TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Plez Lawrence scored three second half touchdowns as the Indiana State offense overcame a sluggish start on Thursday evening to claim the 2025 season opener over McKendree at Memorial Stadium, 41-24.
 
Leading 13-12 at the halftime break, Indiana State (1-0) came out swinging in the second half as the Sycamores scored three touchdowns in the third quarter. Lawrence (17-yard rushing, 75-yard receiving) and Nick Osho (four-yard rushing) both scored over the 15-minute time frame as the Sycamores built a 34-12 lead.
 
McKendree (0-1) rallied back in the fourth quarter as quarterback Ty Michael connected on touchdown passes to both Quincy Hall Jr. (20 yards) and Brylan Apholone (22 yards) to cut the deficit down to 34-24 with under five minutes to play. Indiana State again turned to Lawrence on the final drive and the redshirt junior running back delivered with the game-sealing four-yard touchdown run in the closing minutes to secure the season-opening win.
 
Lawrence finished the game with a career-high 225 total yards including 133 rushing yards and 92 receiving in pacing all players in the contest. The Kokomo, Ind. native averaged 6.3 yards per carry on the game, while adding a career-long 75-yard receiving touchdown to highlight the offense.
 
Quarterback Elijah Owens went 19-of-27 through the air for 250 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He added 62 rushing yards on 22 carries, while completing passes to seven different players. Rashad Rochelle (48 yards) and Lance Rees (46 yards) both tied with Lawrence with a team-high four receptions, while Bryan Domino hauled in a 22-yard receiving touchdown in the win.
 
Kimal Clark led all players with a game-high 14 tackles, while Ahmond Glass and Jerome Robinson recorded first-half interceptions as the Indiana State defense forced three first-half turnovers on Thursday night. Lucas McAllister added one forced fumble, while Logan Wilson added six tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss, and a sack along the defensive line.
 
McKendree running back Eddie Clark led the Bearcats' offense with 21 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown, while Hall Jr. paced the receiving efforts with five catches for 69 yards and a score. Michael was one of three Bearcat quarterbacks to take the field finishing 7-of-14 through the air for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Jace Meeks recorded a team-high 10 tackles in the loss, while Tanner Hollerich finished with eight stops, 3.0 tackles-for-loss, and 1.5 sacks. Dameion Hatten was also effective on the line of scrimmage with six tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, and a blocked field goal.
 
How They Scored

• Sebastian Lopez put the Sycamores on the board with 11:38 left in the first quarter as the redshirt sophomore placekicker converted a 40-yard field goal on Indiana State's opening drive. The Sycamore scoring drive was sparked by Ahmond Glass' interception near midfield, while Lance Rees hauled in a 28-yard reception to put Indiana State within striking distance.
• McKendree tied it up with 2:35 left in the first quarter as Chase Reeves capped a 16-play, 73-yard drive with a 24-yard field goal to make it a 3-3 game. The Bearcats drive was sparked by Cyris Davis' interception at the goal line, while Eric Dickerson Jr. added a 27-yard rush into the Indiana State red zone.
• The Sycamores took the 10-3 lead with 8:01 left in the second quarter as Elijah Owens found Bryan Domino alone in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown pass to end a 10-play, 72-yard drive.
• Indiana State made it a 13-3 game with 4:39 remaining in the first half as Lopez capped a six-play, 16-yard drive with a 28-yard field goal as the Sycamores took advantage of the short field provided by Jerome Robinson's interception.
• McKendree took advantage of an Indiana State miscue as the Sycamores' shotgun snap hit the man in motion to take control of the ball at the Indiana State 19. Five plays later, Eddie Clark carried the ball over the goal line with a two-yard touchdown run to make it 13-10 with 1:48 left in the first half.
• The Bearcats added two more points before the half on a safety as an Indiana State punt attempt went awry with the snap sailing high and to the left before going out of the back of the end zone to make it a 13-12 game at the break.
• Indiana State came out of the half on the move with Plez Lawrence scoring his first touchdown of the game on a 17-yard carry where the redshirt junior running back broke three tackles before cutting back across the field to put the Sycamores ahead 20-12 with 9:23 remaining in the third quarter.
• Nick Osho scored his first touchdown of the 2025 season on the Sycamores' ensuing possession as he capped a 12-play, 43-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown plunge to make it a 27-12 game.
• Lawrence found the end zone again with 14 seconds remaining in the third quarter as the running back hauled in the pass in the right flat and took it 75 yards for the touchdown reception to make it a 34-12 ballgame.
• McKendree battled back in the fourth quarter as Ty Michael found Quincy Hall Jr. for a 20-yard touchdown connection to end a 12-play, 75-yard drive with 10:43 remaining in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit down to 34-18. Nathan Gonzales got a hand on the extra point to keep it a 16-point game.
• The Bearcats were back in the end zone with 4:54 remaining as Brylan Apholone scored on a 22-yard reception from Michael to make it 34-24, with the Sycamores batting away the two-point conversion attempt.
• Indiana State secured the win on the final drive of the game as Lawrence found pay dirt for the third time with a four-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring in the 41-24 victory.

 
News & Notes

• Indiana State featured two players who scored their first touchdown with the Sycamores on Thursday evening as both Bryan Domino (22-yard reception) and Nick Osho (4-yard rush) both found the end zone.
• Plez Lawrence hit the 100-yard rushing mark for the fourth time of his Indiana State career and first since achieving the mark last season on November 2, 2024, against North Dakota (14 carries, 100 yards).
• Lawrence's 225 combined yards (133 rushing, 92 receiving) marked a career-high for the Kokomo, Ind. native and surpassed his previous high of 207 yards (203 rushing, four receiving) set back on September 30, 2023, at Murray State.
• Lawrence's three-touchdown (two rushing, one receiving) game marked the first by a Sycamore since he achieved the feat with three rushing touchdowns at Murray State in the 2023 season.
• Elijah Owens' 250 passing yards marked the second-highest passing total in his collegiate career trailing just the 260-yard effort he recorded last season at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 7, 2024).
• Lance Rees recorded a career-high four catches for 46 yards, while Rocco Ciocca added two receptions for a career-high 23 yards to highlight the tight ends in the game.
• Kimal Clark's 14 tackles marked the first double-digit tackling effort for the All-American safety transfer as he led all players in the game.
• Logan Wilson recorded a career-high six tackles with 3.0 TFL and one sack in the game.
• Ahmond Glass and Jerome Robinson both recorded their first interceptions at Indiana State in the game.
• The Sycamores forced three turnovers in the game marking the most by an Indiana State team since Indiana State recorded three takeaways (two fumbles, one interception) against Southern Illinois last season (Oct. 26, 2024).
• Indiana State's two interceptions marked the most by a Sycamore defense since Kaleal Davis and Ethan Hoover both recorded picks back on November 12, 2022, at Western Illinois.
• Nathan Gonzales became the first Sycamore to block a field goal since Joey Shew knocked down an Illinois State attempt last season on November 16, 2024.
• Indiana State improves to 7-1 all-time against the Great Lakes Valley Conference and 1-0 all-time against McKendree.

Team Green Law Postgame Press Conference

 
Up Next
Indiana State continues nonconference play at home as the Sycamores welcome Eastern Illinois to Memorial Stadium on Saturday, September 6. The Sycamores will honor Indiana State legend Vincent Allen prior to the 1 p.m. kickoff with a jersey retirement ceremony. The game is set to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
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