Defensive scores propel Redbirds to 24-13 playoff victory         

[NOV. 27, 2006]  CHARLESTON -- One adage in college football states that defense wins championships. Whether or not the saying is true can be left to debate; however, for the Illinois State football team, defense certainly kept its national championship hopes alive on Saturday against Eastern Illinois. Two interception returns for touchdowns propelled the Redbirds (9-3) to a 24-13 NCAA Division I Football Championship first-round victory over the Panthers (8-5) at O'Brien Stadium.

Kevin Mazur scored the first points of the game on a 30-yard field goal with 7:35 left in the first quarter to give ISU an early 3-0 advantage. The score would stay that way until the second quarter, when EIU placekicker Zach Yates booted a 47-yard field goal to tie the score 3-3 with 9:50 left in the first half.

After a Redbird three-and-out, the Panthers faced a third down when Jason Tate intercepted a Cole Stinson pass and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown, giving ISU a 10-3 lead after the Mazur extra-point conversion. Tate's INT return was the second of the season by an ISU defender, following Jarek Thomas' 28-yard INT return against Youngstown State.

EIU would cut into the lead with just 40 seconds left in the half on Yates' second field goal of the day, this time from 39 yards, to make the score 10-6 heading into the locker room at halftime.

The Redbirds had an opportunity to widen the lead in the third quarter, but Mazur missed a 32-yard field goal and the ball went back to the Panthers. Fortunately for ISU, EIU was not able to get any momentum on offense, either, and the teams went scoreless in the third quarter.

With 10:48 left in the game, the EIU defense put points on the scoreboard to take the lead. Defensive back Terrance Sanders answered Tate's earlier interception return for a touchdown with one of his own for 87 yards to put the Panthers up 13-10. However, Pierre Rembert would regain the lead for the Redbirds on an 18-yard touchdown run with 2:07 left in the game to make the score 17-13 in favor of ISU.

Eastern Illinois got the ball back and had a chance to win the game, but Jesse Caesar picked off a Stinson pass and ran it back 45 yards for a touchdown to put the game away at 24-13. The interception was Caesar's second of the season and ISU's second INT return for a touchdown during the game.

Rembert finished the game with 122 yards rushing and became the school's single-season rushing leader with 1,622 yards, breaking Toby Davis' old mark of 1,561 set in 1992. Laurent Robinson led the ISU receivers with five catches for 55 yards and extended his school record of consecutive games played with a catch to 34.

ISU will now face Youngstown State on Saturday at 5 p.m. [See article.] Youngstown State defeated James Madison 35-31 to reach the quarterfinals.

[Illinois State University news release provided by Mike Williams]

LDN sports sponsored by: