TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but the Sycamores were unable to overcome the second-half deficit on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in falling to the #16/17 Illinois State Redbirds, 31-19.
 
The Sycamores (4-7, 3-4) trailed 31-7 midway through the third quarter after Illinois State's (8-3, 5-2) Wenkers Wright broke through the middle for a 12-yard touchdown run to extend the Redbirds' lead. Indiana State mounted two 80-plus yard scoring drives over the final 6:00 minutes of the contest capped by Elijah Owens touchdown passes to Zavion Taylor and Rashad Rochelle, but the Redbirds secured the final onside kick and ran out the clock to close out the contest.
 
The Sycamores took the early 7-0 lead with a dominant first drive of the game as Indiana State marched down the field to start off Senior Day at Memorial Stadium. Indiana State went 17 plays for 75 yards before Elijah Owens took the snap and went back up the middle for a one-yard touchdown plunge spanning the nearly 10-minute drive to give the Sycamores the early lead.
 
Illinois State responded by scoring 31 consecutive points highlighted by a trio of Tommy Rittenhouse touchdown passes to Xavier Loyd and Daniel Sobkowicz (twice), while Wright's touchdown run staked the Redbirds to the 24-point lead.
 
The Sycamores offense was back on track in the fourth quarter after Joey Shew blocked a 25-yard Ian Wagner field goal attempt to set Indiana State with possession at their own 13-yard line. Carson Dunn (14-yard carry) and Rochelle (12-yard catch) both highlighted the drive before Owens found Taylor over double coverage in the end zone for an 18-yard scoring strike to cut into the lead.
 
After the two-point conversion failed and Illinois State recovered the first Sycamore onside kick, the Indiana State defense forced a three-and-out with Geoffrey Brown and Joey Shew combining to make the stop forcing a Redbird punt.
 
The Sycamores took over from their own six-yard line and utilized four consecutive double-digit passing plays to move the ball inside Illinois State territory. Owens found Shen Butler-Lawson for 19 yards, then Rochelle for 15, 19, and 14 yards in moving the ball down to the Redbirds' 24. Five plays later, Owens found Rochelle in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown pass to cut the score down to 31-19 with 1:42 to play.
 
The ensuing two-point conversion attempt failed and Illinois State hauled in the onside kick to run out the clock and secure the win.
 
Owens finished 22-of-32 through the air for 213 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 20 carries for 64 yards and a rushing touchdown in leading the Indiana State offense on the day. Rochelle hauled in 10 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, while Butler Lawson contributed 54 rushing yards and 45 receiving yards in the loss.
 
Geoffrey Brown finished with a team-high 10 tackles to lead the Sycamore defense, while Maddix Blackwell and Garret Ollendieck added nine tackles apiece for the Sycamores. Ollendieck added 0.5 tackles-for-loss in his first action back on the field, while Ahmond Glass, Tony Roberts, and Lucas McAllister combined for five pass breakups.
 
Rittenhouse led Illinois State going 29-of-41 through the air for 319 yards and three passing touchdowns in the win. Sobkowicz recorded eight catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns, while Loyd posted 13 catches for 94 yards and a score as the Redbirds' leading receiving targets on the day. Wright finished with 13 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown.
 
Tie Niekamp led all players with 12 tackles on the afternoon, while Lavoise-Deontae McCoy had 11 stops, 1.0 TFLs, and 1.0 sacks. Keondre Jackson finished with 10 tackles and a sack, while Amir Abdullah chipped in six tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and a sack.
 
How They Scored

• Indiana State opened the game with a 17-play, 75-yard drive that spanned 9:19 and ended with Elijah Owens' fourth-down one-yard touchdown plunge to give the Sycamores a 7-0 lead with 5:41 to play in the contest. The drive was aided by Shen Butler-Lawson's two-yard carry one 4th-and-1 inside the Illinois State 10 to set up the touchdown plunge.
• Illinois State evened the game with 14:49 to play in the second quarter as Xavier Loyd hauled in a six-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Rittenhouse in the left corner of the end zone to end a 16-play, 72-yard drive and knot the score up at 7-7.
• The Redbirds struck quickly on their next possession as Rittenhouse found Daniel Sobkowicz near midfield on a deep post pattern and the Illinois State wide receiver capped the 84-yard touchdown completion with 10:07 to play in the second quarter to make it a 14-7 ballgame.
• Illinois State added to the lead just before the halftime break as Ian Wagner converted a 26-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining to end an 11-play, 65-yard drive and give the Redbirds a 17-7 lead.
• The Redbirds added to their lead in the third quarter as Rittenhouse connected on an eight-yard touchdown pass to Sobkowicz with 9:52 to play in the quarter to give Illinois State the 24-7 lead.
• Wenkers Wright followed on Illinois State's next drive with a 12-yard touchdown run with 4:12 remaining in the third quarter making it a 31-7 lead.
• The Sycamores cut back into the gap with 6:00 remaining in the fourth quarter as Elijah Owens found Zavion Taylor for an 18-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-5 to end a 16-play, 87-yard drive. The two-point conversion failed leading the score at 31-13.
• Indiana State added one final touchdown with 1:42 remaining in the contest as Owens rolled right, before setting his feet and finding Rashad Rochelle for a six-yard touchdown pass to end an 11-play, 94-yard drive. The two-point conversion was no good leaving the final 31-19 final margin.

 
Notes

• Indiana State honored its 28-man Senior Class in a pregame ceremony as the Sycamores played their final home game of the 2024 season on Saturday afternoon.
• Geoffrey Brown became the first Indiana State player to crack the 100-tackle mark in the 2024 season as the senior linebacker finished Saturday's game with 102 total tackles on the season. He becomes the first Sycamore to hit the mark since Maddix Blackwell posted 107 last season.
• Brown now has 324 tackles over his career moving him past Tony Albrinck (323, 1998-2001) marking the eighth-most by an Indiana State player since the 2000 season.
• Elijah Owens' 213 passing yards on Saturday afternoon marked the third-most passing yards the redshirt freshman has posted in his collegiate career, while his 22 completions were also his third-most in a single game.
• Rashad Rochelle's 10-catch, 105-yard game marked Indiana State's first 10-catch contest since Harry Van Dyne hauled in 10 catches for 122 yards and a score against Murray State last season on Sept. 30, 2023.
• Rochelle's 105 receiving yards marked the first 100-yard receiving effort by the Sycamores in 2024.
• Shen Butler-Lawson's 99 all-purpose yards marked a season-high.
• Joey Shew's blocked field goal in the fourth quarter marked Indiana State's first blocked field goal since Jack Sherman blocked an Illinois State field goal back on Oct. 22, 2022.

Postgame Press Conference



Up Next
Indiana State is scheduled to close out the 2024 regular season on Saturday, November 23, as the Sycamores travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for a MVFC contest against Northern Iowa. Kickoff between the Sycamores and the Panthers inside the UNI-Dome is set for 2 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
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