McLean County Times

In the second of two road games to start the 2024 season, No. 21 ranked Illinois State (1-1) secured a 24-17 victory over the North Alabama Lions (0-3) on Saturday night at Braly Stadium.

The Redbirds initiated their lead early, covering 75 yards in eight plays during their opening drive. Tommy Rittenhouse connected with Mitch Bartol for an 18-yard touchdown pass, followed by Ian Wagner's successful extra point kick, making it 7-0. North Alabama responded with a 25-yard field goal from Scott Payne, reducing the deficit to 7-3 with 7:27 left in the first quarter.

With 11:42 remaining in the second quarter, Rittenhouse scored on a three-yard run, concluding a nine-play drive and extending Illinois State's lead to 14-3. In the third quarter, Ari Patu's 15-yard touchdown pass to Kobe Warden brought North Alabama closer at 14-10. However, Rittenhouse quickly countered with a significant 71-yard touchdown run, increasing the Redbird lead to 21-10.

Ian Wagner added a 21-yard field goal before the end of the third quarter, capping off a lengthy scoring drive and pushing the score to 24-10. North Alabama's Patu later ran seven yards for a touchdown, narrowing it to 24-17 with just under eleven minutes left in the game. Despite opportunities for both teams to score late in the game, neither converted further points.

Rittenhouse had a standout performance with career-high rushing yards of 94 and accounted for three touchdowns—two rushing and one passing—totaling 236 yards of offense. Bartol recorded his first career touchdown catch and finished with two receptions for 26 yards. Lord led Redbird receivers with six catches for 52 yards.

Wenkers Wright dominated on the ground for Illinois State with 153 rushing yards, including a notable late-game run of 54 yards. Defensively, Mark Cannon Jr. led with ten tackles and an interception. Keondre Jackson contributed nine tackles and half a sack, while Lavoise-Deontae McCoy added seven tackles and recovered a fumble.

Illinois State will return home next Saturday for three consecutive games at Hancock Stadium starting against Western Illinois (0-2) at noon during Family Weekend at ISU.