Defensive end Travis Jones is tied for the Illinois State team lead this season with two sacks. Jones has become an important part of the pass rush this season. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Barry Bottino
As a high school football player in Herscher, near Kankakee, Travis Jones was on the field plenty.
“I played a little bit of everything,” he said.
On defense, that included outside linebacker as a junior and middle linebacker as a senior.
Now, as a redshirt sophomore defensive lineman at Illinois State, Jones is making an impact by being everywhere.
“He’s turned himself into a really good college defensive lineman,” ISU defensive line coach Ben Black said. “Since he’s been here, he’s played multiple positions.”
In the Redbirds’ 3-4 defensive alignment, Jones has played end, tackle and nose tackle for the Redbirds. This season, with a season-ending injury to end Ben Harman – “our best pass rusher,” according to ISU head coach Brock Spack – Jones has been at end.
He has been credited with at least half a sack in three of the past four games, including a half sack in Saturday’s 33-16 loss to No. 1 North Dakota State.
Jones, who played in 11 games last season, has become a key piece in the rotation for the No. 9/10 Redbirds (3-2 overall, 0-1 Missouri Valley Football Conference), who travel to Murray State (0-5, 0-1) Saturday. (6 p.m., ESPN-Plus)
Playing last season helped Jones quickly make an impact this fall. He is tied for the team lead with linebacker Patrick Bauer at two sacks each.
“The coaches are putting me in position to make plays,” Jones said. “I have some good defensive linemen around me and that takes the pressure off of me. When I got ready for this year, I was way more confident in myself than I was last year and I knew what was going on.”
While the 6-foot-3, 285-pound Jones quickly hands credit to coaches and teammates, others in the program laud his work ethic.
“He’s worked really hard on his craft,” Black said. “He’s our hardest worker in the defensive line room and the most detailed with his technique. The last year and a half, he’s been a staple in our rotation.
“We’ll only see his role continue to expand because of how he’s developed,” Black said.
This week’s opponent
The Racers are one of only nine remaining winless teams in FCS. They are 3-24 over the past three seasons and are currently in the midst of a 14-game losing streak. … Wide receiver JK Carter, whose career began at Illinois State and included a stop at FBS North Texas, became the first Murray State player to catch and throw a touchdown in the same game in 12 years when he accomplished the feat last week in a 49-24 loss at South Dakota. … Fellow receiver Darius Cannon leads the MVFC with 6.8 receptions a game. He also ranks No. 1 in total receptions with 34. …. Junior safety Dylan Rowsey ranks second in the nation with 13.8 tackles per game. He had a season-best 18 tackles in Murray’s season-opening loss to East Tennessee State. … Murray State’s defense is allowing 44.2 points a game, which ranks 124th out of 126 FCS teams.
Kickoff: 6 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: WJBC.com
Key matchup to watch
ISU RB Wenkers Wright vs. Murray State run defense: Wright is ISU’s leading rusher and ranks sixth in the MVFC with 72.4 yards a game. Though he doesn’t have a 100-yard game yet this season, facing Murray provides an opportunity to get one. The Racers rank last in rush defense in the nation and are the only team that allows more than 300 yards on the ground per game (304.2).
What’s at stake?
Illinois State wants to bounce back after a frustrating loss to No. 1 North Dakota State last week, a game in which the Redbirds trailed, 18-16, after three quarters.
Quick hits
Spack’s message after the disappointing loss last weekend to NDSU was simple. “We’re playing for the postseason each and every Saturday,” he said. “I told them before (NDSU) that this isn’t the only game. It’s a big game, obviously. But every Saturday we’ve got to take the same approach.” Starting with Murray State, ISU’s next five opponents are currently 10-16 overall and 1-6 in the MVFC. … Spack told Prairie State Pigskin that running back Mason King, the team’s leading rusher in 2023, will not play this season. “He’s decided that he wants to get this year back,” Spack said. “He’s not going to play. I don’t want to screw up his opportunity for another year.” King sustained a serious knee injury in the 2024 season opener at Iowa and missed the remainder of the season. In three appearances this fall, King has nine carries for 38 yards. … Sophomore running back Matt Lawson, who rushed for nearly 450 yards as a true freshman last season, likely will redshirt. He has played in two games thus far and can play in no more than four regular-season games to retain a redshirt year. Spack said Lawson will prepare to play each Saturday and will play if needed. … Linebacker Tye Niekamp, the Redbirds’ leading tackler with 47 stops, ranks 19th nationally with 9.4 tackles per game this season and is second in the MVFC. The junior is 17 tackles from reaching 250 for his career. … ISU rushed for 137 yards Saturday against North Dakota State, which marked the first time since 2020 that the Redbirds surpassed the 100-yard mark against the Bison.
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.
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