Normal, ILL. – The Illinois State football team ran it’s way to it’s first win of the season, improving to 1-3. The final score being 26-18 over the Western Illinois Leathernecks. Head coach Brock Spack relied on his rushing attack to sparkplug it’s inconsistent offense, attempting 56 rushes for 274 yards.
Quarterback Bryce Jefferson played his most efficient game thus far, completing 17 of his 23 attempts for 167 passing yards and a touchdown. The redbirds took care of the football, having only one being an interception by Jefferson in the second quarter. The offense had it’s best output of the season totaling 441 rushing yards.
The ISU defense was suffocating on third down, allowing just two conversions on fourteen attempts. Leatherneck signal caller Connor Sampson struggled all afternoon to complete passes, only completing 22 of his 42 attempts for 193 yards. The Redbirds allowed almost nothing on the ground, only 56 total yards rushing for just a 2.9 YPA average.
Next up will be a tough four game stretch, with three of the next four opponents being ranked in the top five in the country. Number three Northern Iowa, number one North Dakota, and number five South Dakota will face the Redbirds. We’ll just have to wait and see what the Redbirds are made of, but the opportunity to assert themselves as one of the true FCS contenders awaits.
Photo courtesy of goredbirds.com