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Indiana State University Athletics

defense_ysu
17
Youngstown St. YSU 2-4 , 1-3
28
Winner Indiana State INS 4-4 , 2-3
Youngstown St. YSU
2-4 , 1-3
17
Final
28
Indiana State INS
4-4 , 2-3
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
YSU Youngstown St. 7 7 3 0 17
INS Indiana State 7 7 0 14 28

Game Recap: Football | | Seth Montgomery | GoSycamores.com

Rushing, fourth-quarter defense lead Sycamores past Youngstown State on Homecoming

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Peterson Kerlegrand and Anthony Thompson combined for four rushing touchdowns and the Indiana State defense recorded four interceptions in the fourth quarter as the Sycamores topped visiting Youngstown State, 28-17.
 
The Sycamores (4-4, 2-3 MVFC) picked up their third consecutive win in the series over the Penguins and seventh in their last 11 matchups as Indiana State celebrated the win in front of a Homecoming crowd of 5,479 on Saturday afternoon. The Penguins (2-4, 1-3 MVFC) fell for the fourth time in their last five contests with Saturday's loss.
 
Peterson Kerlegrand sparked an Indiana State rushing attack that recorded a season-high 228 yards on 43 carries in the win. Kerlegrand was responsible for 25 carries and 151 of those rushing yards in addition to recording his second multi-rushing touchdown game of the 2021 season.
 
Anthony Thompson was 13-of-21 through the air for 156 yards while finding six different receivers through the air. He added a season-best 12 carries for 63 yards and two scores in the win. Zach Larkin paced the team's receiving efforts with five catches for 65 yards in the win.
 
Jaleel McLaughlin led the Penguins with a game-high 138 rushing yards and a touchdown. Joe Craycraft took over the quarterback reins midway through the first quarter and finished 13-of-31 through the air for 172 yards and a touchdown to go with the four interceptions.
 
Defensively, Rylan Cole led Indiana State in the contest with eight tackles and a pace breakup. JJ Henderson added six tackles and two interceptions, while Ethan Hoover and Omar Jackson also added their first interceptions on the season during a fourth-quarter stretch that had ISU post picks on four consecutive possessions.
 
Youngstown State's Griffin Hoak posted a game-high 11 tackles in the loss, while Grant Dixon added nine tackles and an interception.
 
How They Scored
  • Indiana State put together an impressive opening drive as the Sycamores moved down the field with eight plays covering 80 yards, including a key 27-yard strike from Anthony Thompson to Daijon Collins. Two plays after the big gain, Thompson took the ball up the middle from six yards out to put the Sycamores ahead 7-0 with 12:13 remaining in the first quarter.
  • Youngstown State responded on their opening drive with Jaleel McLaughlin capping the Penguins' drive with a 21-yard touchdown run over the left end to tie the game up at 7-7 with 9:25 remaining in the first quarter.
  • Peterson Kerlegrand capped an eight-play, 74-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown plunge to put the Sycamores up 14-7 with 13:46 left in the second quarter. The drive was aided by a 33-yard pass from Thompson to Zach Larkin to set the Sycamores up with the ball inside the YSU 10-yard line.
  • Youngstown State evened the score with :02 left in the second quarter as Joe Craycraft found Bryce Oliver for a 14-yard touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone to tie it up at 14-14 at the halftime break. The touchdown capped a 14-play, 92-yard drive.
  • YSU took its first lead of the game with 9:09 remaining in the third quarter as Colt McFadden connected on a 20-yard field goal to cap a 12-play, 73-yard drive and put the Penguins ahead 17-14.
  • Anthony Thompson put the Sycamores back in the lead with 14:55 remaining in the fourth quarter as the redshirt senior called his own number from 12 yards out to cap a seven-play, 54-yard drive to put Indiana State ahead 21-17.
  • Peterson Kerlegrand added to the Sycamores lead following a YSU interception as the senior running back went 53 yards up the middle for his second touchdown of the game to put ISU ahead 28-17 with 10:02 remaining.
Inside The Statistics
  • Both Indiana State and Youngstown State featured balanced offenses in Saturday's game with Indiana State posting 228 rushing yards and 174 passing yards, while the Penguins had 226 rushing and 175 passing.
  • The Sycamores held the narrow 402-401 edge in total offensive yards in the game, while Youngstown held the 22-21 edge in first downs.
  • Keeping with the narrow theme, Youngstown State edged ISU in time of possession, 30:02-29:58.
  • Thanks to the four fourth-quarter interceptions, Indiana State held the 7-0 edge in points off turnovers.
  • Punter Travis Reiner had another solid day for ISU averaging 39.2 yards per punt over his five attempts and downed three punts inside the 20 yard line.
  • The Sycamores averaged 5.3 yards per carry and 12.4 yards per completion in the contest.
News & Notes
  • Dante Hendrix continued one of the longest active streaks in FCS as the redshirt junior wide receiver hauled in a catch in his 24th consecutive game that he's been active in. He closed out the game with three receptions for 49 yards.
  • In addition to Hendrix, tight end Zach Larkin also brought his own catch streak into the game and extended it to 15 consecutive games with a pair of receptions in second quarter. Larkin finished the game with five catches for 65 yards.
  • Ethan Hoover, JJ Henderson, and Omar Jackson became the fourth, fifth, and sixth Sycamores to record interceptions on the season with a four picks coming on four consecutive defensive series in the fourth quarter. It marked ISU's sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth interceptions of the season and the defense's second multi-interception game on the year.
  • Henderson became the second Sycamore with a two-interception game on the year joining Michael Thomas (Aug. 28 vs. Eastern Illinois).
  • Indiana State's four interceptions marked the most since ISU picked off three passes against Eastern Illinois back on September 21, 2019, and was one off the overall team record set back in 1980 (5 vs. Eastern Illinois).
  • Anthony Thompson picked up his first multi-touchdown effort on the ground this season as the redshirt senior quarterback crossed the goal line twice on Saturday afternoon. He became the first player on the Sycamores not named Peterson Kerlegrand or Phazione McClurge to find the end zone twice in the same game.
  • Peterson Kerlegrand was also in the end zone twice for the Sycamores and he picked up his second rushing touchdown of 50-plus yards in the game with the 53-yard score in the fourth quarter.
  • The last time ISU had two players score multiple rushing touchdowns in the same game came back on September 7, 2019, with Kerlegrand and Chris Childers both finding the end zone twice in the game against the Flyers.
  • The Sycamores were held without a sack for just the second time this season. ISU led the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 24 sacks on the season entering the weekend.
  • Indiana State picked up its third consecutive win over the Penguins to extend their longest winning streak in the season. ISU moves to 8-23 all-time in the series against YSU dating back to 1988.
Up Next
Indiana State heads back on the road next weekend as the Sycamores make the trip to Fargo, N.D. and the Fargo Dome on Saturday, October 30, to take on North Dakota State. Kickoff between the Sycamores and the Bison is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Football, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
 
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