Box Score NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State rebounded from an early pick-six to hold off visiting Indiana State on Saturday afternoon at Hancock Stadium, 44-7.
 
The Sycamores (0-6, 0-3) were on the board first courtesy of an Illinois State deflected pass at the line of scrimmage ending up in Indiana State linebacker Garret Ollendieck's hands at the Redbirds 27. Ollendieck shrugged off a tackle and bump into a teammate on his way to his first touchdown with the Sycamores to give Indiana State the 7-0 lead 58 seconds into the contest.
 
From there it was all Illinois State (4-2, 2-1) as the Redbirds racked up 416 total yards (172 passing, 244 rushing) in scoring 44 unanswered points in the contest. Quarterback Zack Annexstad was 19-of-30 through the air for 166 yards and four touchdowns, while running back Mason Blakemore added 74 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win.
 
The Sycamores had their chances through the contest as Indiana State moved the ball deep into Illinois State territory twice in the contest. Both drives ended on downs as the Sycamores, facing a stiff wind and difficult weather conditions, were unable to convert short yardage opportunities.
 
Cade Chambers went 8-of-13 through the air for 77 yards with a pair of interceptions to guide the Indiana State offense. Justin Dinka picked up 62 yards on 15 carries, while Dakota Caton was the receiving leader with four catches for 39 yards.
 
Ethan Hoover posted a career-high 12 tackles in the game, while Maddix Blackwell hit double-digits for the third time in 2023 with 10 stops. Zane Boozer and Lucas Hunter both finished with 1.5 tackles-for-loss apiece, while Malik Chatman broke up two passes to highlight the defense.
 
Cam Grandy was Annexstad's favorite target on Saturday afternoon as the Illinois State tight end finished with six catches for 56 yards and a score. Daniel Sobkowicz added five catches for 54 yards and a touchdown, while Jalen Carr and Javon Charles both hauled in touchdowns.
 
The Redbirds defense was paced by Dillon Gearhart's 11 tackle game, while Amir Abdullah had two of Illinois State's three acks in the contest. Keondre Jackson and Jeff Bowens both finished with interceptions.
 
How They Scored

• Indiana State took the early lead as the Garret Ollendieck hauled in a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage and took it back to the end zone for a pick-six giving the Sycamores the early 7-0 lead on the opening possession of the game with 14:02 to play in the first quarter.
• Illinois State tied the game up at 7-7 as Zack Annexstad found Jalen Carr down the middle on 4th-and-5 for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 1:44 remaining in the first quarter. The touchdown capped an 11-play, 69-yard drive to even the game.
• The Redbirds went up 10-7 with a 30-yard field goal from Ian Wagner with 8:55 remaining in the second quarter. The Illinois State drive was aided by an Annexstad 27-yard scramble down to the Indiana State 18, while the Redbirds also fell on a loose ball when Maddix Blackwell knocked the ball out of the Redbird quarterback's grasp to set up the field goal try.
• Mason Blakemore put Illinois State ahead 17-7 with 3:31 remaining in the second quarter with a 13-yard touchdown run around the right side to cap an eight-play, 55-yard drive. Annexstad kept the drive moving with a 20-yard gain on 3rd-and-20 to set up the touchdown.
• A deflected punt set up a short field for Illinois State and the Redbirds capitalized with 16 seconds remaining in the second quarter as Annexstad found Cam Grandy for a 10-yard touchdown pass. The extra point attempt was fumbled to send the teams into the break with ISU trailing 23-7.
• Illinois State made it a 30-7 game as Annexstad found Daniel Sobkowicz for a 12-yard touchdown pass to end nine-play, 83-yard drive. The drive was highlighted by a 41-yard scramble from Annexstad down to the Sycamore 24-yard line.
• The Redbirds made it 37-7 with 13:11 remaining in the fourth quarter as Annexstad found Javon Charles for a two-yard touchdown pass off play action to end a six-play, 40-yard drive started on an interception.
• Keondre Jackson picked off a Cade Chambers pass with 12:24 remaining and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown to give Illinois State the 44-7 lead.

News & Notes

• Ollendieck's pick-six marked his first touchdown in the Sycamore Blue and White and Indiana State's second defensive score of the year. Maddix Blackwell returned a 75-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown against Indiana back on October 8.
• Ollendieck's pick-six also marked ISU's first interception return for a score since Michael Thomas returned a pick 75 yards for a score against Eastern Illinois on August 28, 2021.
• Maddix Blackwell recorded his first forced fumble of the 2023 season midway through the second quarter. It marked the fifth fumble forced by the ISU defense this season to date.
• Kai Rios hauled in his first collegiate catch on the Sycamores' opening drive of the third quarter. The redshirt freshman tight end hauled in the pass in the right flat and picked up eight yards and a first down.
• Ethan Hoover's 12-tackle game marked a career-high for the Sycamore safety surpassing his previous high of eight tied earlier this season at Ball State.
• Carson Dunn recorded his first carry in the Sycamore Blue & White on Saturday with a 12-yard gain in the fourth quarter.

Up Next
Indiana State returns home to Memorial Stadium next weekend as the Sycamores continue Missouri Vally Football play by hosting South Dakota for ISU's annual Homecoming game. Kickoff between the Sycamores and Coyotes is set for 1 p.m. ET with the game set to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
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