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Indiana State University Athletics

Hayes
23
Winner Southeast Mo. St. SEM 1-0 , 0-0
21
Indiana St. INS 0-1 , 0-0
Winner
Southeast Mo. St. SEM
1-0 , 0-0
23
Final
21
Indiana St. INS
0-1 , 0-0
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SEM Southeast Mo. St. 7 3 7 6 23
INS Indiana St. 0 7 7 7 21

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

Sycamores unable to ride second half momentum in season-opening defeat to SEMO

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State was unable to ride the second half momentum past visiting RV/RV Southeast Missouri State on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium as the Sycamores fell to the visiting Redhawks, 23-21.
 
Trailing 17-7 midway through the third quarter, the Sycamores (0-1) were backed up to their own 16-yard line following a penalty on the punt return. Indiana State quarterback Elijah Owens turned to freshman Jayden Reed for a 16-yard completion on 3rd-and-11 for the first first-down of the drive and then followed up with a pair of completions to Dane Pardridge, before uncorking a 43-yard completion to BJ Wuest down the Indiana State sideline to swing the ball deep into SEMO (1-0) territory.
 
A Redhawk penalty on the play moved the ball to the SEMO 12 and Ashton Hayes took over from there with three consecutive carries before finding the end zone from one-yard out for the touchdown with 1:51 left in the third quarter to cut the lead down to 17-14.
 
Following a SEMO field goal, the Sycamores again moved the ball down the field with Owens spotting tight end Jayden Johnson for a 32-yard completion over the middle, before connecting with Reed for the 25-yard touchdown pass over the defensive back in the back of the end zone to put Indiana State up 21-20 with 10:26 to play.
 
The Redhawks battled back, moving the ball down to the Indiana State 27 before Justin Keller converted a 45-yard field goal to put SEMO back ahead 23-21.
 
The Sycamores had a chance late, but their drive stalled at midfield, forcing an Indiana State punt with four minutes to play. SEMO was able to run out the clock on their ensuing drive to secure the season-opening win.
 
Owens, in his first game back from an injury suffered early in the 2025 season, was effective through the air as the redshirt junior was 23-of-32 for 288 yards and two touchdowns and an interception. The Jacksonville, Ill. native did a majority of his damage in the second half going 12-for-16 for 193 yards and a score, while adding 15 yards on a tough run in the fourth quarter in leading the Sycamore comeback.
 
Aaron Ball led the team's rushing attack with 10 carries for 33 yards, while Ashton Hayes added seven carries for 11 yards and his first touchdown with the Sycamores.
 
KeShon Singleton led nine different Indiana State receivers with a catch in the game finishing with seven receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. BJ Wuest added a career-high four receptions for 67 yards, while Jayden Reed added two catches for 41 yards and his first collegiate touchdown.
 
Nic Yatsko paced the Indiana State defense with 12 tackles in the game, while Braxton Sampson (10) and Xavian Andrews (10) both had double-digit stops. Peter Eyabi added his first sack of the season.
 
SEMO quarterback Braylen Ragland finished 26-of-36 for 274 yards and a touchdown in his first start with the Redhawks. Khyair Spain led the rushing attack with 17 carries for 66 yards and a score, while John Anthony had a team-high six catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
 
Defensively, DJ Delmore led the way for the Redhawks with 13 tackles, 3.0 TFL, and a sack, while David Jones came up with a key interception in the third quarter to stop an Indiana State drive in the red zone.
 
How They Scored
  • Khyair Spain put SEMO on the board with an eight-yard touchdown run over the left side of the line to cap a seven-play, 29-yard drive to put the Redhawks up 7-0 with 3:13 left in the first quarter.
  • The Sycamores tied the game up in the second quarter as Elijah Owens found KeShon Singleton in the left flat for a four-yard touchdown pass to cap a nine-play, 75-yard drive highlighted by a 42-yard completion to Torey French to put Indiana State in striking distance.
  • SEMO took the 10-7 lead as the Justin Keller connected on a 42-yard field goal with 0:03 remaining in the first half.
  • The Redhawks took the opening possession of the second half down the field with Braylen Ragland connecting on an 18-yard touchdown pass to John Anthony to put SEMO up 17-7 with 12:16 left in the third quarter.
  • The Sycamores answered with 1:51 left in the third quarter as Ashton Hayes capped a 10-play, 84-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge up the middle to make it a 17-14 game. The drive was highlighted by a 43-yard pitch-and-catch from Elijah Owens to BJ Wuest with a 12-yard SEM0 penalty tacked on the end to put Indiana State inside the Redhawks' 12-yard line.
  • Justin Keller connected on a 43-yard field goal with 12:30 left in the fourth quarter to put SEMO ahead 20-14.
  • Indiana State took its first lead with 10:26 left in the fourth quarter as Jayden Reed went up and over the cornerback in the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown pass from Elijah Owens to put the Sycamores ahead 21-20. The drive was highlighted by a 32-yard completion from Owens to Jaylan Johnson to move the ball to the SEMO 32.
  • Justin Keller put SEMO back in the lead with a 45-yard field goal with 7:04 remaining to cap an 11-play, 48-yard drive to provide the eventual final margin.
 
News & Notes
  • Elijah Owens recorded a career-high 288 passing yards, going 23-of-32 through the air, while targeting 10 different receivers on Saturday night.
  • The Sycamore quarterback was back on the field for the first time after nearly a year since suffering a season-ending injury on September 6, 2025, against Eastern Illinois.
  • The Jacksonville, Ill. native moved into 10th place all-time in the Indiana State career record books in total offensive yards with 3,467, surpassing David Wright (1992-94 – 3,252) in the process.
  • KeShon Singleton added a career-high seven receptions for 66 yards, while adding his third career receiving touchdown.
  • BJ Wuest set new marks in receptions (4), yards (67), and longest catch (43) in the game.
  • Dane Pardridge, Jaylan Johnson, Jayden Reed, Aaron Ball, Tyler Nansel, and Jacob Soley all recorded their first receptions as Sycamores in the contest.
  • Jayden Reed added his first collegiate receiving touchdown after a 25-yard score in the fourth quarter.
  • Ashton Hayes added his first rushing touchdown as a Sycamore in the contest.
  • Nic Yatsko recorded his third career double-digit tackling effort with a team-leading 12 stops on Saturday night.
  • Braxton Sampson and Xavian Andrews both added their second career double-digit tackling efforts with 10 stops apiece.
  • Peter Eyabi added his first sack as an Indiana State Sycamore.
  • Kaleb Harris (2) and Jayden Childers (1) were active on the defensive line combining for three pass breakups.
Postgame Press Conference


Up Next
Indiana State heads to West Lafayette, Ind. and Ross-Ade Stadium on Friday, September 5, for a Friday night game against Purdue. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be carried live on the Big Ten Network 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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