Illinois State Football Defeats Eastern Illinois To Secure Three-Peat in Mid-America Classic

Image courtesy of Illinois State football.

NORMAL, Ill. — A total of 556 yards for the offense of Illinois State football paved the way for a 49-13 win over Eastern Illinois, closing out family weekend at Hancock Stadium.

A 79-yard punt return from Dylan Lord in the third quarter helped the Redbirds soar to their fourth consecutive win, marking the program’s best start since the 2017 season.

Three quarterbacks, zero problems

Gage Roy, Beckham Pellant and Chase Kwiatkowski all saw action Saturday afternoon, and the offense moved smoothly. Roy led the trio with 172 yards, two touchdowns and a 69% completion percentage, going 13-19.

The senior got the offense moving in the first drive of the game, driving the offense 63 yards downfield before handing it the ball off to Tyler Lofton for a 12-yard rushing touchdown.

Kwiatkowski was the next Redbird QB to enter the game. Head Coach Brock Spack has mainly been using the sophomore on run plays, and he did his job against the in-state foe. The Indiana native finished the night with 50 rush yards, averaging 8.3 yards per carry.

Pellant’s first drive of the game came in the last two minutes of the first quarter, and ended with a touchdown pass to Mar’Quan Gary to give ISU a 21-3 lead. The 37-yard touchdown marked Gary’s first in the red and white.

Oh My Lord

Dylan Lord was the name of the game after back-to-back touchdowns. The junior found the endzone after a 4-yard pass from Roy that gave ISU a 28-6 lead at the end of the first half.

The wide receiver was feeling the family weekend energy and took it to the house on ISU’s first play of the second half. Lord handled a punt from Cade Cox with perfection and moved shifty to fly past the Panther’s special team unit.

The 79-yard run was the longest score of the game and Lord’s longest touchdown of his collegiate career.

Slow and steady

Leading 35-6 with 13:25 left in the third quarter, ISU remained nearly perfect until the final quarter.

Roy, alongside Anthony Hall took over the third quarter. The senior became a near cheat code when he ran the ball five times in ISU’s first drive, with his final carry ending in the endzone for his first touchdown as a Redbird.

The ISU defense held the Panthers to just six points and one touchdown on the day. Tye Niekamp led the team with eight total tackles, six assists and two solo tackles. Jamaricus Thomas had five total tackles and led the team with two pass breakups.

With the defense holding strong, the Redbird offense found the end zone a final time early in the fourth quarter. ISU faced a second-and-1 situation at the EIU 1-yard line.

A no-huddle shotgun handoff to Lofton made it a 49-6 game.

As the Redbird defense looked to remain nearly perfect, the EIU offense finally broke through for the first time all game. Cole LaCrue and Tyren Buggs took the driver’s seat to move 80-yards downfield. The play ended with a 1-yard run from the quarterback LaCrue, for the final score of the game.

The Redbirds kept the Mid-America trophy at home for the third consecutive year, but they now shift their attention to Missouri Valley Conference action.

ISU faces Northern Iowa at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

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