Senior running back Wenkers Wright leads the Redbirds in attempts, rushing yards and touchdowns this season. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
During each of Illinois State’s recent FCS playoff qualifying seasons, the Redbirds have featured a solid running game.
Six years ago, ISU was led by All-American running back James Robinson. The Rockford native led the Missouri Valley Football Conference with nearly 1,900 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.
Last season, junior Wenkers Wright ran for over 1,100 yards as ISU matched the Robinson-led Redbirds with a second-round postseason appearance.
This fall, the Redbirds are once again in the playoff hunt. ISU has a 4-2 overall record, 1-1 in the MVFC, and is ranked in the Top 10 in both national FCS polls.
Illinois State hosts No. 25 Youngstown State at 2 p.m. Saturday for the annual homecoming game.
Statistical breakdown
Illinois State has run on 55% of its offensive plays thus far. Twenty-nine percent of the Redbird runs have gone for first downs.
Yet this time around, Wright isn’t shouldering all the load.
A year ago, Wright took the ball for nearly 42% of ISU’s rushing attempts. Through six games this season, the senior has accounted for 36% of the carries.
While Wright leads the Redbirds in attempts (78), rushing yards (422) and touchdowns (5), Cincinnati transfer Victor Dawson has played plenty of significant downs.
Dawson, a senior, has 67 carries for 341 yards. He leads ISU backs with eight receptions for 27 yards.
“Dawson has helped out quite a bit,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said. “We just think Wenkers is a better player with fewer carries. He’s more fresh in the fourth quarter. We like to keep the stress off him. It’s a long season.”
Reshuffled deck
Both Wright and Dawson have remained virtually injury-free thus far. The same can’t be said for senior Mason King, the team’s leading rusher in 2023.
King sustained a severe knee injury in the 2024 season opener at Iowa, missed the remainder of last fall and was limited to just nine carries this season. Last week, Spack told Prairie State Pigskin that King will not play the rest of this season, as he is hoping to get an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA.
Sophomore Matt Lawson, the team’s third-leading rusher last fall as a true freshman, will likely redshirt, according to Spack. Lawson has played in two games thus far and can play in no more than four regular-season games to earn a redshirt year.
With King and Lawson on the sidelines, senior Seth Glatz has stepped into the role as the No. 3 back. Glatz, who set the state prep career rushing yardage record at nearby Morton High School, has 20 rushes for 82 yards this season. Glatz is the only ISU back with no lost yards on carries to date.
“Seth is having a very good year, and that includes special teams,” Spack said.
Glatz delivered a key play in Illinois State’s 46-32 conference win at Murray State last Saturday. The 5-foot-11, 205-pounder hauled in a 51-yard touchdown reception against the Racers.
“That was really good,” Spack said. “I was giving him grief on the sidelines that I didn’t think he had the hands to catch a ball like that. He laughed.
“Seth has done a good job with that. Seth can run a little bit. He’s got a big role for our team. There’s a toughness about him.”
Rittenhouse as a runner
The Redbirds also feature the dual-threat of Tommy Rittenhouse at quarterback. The senior from Wheaton St. Francis High School was ISU’s second-leading rusher last fall.
This year, Rittenhouse ranks third behind Wright and Dawson with 178 yards. His carries are down 1% from last season.
Rittenhouse has one rushing touchdown. A year ago, he had eight TDs on the ground, which was second only to Wright’s 11.
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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