Illinois State receiver Daniel Sobkowicz ranks fifth on the school’s career list with 2,597 yards. He is tied for second in career receptions (192) and is fourth in career touchdown catches (25). (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
Yes, Illinois State is a Top 10 team. Yes, the Redbirds have won two straight games against FCS opponents. And yes, there’s still plenty of room for improvement, according to veteran head coach Brock Spack and his players.
A week after outlasting rival Eastern Illinois, 42-30, on the road, the Redbirds (2-1) return to Hancock Stadium for their final non-conference game. ISU hosts North Alabama (1-2) at noon Saturday.
“The effort wasn’t bad, it was just some bad execution,” Spack of his defense, which allowed EIU quarterback Connor Wolf to pass for a Panther freshman record 411 yards and four touchdowns. “We kind of lost our stinger a little bit in the fourth quarter.”
After sacking Wolf twice in the first half, ISU did not bring the EIU quarterback down behind the line of scrimmage in the second half. The Redbirds did, however, force him into hurries and scrambles.
“Playing great pass defense starts with the pass rush,” Spack said. “That was a little bit of an issue (against EIU). We made a few mistakes that were little things but turned into big things.”
Senior free safety Jack Dwyer said mental mistakes and penalties were a big reason EIU scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve got to eliminate those,” Dwyer said,”but overall we played pretty well when we were locked in.”
Illinois State’s offense certainly locked in down the stretch. After Eastern pulled to within five points halfway through the fourth quarter, the Redbirds struck back with a pair of quick touchdown drives to put the game away.
“It was a battle. Eastern fought hard,” quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse said. “It was hot, just a grinder of a day.”
Running back Wenkers Wright scored three touchdowns in the victory, which allowed ISU to retain the Mid-America Classic travel trophy.
“What’s exciting after this game is we know this is nowhere near our ceiling. We’re just going to get back to the drawing board and improve,” Wright said.
Illinois State is ranked No. 4 in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll and No. 6 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 rankings.
This week’s opponent
After an 0-2 start, North Alabama picked up its first win with a 49-21 home triumph against Northeastern State.
Head coach Brent Dearmon’s Lions average 244.7 yards per game rushing. Six of UNA’s nine touchdowns have come on the ground.
The Lions ran for 301 yards, their most in two years, in last week’s victory. Running back Jayvain Allen led the team with 91 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
“This will be the best team we’ve played since (FBS) Oklahoma,” Spack said.
North Alabama’s depth chart lists two possible starters at quarterback – graduate student Ari Patu or redshirt sophomore Destin Wade.
That’s nothing new for Illinois State. The Redbirds prepared for two quarterbacks for last week’s game at Eastern Illinois.
“We were ready for both and adjusted,” Dwyer said.
North Alabama is a member of the United Athletic Conference, which is a rebranding of an Atlantic Sun and Western Athletic Conference partnership. The Lions moved to Division I in 2018.
Kickoff: Noon; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: WJBC.com.
Key matchup to watch
ISU defense vs. UNA run game
A week ago, North Alabama’s success was built on the run. Meanwhile, Illinois State all but shut down the Eastern Illinois run game, holding the Panthers to 35 net yards on 28 carries. Thus, look for the Redbirds to play the run first and force the Lions into throwing the ball.
What’s at stake
An Illinois State win would send the Redbirds into their bye week with a three-game winning streak.
News and notes
Illinois State defensive back Shadwel Nkuba II grabbed his third interception in three games. The University of Louisiana transfer’s pick thwarted an EIU drive with ISU holding a 35-23 lead with just under six minutes left Saturday. … This week’s game with North Alabama completes a two-year series. A year ago, Illinois State downed UNA, 24-17, in Florence with Rittenhouse accounting for 236 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. Wright rushed for 153 yards against the Lions. … Kicker Matt Maldonado, a transfer from Murray State, is 3-for-3 on field goal attempts this season. In addition, the Yorkville High School graduate has made all 11 PATs.
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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