Illinois State University’s football team began its 2025 season with a loss to the University of Oklahoma on Saturday night in Norman. The Redbirds were defeated 35-3 by the Sooners, who are ranked No. 18 nationally.
The game was played at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium before a crowd of 83,218, the largest audience in Illinois State program history. The sellout marked Oklahoma’s 160th consecutive regularly scheduled home game at capacity.
Oklahoma scored first late in the opening quarter with a seven-yard touchdown run by quarterback John Mateer. Early in the second quarter, Mateer connected with Deion Burks for a 27-yard touchdown pass, extending Oklahoma’s lead to 14-0. With less than a minute left in the first half, Tory Blaylock added another touchdown for the Sooners on a five-yard run, giving them a 21-0 advantage at halftime.
Illinois State got on the scoreboard in the third quarter after Shadwell Nkuba II intercepted a pass and Matt Maldonado converted a 33-yard field goal to make it 21-3. In the fourth quarter, Mateer threw two more touchdown passes to Keontez Lewis—one from 28 yards and another from 20 yards—to seal Oklahoma’s win.
The Redbird defense forced two turnovers during the game: Jack Dwyer forced a fumble that was recovered by Tye Niekamp, and Nkuba recorded an interception along with six tackles in his debut for Illinois State. Niekamp led all Redbird defenders with ten tackles and contributed half of a tackle for loss.
On offense, Wenkers Wright led Illinois State’s rushing attack with seven carries for 50 yards, including one run of 24 yards.
Illinois State will play its home opener next Saturday against Morehead State at Jay and Lori Bergman Field at Hancock Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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