DeKALB, Ill. ? The Indiana State football team faced off against its second Mid-American Conference and FBS opponent of the season in Northern Illinois on Saturday. NIU (1-2) took advantage of several turnovers by ISU (0-3) and secured a 48-3 victory in front of 20,936 fans in the team's home opener at Huskie Stadium.
The Huskies opened the game with a strong 11-play, 70-yard scoring drive that took 6:27 off the clock. NIU used a mix of rushing and passing plays during the drive, but capped it off with a nine-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dan Nicholson to tight end Reed Cunningham to take an early 7-0 lead after the extra point.
Indiana State faltered on its first drive of the game and was forced to punt. On the punt attempt, NIU's Willie Clark came through the line to block the Gabe Mullane punt and the ball was turned over on downs to the Huskies. NIU got the ball back deep in ISU territory, but the Sycamore defense stiffened up and held NIU to a 46-yard field goal by placekicker Mike Salerno to bring the score to 10-0 with 4:55 left in the first quarter.
NIU was threatening to score at the start of the second quarter, however Alex Sewell broke up a Nicholson pass in the end zone and defensive back Donye McCleskey came up with the ball and downed it to give the Sycamores the ball back at their own 20 yard line. ISU put together a solid drive until NIU defensive back Bradley Pruitt picked off a Chuck Dowdell pass attempt and ran it back 54 yards for a touchdown to widen the lead to 17-0 with 9:52 remaining in the first half.
NIU got the ball back on ISU's next drive, as linebacker Cory Hanson came down with a pass from ISU quarterback Calvin Schmidtke that deflected off the hands of wide receiver Koby Kraemer. The Huskies needed only three plays and 1:41 to score, as wide receiver Matt Simon hauled in a 19-yard DeMarcus Grady toss to make the lead 24-0 after the extra point.
Following an ISU three-and-out, the Huskies got the ball back and put together a four-play, 43-yard scoring drive capped off by a six-yard touchdown run by Grady to extend the lead to 31-0 with 2:32 left before the half. Indiana State struggled on its next drive and Mullane was forced to punt once again, however NIU returner Me'co Brown fumbled the catch and Josh Jones recovered the ball at the NIU 34-yard line with 17 seconds remaining in the half.
The Sycamores made that turnover count, as freshman placekicker Braulio Martinez booted a career-long 42-yard field goal with one second left to play to make the score 31-3 at halftime.
The Huskies got the scoring started in the second half as Salerno connected on his second field goal of the game, this time a 39-yard make, to bring the score to 34-3 with 9:53 left to play in the third quarter. On the ensuing drive for the Sycamores, Dowdell fumbled the ball on an option rush and NIU strong safety Mike Sobol returned the ball to the ISU 10-yard line. From there, NIU needed just three plays to score on a one-yard touchdown run by running back Montell Clanton to make the score 41-3 after the extra point from Salerno.
NIU got the ball back with 13:07 left to play and wasted little time to score, as running back Chad Spann dashed 55-yards for a touchdown with 12:11 remaining to extend the lead to 48-3. The Huskies were driving deep in Indiana State territory later in the quarter, however ISU defensive lineman Nate Williams jumped on a fumble and ISU regained possession on its own 12 yard line with 6:28 remaining.
The score would stay that way for the rest of the game and ISU suffered its third loss of the season. Dowdell finished the game 10-for-17 passing for 77 yard and two interceptions while also picking up 22 yards on the ground on four rushes. Ryan Patrick led the receiving corps with four receptios for 23 yards, while Bryant Kent led all receivers with 37 yards on three receptions. On defense, Jayden Everett led the way with 10 total tackle in the game, two of which were solo stops. McCleskey also had a solid game, as he added seven tackles, an interception and a half tackle for loss.
After three road games to begin the season, Indiana State will play its home opener next Saturday, September 27, when they face off against Southeast Missouri State. Kick off is set for noon ET at Memorial Stadium and the game can be heard live on the radio on ESPN Radio 1130 and 1300 in the Wabash Valley and online at www.espnsportsradio.com.
