Sobkowicz is three receiving yards away from reaching 1,000 this season.
Slowed by a variety of injuries early in the season, the junior leads ISU with 997 yards on 70 receptions.
Sobkowicz also leads the Redbirds with nine receiving touchdowns, including a 62-yard score against SEMO.
Loyd isn’t far behind. The Kansas State transfer has 66 catches for 912 yards and six touchdowns.
On defense, Niekamp tops the team with 106 tackles, thus becoming only the third ISU player in the last 10 seasons to surpass the century mark.
Buck Buchanan Award winner Zeke Vandenburgh last accomplished the feat in 2022. Linebacker Pat Meehan reached the milestone in 2014 and ‘15.
Two other current Redbirds are within reach of 100 tackles this season: linebacker LaVoise-Deontae McCoy (98) and Jackson (91).
Protective services
Sobkowicz made two key recoveries of onside kicks to preserve the first-round playoff win, ISU’s first since 2019.
Sobkowicz first covered SEMO kicker D.C. Pippin’s spinning onside attempt that only traveled seven yards. The play came with 6:44 remaining and Illinois State leading, 35-21.
His second recovery was delivered with 90 seconds left and ISU ahead by eight points. Sobkowicz stepped up from the second line of defense and fielded Pippin’s high-bounding, topped kick and tucked into a protective position at the SEMO 49-yard line.
His play allowed the Redbirds to take a pair of kneel downs to end the game.
California bound
As Illinois State was running out the clock in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win, the Redhawks’ sideline and crowd fell quiet.
That is, until an ISU fan broke the silence.
A cry of “California, here we come” bellowed across the field, which was cheered by fellow Redbird fans.
Twelfth-seeded Illinois State (10-3) travels to No. 5 seed UC Davis (10-2) for a 3 p.m. Saturday kickoff in the second round.
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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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