A win for the ages: Illinois State football takes down NIU in defensive battle

Image courtesy of Illinois State athletics. 

DEKALB, Ill. — With 25 seconds left on the clock, Northern Illinois had one last drive to complete a comeback against Illinois State in a classic FBS-FCS battle. Dareon Dubose called game with an interception at ISU’s 25-yard line for a 28-24 Redbirds victory.

The Redbirds opened the game with three straight touchdowns to take a 21-0 lead, but the Huskies scored 24 unanswered points to take the lead in the fourth quarter. With the game on the line, the Redbirds took the lead back with 1:53 left on the clock. Gage Roy connected with Alex Herrera for a 16-yard touchdown, and the Redbird defense took care of business on the final drive of the game.

ISU’s defensive efforts started early in the first quarter. The first score came on a pick-six after Jack Oliver intercepted a pass from Jalen Macon and returned it for a touchdown to give ISU a quick 7-0 lead.

The Redbird defense went on to force a quick three-and-out from the Huskies, and the offense took over from there. Roy found Stevan Garic for a 20-yard pass on third down to give ISU a first-and-goal from the NIU 4-yard line. Head coach Brock Spack subbed in Chase Kwiatkowski for Roy, and the redshirt freshman ran the ball into the end zone for the second touchdown of the night.

Down two scores, the Huskies were looking for an escape from their cage on the next drive but ISU’s defense remained resilient to forced another punt.

ISU’s next drive began at the start of the second quarter, and the offense stayed efficient. Roy led the offense 54 yards downfield and finished the drive after connecting with Dylan Lord for a 6-yard touchdown. The junior led ISU’s receiving corps with 62 yards and one touchdown on eight receptions.

With a 21-0 lead, it seemed as if the Redbirds permanently sent the dogs to the pound, but NIU responded with 17 points in the second quarter.

Beckham Pellant entered the game for the first time at quarterback, and his first pass was intercepted by Andruw Ellis. The Illinois native returned the interception 30 yards to the end zone, putting NIU on the scoreboard.

For the rest of the half, it was all Huskie football. NIU’s defense got the Redbirds off the field with a three-and-out after Pellant threw an incomplete pass on a deep ball intended for Ian Willis.

NIU drove down the field on its next drive, but Tye Niekamp’s tackle at the ISU 23-yard line forced a field goal, making it 21-10.

ISU faced a third-and-7 situation at its own 38-yard line, but Avery Jones took Roy to the ground for a sack and a loss of 6 yards. Jones had two sacks and eight solo tackles on the night, leading the Huskies’ defense.

NIU had three minutes to make it a one-score game, and the offense stayed in control. The Huskies faced a fourth-and-2 situation, but Taron Dickens threw his only touchdown pass of the game after DeAree Rogers found the end zone. It was a four-point game going into halftime, with the Redbird defense needing to regroup to stay in the game.

Coming out of the break, neither team could put points on the board in the third quarter. Roy and Dickens had one incompletion each in the penultimate quarter, but neither offense could find the endzone.

The Huskies’ first full drive of the fourth quarter ended in the end zone. The home team marched 78 yards downfield to put itself in scoring position. The Redbirds appeared strong in the red zone and forced a third down, but Telly Johnson Jr. broke through the line for a 1-yard touchdown.

NIU had a 24-21 lead with 7:24 left on the clock and it was crunch time for ISU.

The Redbirds faced three third downs in their final offensive drive of the game, but had an answer for the Huskies’ defense. With 1:59 left in the game, Roy found Herrera at their own 13-yard line and the tight end ran it 16 yards into the endzone to give the Redbirds the late lead.

The touchdown was Herrera’s only reception of the game, but the EIU transfer made it count.

Now in a two-minute drill, NIU had one last chance to earn its first win of the season, but the Redbird defense came through once again.

ISU forced a third-and-two situation for NIU at the 24-yard line, but Johnson Jr. ran the ball four yards to pick up the first down. With 25 seconds left and the crowd on the edge of their seats, Dickens tried to connect with his running back a final time but Dubose had the man coverage handled and came away with the game-winning interception.

The junior ended the campaign with five total tackles and one interception.

Roy finished 20-of-23 with 146 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first game in which the USC transfer had almost complete control of the quarterback position, taking nearly every snap.

The win marks ISU’s first win against an FBS opponent since 2018 when they defeated Colorado State 35-19 and it is the first time Illinois State have started the season 3-0 in eight years.

ISU returns to Hancock Stadium at 2 p.m. on Sept. 19 to take on Eastern Illinois during family weekend in an in-state battle.

For all things Redbird football, stay tuned on wznd.com.