Illinois State receiver Mar’Quan Gary scored his first career touchdown in the Redbirds’ 49-13 victory against rival Eastern Illinois in the Mid-America Classic Saturday at Hancock Stadium. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
NORMAL – No lightning occurred in the sky on an overcast Saturday afternoon at Hancock Stadium. Yet, there were plenty of quick strikes by Illinois State.
The No. 4/5 Redbirds covered great distances in short amounts of time – particularly in the first half – en route to a 49-13 thrashing of Eastern Illinois in the 114th meeting of the Mid-America Classic. ISU now leads the series, 62-43-9.
“It was a great effort by our guys,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said.
Illinois State’s fast scoring drives were a contrast to the length of the rivalry series with Eastern Illinois, which was first played in 1901.
Saturday’s win, played before a Family Weekend sellout crowd of 11,589, was the third straight and eighth in the last nine games against EIU.
ISU (4-0) scored touchdowns on six of its nine possessions – averaging 3 minutes, 56 seconds on each TD drive.
EIU (1-3) was limited to a pair of field goals and a fourth-quarter touchdown.
The Redbirds racked up 556 yards of total offense on 78 plays (7.1 average) despite having its top two running backs – Victor Dawson and Seth Glatz – sidelined with injuries.
Sophomore Tyler Lofton led ISU with 62 rushing yards and two touchdowns on a team-high 15 carries.
“This offense has been really good,” Spack said.
Then there was the early third-quarter, 79-yard punt return for a touchdown by Dylan Lord. Earlier, the junior delivered a diving 4-yard TD reception.
Meanwhile, the Redbirds dominated defensively, holding EIU to 216 yards on 52 plays (4.15 average). The Panthers managed a mere 82 first-half yards.
“We definitely have a lot of depth. We’re well-rounded,” said ISU linebacker Anthony Corona, who had six tackles.
Illinois State again shuffled three quarterbacks throughout the game. Fifth-year QB Gage Roy got the starting nod and threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns. The Dallas native completed 13 of 19 passes. Sophomore Chase Kwiatkowski (50 rushing yards, 3-for-3 passing) and junior Beckham Pellant (116 passing yards, TD) also performed well.
Receiver Luke Mailander did not return after sustaining an upper body injury following a 29-yard catch and run.
“He had concussion syndrome. He got hit pretty good,” Spack said.
Sophomore Mar’Quan Gary replaced Mailander and caught three passes for 72 yards, including his first career touchdown.
Game changers
12:38, 1st quarter: Lofton raced straight up the middle, virtually untouched, for a 12-yard touchdown run to cap a 6-play, 75-yard drive that took just 2:22.
6:15, 2nd quarter: Corona and linebacker Tye Niekamp combined to stop EIU running back Charles Kellom for no gain on a wildcat third-down run at the Redbird 4. Thus, the Panthers settled for a 21-yard field goal by Drew Schiller.
13:24, 3rd quarter: Lord gathered in a punt on the right side, broke tackles in the middle, put on several jukes and raced down the left sideline with a convoy of blockers for a 79-yard punt return for a TD.
Best ‘Birds
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Illinois State players in the game:
Lord, WR: The junior led the Redbirds with six receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. He returned a punt for a touchdown in the third quarter, the first by a Redbird since Anthony Warrum in 2013.
Roy, QB: The Dallas native completed 13 of 19 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
Tye Niekamp, LB: The senior middle linebacker led ISU with eight tackles, two that were solo.
What it means
Illinois State retains the rivalry’s traveling trophy for another year.
What’s next
The Redbirds open their Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule with a 4 p.m. game Sept. 26 at Northern Iowa.
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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