McLean County Times

Illinois State University secured a 42-30 victory over Eastern Illinois University in the 113th Mid-America Classic held at O'Brien Field. The Redbirds, now with a 2-1 record, pulled away late in the fourth quarter after two touchdowns in the final six minutes.

The game opened with Illinois State forcing a turnover on downs and then scoring first with an eight-play drive capped by Wenkers Wright's two-yard touchdown run. Kicker Matt Maldonado added the extra point to make it 7-0. After an interception by Jack Dwyer gave ISU strong field position, quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse connected with Daniel Sobkowicz for a ten-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter.

Eastern Illinois responded quickly when Connor Wolfe threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to CJ Nelson just 19 seconds later. EIU closed the gap further before halftime as kicker Drew Schiller made a 43-yard field goal, bringing the score to 14-10. However, ISU answered back before halftime; Rittenhouse found Luke Mailander for a 46-yard touchdown pass, giving Illinois State a 21-10 advantage at halftime.

In the third quarter, Wright scored his second touchdown of the day on an eighteen-yard run, increasing ISU's lead to 28-10. EIU narrowed the margin in the fourth quarter as Wolfe connected with Cooper Willman for an eighteen-yard touchdown and then again found Nelson for another score from fifty-one yards out. A missed two-point conversion left ISU ahead at 28-23.

Wright scored his third touchdown of the game on a sixteen-yard run following that drive. Shadwel Nkuba II intercepted Wolfe late in the fourth quarter, leading to another Rittenhouse-to-Sobkowicz touchdown pass from twenty-two yards out. EIU added one more score—a nine-yard pass from Wolfe to DeAirious Smith—but could not close the gap further.

Illinois State has now won seven of its last eight games against Eastern Illinois and nine of eleven overall between these teams. Dwyer's interception was his first at Illinois State; he finished with five tackles and half a tackle-for-loss. Mailander caught five passes for a career-high 109 yards and his second career touchdown at ISU. Nkuba II picked off his third interception in three games since joining ISU, helping secure possession late in the game.

Tye Niekamp led defensively with fourteen tackles—a personal best—and two tackles-for-loss. Wright set his own career high with three touchdowns while rushing for ninety-four yards on fourteen carries.

The Redbirds will next play North Alabama at Jay and Lori Bergman Field at Hancock Stadium next Saturday as part of Family Day activities.

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