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Indiana State University Athletics

WIU Touchdown
6
Western Ill. WIU 0-10 , 0-7
27
Winner Indiana St. INS 1-9 , 1-6
Western Ill. WIU
0-10 , 0-7
6
Final
27
Indiana St. INS
1-9 , 1-6
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
WIU Western Ill. 0 6 0 0 6
INS Indiana St. 0 7 10 10 27

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

Sycamores secure Senior Day win with 27-6 victory over Western Illinois

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Justin Dinka scored two rushing touchdowns and Garret Ollendieck posted three sacks defensively as Indiana State secured a Senior Day celebration at Memorial Stadium with the 27-6 win over visiting Western Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
 
Western Illinois (0-10, 0-7) scored the opening points of the game in the second quarter on Matt Morrissey's 79-yard touchdown pass to Donald McKinney to give the Leathernecks the early lead in the contest. The Sycamores (1-9, 1-6) rallied back to score 27 unanswered points paced by Dinka's pair of scores and a Harry Van Dyne 37-yard touchdown reception to secure the conference win.
 
The Sycamores held possession for 20:00 of the 30 minutes in the second half and the 33:13-26:47 edge overall in the game in securing the win. ISU's defense limited WIU to just 2-of-14 on third downs and did not allow a red zone trip for the first time in the 2023 seaosn.
 
Dinka finished the day with 19 carries for 147 yards and two scores to pace an ISU offense that posted 209 total rushing yards on the game. Plez Lawrence added 15 carries for 60 yards as the Sycamores boasted a 5.5 yards-per-carry average in the game.
 
Quarterback Cade Chambers was 11-of-20 through the air for 134 yards and a score. Van Dyne (four catches, 66 yards) and Dakota Caton (four catches, 28 yards) were the two primary targets on the day, while Dinka, Kevin Barnett, and Ethan Chambers all had receptions in the game.
 
Defensively, Ollendieck continued to make his presence felt behind the line of scrimmage on the season. The junior linebacker finished with 11 tackles and a team-high 3.0 sacks to improve his season totals to 7.5 sacks and 13.0 tackles-for-loss on the year. Ethan Hoover added a career-high 12 tackles, while Maddix Blackwell hauled in his second interception of the season.
 
Morrissey led the WIU offense going 18-of-29 through the air for 177 yards and a touchdown. McKinney finished with a team-high 82 yards including the score, while Jay Parker hauled in six catches for 44 yards. Dylan Van highlighted the rushing game with 16 carries for 57 yards.
 
Juan DelaCruz posted 10 tackles for the Leathernecks in the contest, while Tre Henry finished with a team-high 2.5 tackles-for-loss in the loss.
 
How They Scored
  • Western Illinois scored first as Donald McKinney hauled in a 79-yard touchdown pass from Matt Morrissey at the 13:42 mark in the second quarter to put the Leathernecks on the board. The ensuing extra point bounced off the left upright to keep it a 6-0 WIU lead.
  • Indiana State responded to take the lead midway through the second quarter as Justin Dinka broke a 41-yard touchdown run to cap a six-play, 60-yard drive, while Jake Andjelic converted the PAT to put ISU ahead 7-6 with 7:02 to play in the half.
  • Harry Van Dyne hauled in a 37-yard touchdown pass from Cade Chambers on Indiana State's first drive of the third quarter as the redshirt senior wide receiver went up for the ball in front of the pylon to cap a nine-play, 75-yard drive at the 9:48 mark and put ISU ahead 14-6.
  • Andjelic converted a 37-yard field goal with 1:19 to play in the third quarter to end a 12-play, 49-yard drive and put Indiana State ahead 17-6.
  • The redshirt freshman kicker responded with his second field goal of the contest with 10:08 remaining in the fourth quarter knocking through a 25-yard try to make it a 20-6 game.
  • Following a failed WIU fourth-down conversion, the Sycamores took advantage of a short field with Justin Dinka carrying the ball in from two yards out with 5:51 to go to provide the final 27-6 margin.
 
News & Notes
  • Justin Dinka's 147-yard rushing effort marked his third career 100-yard rushing game and first of the 2023 season. His last game above the century mark came last season at Youngstown State (159 yards, Oct. 15).
  • Dinka added his second multi-touchdown game of the season in the last three weeks with his two scores on Saturday afternoon. It equaled his career-high set on Oct. 28 at North Dakota.
  • Garret Ollendieck (11) and Ethan Hoover (12) both posted double-digit tackling efforts for the Sycamores on Saturday. It marked Ollendieck's fourth 10-plus tackle game of 2023 and Hoover's second.
  • Maddix Blackwell's third quarter interception marked his second pick of the season and fourth turnover he's been involved in overall on the year.
  • Juju Williams returned to the lineup and made his presence felt on the defensive line posting a season-high 1.5 sacks and an additional quarterback hurry.
  • Jake Andjelic's two field goals moved him to a perfect 7-for-7 on the season.
  • Indiana State limited Western Illinois' rushing efforts to 50 or fewer rushing yards for the third consecutive season. WIU's 50 rushing yards marked the fifth-least an opponent has recorded against the Sycamores in the Mallory coaching era.
  • The Sycamores held an opponent out of the red zone for the first time in 2023.
  • Indiana State won the time of possession battle in MVFC play for the fifth time in 2023.
  • Garret Ollendieck's 3.0 sack game marked the second-most by an individual in the Mallory coaching era trailing just Inoke Moala's 3.5 sacks game set in 2021 against Western Illinois.
  • The Sycamores recognized the 2023 Senior Class in a pregame ceremony on the field. ISU honored Zane Boozer, Dakota Caton, Cade Chambers, Malik Chatman, Carter Herrin, Ethan Hoover, Lucas Hunter, Omar Jackson, Jarin Johnson, Alex Kirton, Jayden Perry, Malachi Qualls, Justen Ramsey, Michael Ross, Stephen Ruiz, Harry Van Dyne, Jose Vazquez IV, and Michael Vazquez prior to kickoff.
Postgame Press Conference presented by Team Green Law


 
Up Next
Indiana State hits the road for the final game of the 2023 season as the Sycamores travel to Carbondale, Ill. to take on the Southern Illinois Salukis on Saturday, November 18. Kickoff between ISU and SIU is set for 2 p.m. ET at Saluki Stadium with the game set to be streamed 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 both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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