McLean County Times

Illinois State University’s football team conducted its first intrasquad scrimmage of Fall Camp '24 on a near-perfect August morning at Hancock Stadium. The Redbirds engaged in over two hours of play, running nearly 140 snaps and covering various key sessions such as goal-line drills, field drives, red zone work, two-minute drills, and special teams periods.

The scrimmage saw several scoring plays. Freshman running back Matt Lawson initiated the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run following a 43-yard rush that highlighted a 6-play, 66-yard drive. Ian Wagner contributed with a 46-yard field goal on the next drive. Trazhon Tims added another rushing touchdown from one yard out after a 6-play, 42-yard drive.

Freshman quarterback Beckham Pellant connected with wide receiver Quinten Johnson for the first passing touchdown of the day on a 17-yard pass during a 7-play drive. Lawson scored his second rushing touchdown from five yards out shortly thereafter. Wagner then made his second field goal of the day from 41 yards.

As the action moved to the red zone, Lawson scored again with a four-yard run. Wagner added his third field goal with a successful attempt from 20 yards out. Pellant and Johnson linked up once more for a long-range score on a 53-yard pass.

The offense also executed an extended drive resulting in Tommy Rittenhouse connecting with Wenkers Wright for an impressive one-handed catch and four-yard touchdown pass after an 11-play, 63-yard sequence. Jake Rubley finished off the scrimmage by finding Andrew Rockford for a six-yard touchdown pass at the end of another nine-play drive.

Passing leaders included Tommy Rittenhouse (15-for-20, 124 yards, one TD), Jake Rubley (11-for-16, 94 yards, one TD), and Beckham Pellant (10-for-15, 151 yards, two TDs). Leading rushers were Cal Martine (14 attempts for 71 yards), Matt Lawson (13 attempts for 77 yards and three TDs), and Trazhon Tims (12 attempts for 99 yards and one TD).

Top receivers were Eddie Kasper (seven receptions for 48 yards), Dylan Lord (four receptions for 84 yards), Quinten Johnson (three receptions for 68 yards and two TDs), Scotty Presson Jr., Luke Mailander, Andrew Rockford each had three catches; Rockford also had one TD.

Defensively, Tye Niekamp led with eight tackles including one tackle-for-loss and one sack. Chris Taylor also recorded eight tackles along with Paul Omodia who added one pass breakup each. Amir Abdullah contributed seven tackles including three tackles-for-losses and safety among other notable defensive performances.

Further information about Illinois State tickets and merchandise can be found on GoRedbirds.com or through the Illinois State Redbirds App.