Illinois State has held possession of the rivalry traveling trophy nine of the last 11 years. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
CHARLESTON – Illinois State continued its dominance in the Mid-America Classic against rival Eastern Illinois on a hot Saturday at O’Brien Field.
ISU (2-1) outdueled EIU (1-2) for a 42-30 non-conference victory in 90-degree heat. The triumph allowed the Redbirds to maintain possession of the rivalry’s traveling trophy.
“It means a lot,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said of the trophy, which was established in 2011 when he went head-to-head against mentor Bob Spoo, then the EIU head coach.
“I told the team never apologize for winning and winning on the road in a rivalry game,” Spack said. “You do what you have to do to win the game and worry about the details later.”
Spack spent four seasons as an EIU assistant under Spoo (1987-1990). The pair first knew each other when Spack played linebacker at Purdue and Spoo was a Boilermaker assistant.
Illinois State has won seven of the last eight times against Eastern. Spack is 11-5 against the Panthers and 5-1 in games played in Charleston.
The Redbirds, ranked fourth in the American Football Coaches Association poll and seventh in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, continually had to stave off the pesky Panthers to get the win.
ISU took a 14-0 lead but EIU scored 10 second-quarter points and was on the verge of getting to halftime within reach of the Redbirds.
Then came a key play.
Illinois State shocked EIU when quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse stepped up to avoid the pass rush and found speedy receiver Luke Mailander for a 46-yard touchdown. The score, coming with just eight seconds left on the clock, grabbed back momentum and gave the Redbirds a 21-10 halftime lead.
“I saw the safeties were low and they brought pressure,” Rittenhouse said. “(Running back) Wenkers (Wright) did a good job picking up the second blitzer and I worked the pocket and knew Luke would get open.”
The Redbirds built a 28-10 third-quarter lead, but the Panthers closed to within five points midway through the final period.
Panthers quarterback Connor Wolf, making his first career start, passed for an EIU freshman record 411 yards and four touchdowns. ISU intercepted two Wolf passes and sacked him twice.
“Defensively, we played with really good effort,” said ISU defensive back Jack Dwyer, who grabbed one of the interceptions. “We had a couple of mental mistakes, and the penalties can’t happen. Those were self-inflicted wounds that helped to extend their drives.”
Illinois State regrouped and secured the win with two touchdown drives that totaled four and a half minutes of possession time.
Wright scored his third touchdown on a 16-yard run to boost the ISU lead back to double digits.
“I love the red zone. It’s only 20 yards. I can make it 20 yards,” a beaming Wright said.
Game changers
13:49, 1st quarter: Receiver Daniel Sobkowicz outjumped an EIU defender in the right corner of the end zone for a TD. The score gave Illinois State a 14-0 lead.
0:08, 2nd quarter: Rittenhouse avoided the EIU pass rush and found Mailander for a 46-yard touchdown. The score lifted the Redbirds to a 21-10 halftime lead.
7:06, 4th quarter: Facing a third and 13, Rittenhouse found tight end Scotty Presson Jr. for a 30-yard completion to keep a drive alive.
Two plays later, Wright broke free up the middle for a 16-yard touchdown run, boosting ISU to a 35-23 lead.
Best ‘Birds
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the the top three Illinois State players in the game:
Sobkowicz, WR: The senior caught a team-high six passes – two of which were acrobatic – for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Wright, RB: The senior led the team with 94 rushing yards and a career-high three touchdowns.
Tye Niekamp, LB: The junior established a career-high with 14 tackles, including two for loss. He was also credited with a quarterback hurry.
What it means
Illinois State has won two of the last three in the Mid-America Classic series and nine of the last 11 meetings between the two rivals.
What’s next
Illinois State returns to Hancock Stadium in Normal Sept. 20 for its final non-conference game as the Redbirds host North Alabama. Kickoff is scheduled for 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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