Illinois State 59, Eastern Washington 46

[December 15, 2014]  Illinois State 59, Eastern Washington 46: Marshaun Coprich ran for a career-high 258 yards and four touchdowns as the visiting Redbirds avenged a 2012 loss to the Eagles in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.

Coprich extended his school record of 100-yard rushing efforts to 13 and took over the FCS lead in rushing scores with 26 for Illinois State (12-1), which scored touchdowns on eight straight possessions not interrupted by halftime and will travel to face top-seeded New Hampshire in next week's semifinals. Tre Roberson finished 19-of-24 for 206 yards and accounted for three touchdowns as the Redbirds went 10-of-16 on third down and set a single-season record for victories.

Quincy Forte (88 yards rushing), Jabari Wilson and Vernon Adams Jr. each ran for a touchdown as Eastern Washington (11-3) fell in the quarterfinals for the second straight year. Adams threw for 425 yards and three fourth-quarter scores including two to Cooper Kupp (10 catches for 185 yards), who became the 19th player in FCS history to record more than 100 receptions in a season (104).

Illinois State scored on each of its first four possessions, getting touchdown runs of 7 yards from Coprich and 3 yards from Brady Tibbits before establishing a 14-point advantage midway through the second quarter on Cameron Meredith’s one-handed grab on a 7-yard TD throw from Roberson. Eastern Washington countered with scoring drives on its last three series of the opening half, settling for a 24-17 halftime deficit following Wilson’s 1-yard scoring plunge with 36 seconds left.

The Redbirds carried their offensive efficiency over into the second half as Coprich fought through an ankle injury for third-quarter TD runs of 21 and 3 yards before Roberson added a rushing and passing score to make it 52-27. Adams connected with Kupp on scores of 30 and 35 yards over a 36-second stretch after the Eagles recovered an onside kick, but Coprich halted the comeback on a 74-yard dash to the end zone with 7:29 remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The game was delayed for nearly 30 minutes with 1:40 left when the parent of one of Eastern Washington’s players suffered a heart attack. Emergency personnel on the scene performed CPR before transporting him to a local hospital; no updates were given regarding his condition. … Coprich – the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year – became the first Redbird to surpass 2,000 yards rushing in a season (2,089). … Eastern Washington scored in all four quarters, closing its season by scoring in 48 consecutive periods and 55 of 56 for the season.

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.