TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- An opportunistic Indiana State matched their entire season's worth of interceptions in one game and made a key fourth down stop as the Sycamores took down No. 22 Illinois State, 28-23, in their home finale at Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon.
 
The victory marked the fourth-straight Missouri Valley Football Conference win for the Sycamores and the first time since 2012 that the Indiana State has won four-straight contests. The win also snapped a 12-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
 
After scoring 21 unanswered points in the second quarter that included touchdowns coming off an Illinois State interception and fumble lost, Indiana State (6-4, 4-3 Missouri Valley Football) refused to relinquish the lead in the second half. 
 
The Sycamores added another score in the fourth quarter as the Redbirds (5-5, 2-5) failed to convert a fourth down conversion facing two yards to the marker. Quarterback Ryan Boyle then led the Sycamores down the field before connecting with Dakota Caton on a 25-yard touchdown pass for a 28-17 lead. That was the second touchdown pass of the game and the longest pass of the game for Boyle, who was 12-for-22 for 86 yards.
 
Titus McCoy surpassed his career high for the second consecutive week after rushing for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the game, both of which came on 1^st-and-Goal situations in the second quarter. His game-long 34-yard run set up his first score of the game in the second quarter, a four-yard run.
 
The 22^nd-ranked Redbirds would drive down for one more touchdown following that Caton catch, scoring on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Brady Davis to Spencer Schnell with 27 seconds left on the clock. Facing limited time and a five-point deficit, Illinois State failed on a two-point conversion then failed to recover an onside kick. Boyle then took a knee to clinch the win, the first win for Sycamore Head Coach Curt Mallory over a ranked opponent.
 
Katrell Moss led the Indiana State defensive effort with 13 total tackles including 1.5 for a loss. Jamal Jones added five tackles and an interception while Denzel Bonner was responsible for the other two Sycamore turnovers -- the first a forced fumble as well as an interception of Redbird quarterback Brady Davis, who was 25-for-41 for 294 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
 
Dante Jones II, Joe Wildt and Dakota Caton each tallied multiple catches in the game with Jones II snagging five balls, including a five-yard touchdown on a fade route to give the Sycamores their first lead of the game in the second quarter at 14-10.
 
Illinois State outgained the Sycamores 488 to 283 in the game, but Indiana State's defense came up with key stops and well timed turnovers of the Redbirds.
 
Indiana State will look to further cement their push toward the postseason as they close out the regular season at Western Illinois at 2 p.m. ET next Saturday.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Football team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.