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Indiana State University Athletics

Valdes
13
Dayton DAY 1-1 , 0-0
24
Winner Indiana St. INS 1-2 , 0-0
Dayton DAY
1-1 , 0-0
13
Final
24
Indiana St. INS
1-2 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
DAY Dayton 0 0 0 13 13
INS Indiana St. 7 7 7 3 24

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

Defense scores twice, Rees adds touchdown run as Indiana State tops Dayton

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Jorge Valdes and Garret Ollendieck scored first-half defensive touchdowns, and Lance Rees added a second-half 23-yard touchdown run on a 4th-and-1 play in the third quarter as Indiana State topped visiting Dayton on Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium, 24-13.
 
Valdes sparked the Indiana State (1-2) defense late in the first quarter as the redshirt freshman safety stepped in front of Dayton (1-1) quarterback Drew VanVleet's pass at the Indiana State 10-yard line. Valdes weaved his way through the Flyers' offense and took a key block from Maddix Blackwell in the final 20 yards to cap the 90-yard pick-six and give the Sycamores the early 7-0 lead.
 
Ollendieck added to the Sycamore lead in the second quarter as the senior linebacker scooped up a fumble and took it 12 yards into the end zone to add to the Indiana State lead. Gianini Belizaire forced the play going up the middle for the strip-sack of VanVleet leading to ISU's 14-0 advantage.
 
Lance Rees added his first collegiate touchdown run in the third quarter and Jake Andjelic connected on a 42-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to cap the Indiana State scoring in the contest.
 
VanVleet led Dayton to two late touchdown drives connecting on scoring passes to both Alec Keathley (seven yards) and Gavin Lochow (19 yards), but the comeback attempt fell short as Dayton's onside kick attempt in the closing seconds went out of bounds allowing the Sycamores to secure the win.
 
Keegan Patterson made his first collegiate start at quarterback finishing 6-of-8 through the air for 12 yards, while adding 32 rushing yards in his Indiana State debut. Shen Butler-Lawson added seven carries for 23 yards, while Rees added a 23-yard touchdown run.
 
Ollendieck finished with a career-high 16 tackles and added 1.5 tackles-for-loss and the scoop-and-score fumble recovery. Geoffrey Brown added 14 tackles, a sack, and a pass breakup, while Maddix Blackwell was also in double-digits with 10 tackles. Kendrick Milford (two sacks), Belizaire, and Jack Sherman also added sacks for the Sycamore defense in the win.
 
VanVleet went 26-for-40 for 291 yards and two touchdowns, while adding an interception in the Dayton loss. His favorite targets on the night included Jake Colman (five catches, 102 yards) and Lochow (nine catches, 65 yards, one touchdown), while Mason Hackett posted a team-high 17 carries for 46 rushing yards.
 
Gideon Lampron was Dayton's defensive leader with 13 tackles and 2.5 tackles-for-loss. Aiden McKinley added 10 tackles in the loss. The Flyers posted 9.0 TFLs as a team in the contest.
 
How They Scored
  • Jorge Valdes stepped in front of Drew VanVleet's pass at the end of the first quarter and returned the interception 90 yards for the score with 0:52 seconds left in the period to give Indiana State the 7-0 lead.
  • The Sycamore defense added to the lead in the second quarter as Gianini Belizaire went up the middle for the quarterback strip-sack and Garret Ollendieck took the loose ball 12 yards into the end zone with 7:30 left in the half to give Indiana State the 14-0 edge.
  • Indiana State added to the lead just before the end of the third quarter as Lance Rees took the handoff on the 4th-and-1 play and went 23 yards around the right end for a touchdown run to make it 21-0 Sycamores with 16 seconds remaining in the frame.
  • Dayton got on the board early in the fourth quarter as VanVleet found Alec Keathley for a seven-yard touchdown pass with 14:56 left in the contest to cut the deficit down to 21-7. The drive was aided by Dominic Vrbancic's 60-yard kickoff return starting the drive at the INS 38.
  • Jake Andjelic connected on a 42-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining in the fourth quarter to cap a six-play, 17-yard drive to give Indiana State the 24-7 lead.
  • Dayton rallied back with 26 seconds left as VanVleet found Gavin Lochow for a 19-yard touchdown pass to make it a 24-13 game. The extra point was blocked and recovered by Tony Roberts to provide the final score margin.
 
News & Notables
  • Jorge Valdes recorded his first collegiate touchdown and Indiana State's first interception return for a score since Garret Ollendieck returned a 27-yard pick-six last season at Illinois State on October 14, 2023.
  • Valdes' 90-yard interception return for a touchdown was Indiana State's longest pick-six since Travis Starks returned an interception 100 yards against SEMO back on September 19, 2015.
  • Ollendieck's 12-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown was Indiana State's first scoop-and-score since Maddix Blackwell went 75 yards for a touchdown last season at Indiana on September 8, 2023.
  • It marked Ollendieck's second career defensive touchdown following his pick-six last season at Illinois State.
  • Saturday's game marked the first time Indiana State's defense recorded multiple defensive touchdowns since Johnny Towalid returned a pair of interceptions for scores at North Dakota State back on October 13, 2012.
  • Lance Rees' 23-yard touchdown run marked Indiana State's first rushing touchdown of the 2024 season.
  • Jake Andjelic's 42-yard field goal was a career-high for the Sycamore sophomore eclipsing his previous 41-yard conversion set last season against Northern Iowa on October 7, 2023.
  • Saturday's contest marked the second time both Garret Ollendieck and Maddix Blackwell hit double-digit tackles on the season and Geoffrey Brown's first of the 2024 campaign.
  • Ollendieck recorded a career-high 16 tackles in the win and is averaging a team-high 11.7 tackles per game overall.
  • Punter Harry Traum set career-highs in both punt attempts (nine) and punt yards (393) on Saturday night.
  • His 67-yard punt was a new career mark surpassing his previous high of 55 yards set last season against North Alabama, while his four punts downed inside the 20 was also among his career-best.
  • Geoffrey Brown's 14 tackles marked his ninth career double-digit tackling effort and moved him up to 250 in his Indiana State career. He posted 10 tackles at the halftime break.
  • Kendrick Milford posted his first multi-sack game against Indiana State, while Jack Sherman recorded his first collegiate sack in the contest.
  • The Sycamore defense limited the Dayton offense to just 35 rushing yards. It marked the fourth-lowest opponent rushing total in the Curt Mallory coaching era. 
Postgame Press Conference

 
Up Next
Indiana State heads into the bye week this upcoming week. The Sycamores are back in action on Saturday, September 28, at Memorial Stadium as Indiana State welcomes Houston Christian University to Terre Haute. Kickoff between Indiana State and the Huskies is set for 1 p.m. ET with the game set to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Follow the Sycamores
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