Illinois State senior Brady Probst is part of a tight end group that head coach Brock Spack said is “playing well.” The No. 12/13 Redbirds, on a bye this week, resume their schedule with an Oct. 17 game at rival Southern Illinois. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
Following a sprinter’s start to its season, Illinois State’s pace has slowed to more of a distance runner.
The Redbirds (4-2 overall, 0-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) raced to a perfect start in the non-conference portion of their season. However, consecutive losses in league play, coupled with the bye week, have brought on more time for contemplation.
“When I watched the tape (of Saturday’s 31-14 loss to then-No. 2 South Dakota State), we played really well on defense for three quarters before we got worn down,” head coach Brock Spack told Prairie State Pigskin. “Offensively, we’re going to have some interesting practices this week. We’ve got to get a feel for the quarterback situation.”
That situation has involved the Redbirds rotating three quarterbacks. Fifth-year QB Gage Roy and junior Beckham Pellant have each made starts, though Roy – a transfer from USC – has played the bulk of snaps against MVFC opponents.
“There were (wise) throws that he (Roy) made and others that he didn’t,” Spack said. “We’ve got to get our eyes in the right spot. I don’t think this competition is over by any stretch of the imagination.”
Sophomore Chase Kwiatkowski has also seen playing time, mainly as a running quarterback.
Spack, now in his 18th year at ISU, also noted the Redbird ground game has been affected by injuries.
Senior Victor Dawson is still hampered by an ankle issue, while backup Seth Glatz has missed the last three weeks with a neck injury.
Dawson, who led ISU with 67 rushing yards on 22 attempts against SDSU, said the bye week would “most definitely” get him 100% for ISU’s Oct. 17 conference game at rival Southern Illinois.
Dawson said the Redbirds aren’t panicking, but they do realize the gravity of the situation.
“We’ve got time to think about what needs to be done,” the sixth-year back said.
Spack said Glatz has been cleared medically and will return to the lineup against the Salukis.
Dawson has run for 274 yards and four touchdowns in five games. Sophomore Tyler Lofton leads ISU with 289 rushing yards and four TDs on 21 fewer carries than Dawson.
Here’s a look at three pluses and three minuses so far:
Plus column
Oh Lord: Coming off his spectacular performance in last season’s FCS championship game in which he caught 13 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns, receiver Dylan Lord has emerged as ISU’s go-to receiver.
The junior tops the Redbirds with 36 catches for 389 yards and five touchdowns. In addition, Lord has shared punt return duties with fellow receiver Ian Willis. Lord returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown against Eastern Illinois.
Unfortunately for ISU, Lord sustained a hamstring injury in Saturday’s loss. He was limited to two receptions on eight targeted passes and could not return punts.
“Dylan has had a great season up until Saturday,” Spack said. “He was on the sideline (in the second half). He’s the one we’ve got to get healthy.”
The Other Niekamp: Senior middle linebacker Tye Niekamp earned the MVFC Defensive Player of the Year Award last season. He continues to move up the ISU career records leaderboard this fall.
Enter younger brother Dexter, who became a key contributor down the stretch of last season’s run through the FCS playoffs. Now a sophomore and playing the outside linebacker position known as ‘Jack’ in the Redbird system, Dexter Niekamp has proven to be a force.
The former three-sport standout at Normal Community High School has created havoc this season. Against South Dakota State, he recorded five tackles, one for loss. Niekamp bagged a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
“He plays on the edge of the defense, so things have to come to you,” Spack said. “He played really well. It’s probably one of the better games he’s played.”
Tight end targets: Tight ends have accounted for 60% of the team’s 15 touchdown catches.
Leading the way is 6-foot-2, 240-pound Alex Herrera, a fifth-year senior transfer from Eastern Illinois. Herrera caught touchdowns in each of ISU’s first four games, including the game-winner at FBS Northern Illinois.
“I like them. They’re playing well,” Spack said of the tight ends. “Three of the four (in the rotation) are getting a lot of catches. Herrera has gotten some important ones.”
Joining Herrera in that rotation are fifth-year Max Ziebarth (9 catches for 55 yards, one touchdown), senior Brady Probst (3 catches for 29 yards) and senior Nick True (1 catch for 12 yards).
Minus column
Empty Valley: The last time the Redbirds started 0-2 in the MVFC was 2021 when they lost three straight games, all to ranked league teams. ISU finished that season 4-7 overall and 2-6 in the MVFC.
The combined record of this year’s four ISU non-conference opponents is 4-16, including NIU’s 0-4 mark. Western Illinois has three of those four wins.
Inopportune penalties: The two league losses prove that all penalties aren’t equal. Both Northern Iowa and South Dakota State were flagged for more offenses than ISU.
However, Spack pointed out that it’s not always the number of penalties but rather when they occur.
ISU committed four such penalties at UNI. A pass interference flag and a personal foul gave the Panthers first downs in third-and-long situations.
A fourth-quarter false start turned a second-and-goal at the UNI 1 into an eventual turnover on downs. An illegal block in the back also wiped out a 25-yard punt return by Lord.
A pair of false start penalties occurred on a 15-play, first-quarter drive that resulted in a missed field goal against South Dakota State.
QB play in conference: For much of its 4-0 start, the quarterback trio of Roy, Pellant and Kwiatkowski was humming.
The trio combined for a 70% completion rate along with 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions in the wins against St. Francis, WIU, NIU and EIU.
In the MVFC losses, the Redbird QBs completed 57% with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
“As an offense as a whole, and this obviously stems from me, being able to push the ball down the field a little bit more would be helpful to open things up,” Roy said. “We have a great run game. We’ve been productive in spots in the passing game, but could be even more.”
Spack noted Redbird receivers had four drops in the South Dakota State loss.
While Kwiatkowski emerged as a running threat with 198 rushing yards in non-conference games, the sophomore has 30 ground yards in MVFC play. He did score twice on 1-yard runs against South Dakota State.
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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