Preseason All-American receiver Daniel Sobkowicz returned to form in Top 10-ranked Illinois State’s 41-13 win against Morehead State. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
Following its one-sided loss at FBS Oklahoma to open the season, FCS Top 10-ranked Illinois State returned home to Hancock Stadium.
And so did its talent-laden offense, which revived itself in sparkling fashion.
The Redbirds rolled up 393 yards of total offense, 223 of which came on the ground, in a 41-13 win against Morehead State.
“That was a good win for us. We were able to pull away in the fourth quarter,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said.
The Redbirds (1-1) continue their non-conference schedule with a trip to Charleston Saturday to face rival Eastern Illinois (1-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday in the 113th meeting of the Mid-America Classic.
“We were sloppy in a lot of parts of the game on both sides of the ball, and even in special teams,” Spack said.
A shoulder injury to quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse sustained against Oklahoma played a major factor. Rittenhouse, a senior coming off a strong 2023 season, didn’t start against Morehead State.
Instead, redshirt freshman Beckham Pellant led ISU on an early second-quarter touchdown drive that culminated with his first career TD pass, a 25-yarder to senior Daniel Sobkowicz.
However, Rittenhouse replaced Pellant midway through the second period when the freshman fumbled for the second time. The senior delivered with a TD run that kick-started the ISU offense.
Another upperclassman who delivered was Sobkowicz.
Coming off the worst game of his career when he finished with two catches for minus three yards at Oklahoma, the senior receiver rebounded. The Rolling Meadows High School graduate caught a team-high five passes for 87 yards and the touchdown. He also completed a 28-yard pass to redshirt freshman Luke Mailander that set up a Rittenhouse TD run.
“I knew he would do that,” Spack said of Sobkowicz. “He doesn’t drop balls. He dropped two in the same possession (at Oklahoma). I don’t know why. He’s worked hard. He had a really good game Saturday night, and we were happy to see that. He’s back to being Dan.”
Mailander added three catches for 65 yards and hauled in a 32-yard TD reception from Rittenhouse in the second half for his first career TD.
“I was so excited I don’t even know (what my reaction was),” the Elmhurst York product said. “I hadn’t caught a post-(route) ball in maybe a month and a half. Credit to Tommy. Great ball. I just beat (the defender) and I knew I was in the (end zone) immediately.”
Cincinnati transfer Victor Dawson ran for 88 yards and senior Wenkers Wright added 86.
Redshirt senior Mason King played in his first game since being injured in last year’s opener at Iowa. King ran three times for 24 yards.
This week’s opponent
Eastern Illinois won its home opener against Dayton, 24-14, then lost at Indiana State, 38-14.
Running back Charles Kellom, a transfer from FBS Akron, leads the Panthers with 219 rushing yards. His 109.5 yards per game ranks ninth in FCS and is first in the Ohio Valley-Big South Football Association.
Wisconsin transfer quarterback Cole LaCrue shined against Dayton with a school-record 193 rushing yards, but fizzled against Indiana State. LaCrue was held in check on the ground while passing for just 38 yards. He was sacked three times and threw an interception before being replaced by redshirt freshman Connor Wolf.
Safety Saipeti Maiava Jr. leads EIU with 17 tackles. Graduate student Drake Van Hyfte has returned from an injury-plagued 2024 to anchor the defensive line.
Kickoff: 2 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: WJBC.com.
Key matchup to watch
ISU pass rush vs. EIU offense
The Redbirds turned up the heat on Morehead State with five sacks and three quarterback hurries. The Panthers gave up five sacks in the loss at Indiana State.
What’s at stake
ISU regained possession of the Mid-America Classic traveling trophy with a home win at Hancock Stadium last September after losing at EIU in 2023.
The Redbirds hold a 60-43-9 lead in the all-time series. ISU has won six of the last seven meetings and eight of the last 10.
“It’s why we play college football. It’s good for both schools and the sport of football in our state. This one’s pretty special,” said Spack, who is 10-5 against EIU and 4-1 in the last five games played in Charleston.
EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson said, “Rivalries are awesome. It’s certainly a great thing for the league to be able to continue to battle with the Missouri Valley for the second straight week for us.”
Quick hits
Illinois State is ranked No. 4 in the American Football Coaches Association poll and No. 7 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. … The Mid-America Classic rivalry ranks among the most played in FCS among non-current conference members. It is the 14th oldest rivalry game and eighth on the list if the Ivy League is excluded. … Sobkowicz has 2,502 receiving yards in his career. The senior ranks fifth on the ISU all-time receiving yards list. He is tied for third in career receptions (186) and is fourth in career TD catches (23) with 10 regular-season games left on the schedule. … Transfer kicker Matt Maldonado was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, while tackle Jake Pope was tabbed as MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week for their performances against Morehead State.
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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