 Illinois State picked up 237 yards and scored four touchdowns on the
ground. Senior running back Rafael Rice and sophomore running back
Parrish Fisher each eclipsed 100 yards, with 106 and 103,
respectively. They became the first Redbird duo to gain 100 yards in
a game since Brian Thompson had 157 and Demetrus Johnson added 129
against Missouri State on Oct. 9, 2004. Rice hit triple-digits in
rushing for the second consecutive game and scored two touchdowns.
Special teams played a big part in the Redbirds' success, as they
racked up 205 kickoff return yards, surpassing the ISU Horton
Stadium record of 189 set against Tennessee-Chattanooga on Nov. 17,
1979. Senior wide receiver Jason Horton and senior defensive back
Tom Nelson had career-long returns of 82 and 59 yards, respectively,
snapping the career-bests they both had against Youngstown State in
the playoffs last season. Redshirt freshman kicker Tyler Funk, who
saw the first action of his career, kicked a field goal and was
4-for-6 on extra points.
The Redbird passing attack wasn't called upon much, but it came
through when needed. Senior quarterback Luke Drone was just 5-of-9
in the game for 81 yards, but he did have two long touchdown passes
to Horton. His nine attempts were the fewest of his career as a
starter and were the fewest by the Redbirds since they had nine
against Division II Washburn on Sept. 10, 1994. With his two
touchdown receptions, Horton increased his career total to 11 and
moved into a tie for sixth place on the ISU all-time list with Jacob
Niete.
Senior linebacker Kye Stewart recorded his second consecutive
double-digit tackle effort with a team-high 10 stops. Nelson added
nine tackles, one shy of his career-high, and senior linebacker Bill
Hronec tied his career-best mark with seven tackles. After giving up
234 total yards to the Racers in the first half, the Redbird defense
limited them to just 188 in the second half, with only 70 coming on
the ground. Murray State started the game with four consecutive
third-down conversions but was just 2-for-9 the rest of the game.
After a fumble recovery set the Redbirds up on the Murray State
39-yard line, it didn't take long for Rice to put them on the
scoreboard. Murray State was unable to contain the running back, as
he rushed the ball on every play of the drive and scored on a 2-yard
run to the left side. Redshirt freshman kicker Tyler Funk connected
on his first extra-point attempt and the Redbirds led 7-0 with 10:28
remaining in the first quarter.
Murray State came right back to tie the game on its next
possession, marching 86 yards in 10 plays. Quarterback Jeff Ehrhardt
led the attack, completing three passes for 43 yards, including a
23-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Rod Harper. The Racers
then turned a take-away into points, as they knocked the ball loose
on a sack of Drone and had another long drive that ended with a
20-yard field goal to take the lead 10-7 early in the second
quarter.
[to top of second column] |
The Redbird offense struck quickly again, this time through the
air. Drone's first completion of the game was a good one, as he hit
Horton streaking down the left sideline for a 31-yard touchdown to
put ISU back on top, 14-10. The 'Bird defense then held the Racers
and forced them to punt for the first time in the game.
Drone and the offense answered with a 15-play, 80-yard scoring
drive that took 7:45 off the clock. The key play came on a third
down from the Murray State 35-yard line when it looked as though the
drive stalled on an incomplete pass, but a roughing-the-passer
penalty on the Racers gave the 'Birds new life. ISU got a fresh set
of downs in the red zone but needed a 9-yard run by Rice on fourth
down to keep the drive alive. Drone scored on a 1-yard quarterback
sneak on the next play, and the extra point was blocked to keep the
Redbirds' lead at 20-10.
Horton's kick return set the Redbirds up at the Murray State
12-yard line to open the second half. After three short runs by
Rice, the Redbirds faked a field goal and sophomore wide receiver
Drew Kempe ran it in for an apparent touchdown, but a holding call
nullified the score and ISU settled for a 30-yard field goal by Funk
to go ahead 23-10.
The Redbirds continued to seize control, stopping another
sustained Racer drive with a fourth-down stand and adding to their
lead with another quick score. A career-long 49-yard run by Fisher
put the 'Birds deep in Murray State territory, and Rice scored his
second touchdown on a 10-yard run to extend the lead to 30-10.
Two more Redbird scores came in the fourth quarter. Sophomore
running back Geno Blow scored his first career touchdown on a 1-yard
run on the first play of the quarter. Drone connected with Horton
for the second time on a 20-yard touchdown pass to extend the
Redbird lead to 43-10.
Illinois State hits the road for the first time this year when it
takes on Eastern Illinois on Saturday at 6 p.m.
(Statistics)
[To download Adobe Acrobat Reader for
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here.]
[Text from file received from Jimmy
Knodel,
assistant media relations director,
Illinois
State University]
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