Illinois State junior Dylan Lord leads the Redbirds in receiving through two games. The Arizona native has added returning punts to his game this season. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
Illinois State junior receiver Dylan Lord has only grown in confidence after last fall’s postseason run to the FCS national championship game.
After all, Lord shined in the playoffs, catching 27 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns.
“My confidence comes from the day-to-day work from last season. I took it to an extra gear during the winter and into the summer,” Lord told Prairie State Pigskin. “I know I can make the plays because I’ve done it so many times.”
After dispatching rival Western Illinois, 41-10, last weekend, the Redbirds take to the road for a second straight game. ISU (2-0) plays FBS Northern Illinois (0-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday in DeKalb.
“He’s playing with confidence,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said. “He’s a very good route runner and can accelerate. He’s an explosive guy that can change direction. He has very good ball skills. He’s picking up where he left off.”
Where he left off was racking up a career-high 161 yards and two touchdowns against Montana State in the title game. Naturally, he drew interest from outside programs as a result.
“I had a pretty good amount of Group of Five schools, some Power Four schools, (that reached out), but it just wasn’t something that I was all in on,” Lord said.
The Arizona native said his decision to stay at ISU had many factors, including the chance to make another deep postseason run.
“It’s the culture here,” he said. “We had a lot of guys here who also had other opportunities, but they stayed. They saw something in this team, and I do too. A lot of us decided to buy in and get back to where we were in Nashville.”
The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Lord leads the Redbirds with eight receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
While he has returned kickoffs in the past, Lord has split time with sophomore Ian Willis on punt returns this season. Lord broke off a 37-yard return at Western Illinois.
“I got the ball with some space,” Lord said. “We emphasize stretch and puncture, (which means) I’m trying to get to a side and then get upfield to get some yards. It just ended up being one of those plays.”
“He’s really dangerous with really good hands,” Spack said. “We have to be careful and pitch-count those two guys. Ian is Dylan’s backup. When we run two slot receivers, he’s the other, so we have to make sure we’re smart about that. Both guys are very explosive.”
A season ago, Lord ranked second only to record-setting ISU receiver Daniel Sobkowicz, catching 74 passes for 734 yards and five touchdowns. Sobkowicz is currently on the Houston Texas’ practice squad.
Northern Illinois was shut out, 40-0, in its season opener at Iowa. The Huskies now play in the Mountain West Conference after 28 seasons as a Mid-American Conference member.
“We’re approaching this game like it’s the biggest game of the year as we do with every game,” Lord said. “This game will be a temperature check to see where we stand as a team. I’m confident that we can go up there and win.”
Kickoff: 6 p.m.; TV: Mountain West-Plus; Radio: WJBC.com
Key matchup to watch
ISU defense vs. NIU QBs Jalen Macon and Taron Dickens
Macon struggled in the opener at Iowa but remains a viable threat, especially on the ground. The Nashville native started the last three games for the Huskies last fall.
Dickens arrived in DeKalb as a late transfer addition. At Western Carolina last season, he passed for 3,508 yards and 38 touchdowns while only being intercepted twice. Dickens originally committed to FBS North Carolina before re-entering the portal and choosing NIU. Spack is confident in his personnel to slow the Huskies QBs.
“Defensively, we’re pretty well-rounded,” Spack said. “We kind of do it as a village. We have some really good players like (safety La’Shavion) Brown at safety and Tye Niekamp at linebacker. We’re really starting to develop these younger guys that haven’t played a lot but have a lot of talent.”
What’s at stake
An Illinois State win against a Group of Five FBS opponent would aid the Redbirds immensely come FCS playoff seeding time.
Quick hits
Illinois State remained ranked fourth in the American Football Coaches Association poll this week, but dropped one spot to fifth in the Stats Perform FCS rankings as Tarleton State jumped past the Redbirds thanks to a 20-13 victory at FBS Bowling Green. … ISU receives a $350,000 guarantee from NIU for Saturday’s matchup. … NIU head coach Rob Harley is an Elmhurst native who began his career in sports television after graduating from Ohio State University, where he played safety in the early 2000s. However, he moved into coaching, starting as an Old Dominion assistant in 2010. … Tony Petersen, who was Spack’s offensive coordinator the past four seasons, first retired in February and then became Northern’s OC a month later. “That’s kind of a wash. He knows us too,” Spack said. “We’re familiar with most of what Tony does, but I’m sure he’ll throw a few new wrinkles in. It’s a matter of stopping them. Can you out-execute them in what you know and what they do? That’s the key.”
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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