By WJBC Staff
EVANSTON, Ill. – A 33-yard field goal off the foot of junior placekicker Sean Slattery as time expired gave Illinois State (2-0) a 9-7 win over Big Ten Conference foe Northwestern (0-2) Saturday at Ryan Field in front of a raucous crowd of 30,478. The win was the first in nine tries for the Redbirds against teams from the Big Ten.
It was the Redbirds who put points of the board first, but with the clock winding down late in the fourth the Redbirds were down by one and in need of a score. Despite missing a field goal and extra point earlier in the game, Slattery sealed the Redbird victory when ISU was forced to kick the 33-yard field goal with just three seconds remaining in the game.
George Moreira recorded the lone touchdown for ISU on a six-yard run late in the second quarter to put the ‘Birds ahead, 6-0 at halftime. The touchdown was Moreira’s second of the season and third of his career. The Redbirds also found success in their passing game thanks to Jake Kolbe, who finished the game 30-for-41 for a total of 287 yards with two interceptions. Senior wide receiver Anthony Warrum led the way with nine catches for 116 yards, the seventh 100-plus yard receiving performance of his career at ISU.
The defense remained stout for the second-straight game for ISU, with Dalton Keene and James Graham picking up back-to-back sacks late in the first quarter to put a stop to the Wildcats 28-yard drive and regain possession deep in Redbird territory. The Redbird defense came together to record three sacks, five tackles-for-losses, one forced fumble and nice pass breakups against the Wildcats. Alejandro Rivera led the defense in tackles with nine, while B.J. Bello, Dalton Keene, and James Graham all picked up sacks along with Keene also tallying two tackles-for-loss and two pass breakups.
In a game that saw a total of 13 punts throughout the afternoon, the offenses for both ISU and Northwestern got off to a slow start as both teams exchanged punts to begin the first quarter. Despite a drive by the Redbirds midway through the second quarter that was highlighted by a 36-yard reception and 29-yard diving catch by Warrum, the Wildcats’ defense disrupted ISU’s 69-yard drive with an interception by Northwestern’s Montre Hartage in the end zone for the touchback.
The Redbirds struck first inside the one minute mark of the second quarter, after picking up two quick first downs. ISU then found itself in a fourth-and-one situation, when DeMarco Corbin busted through the line and carried the ball 10 yards to easily pick up the first down. The 11-play 80-yard drive was capped off by a six-yard rush into the end zone by Moriera to break the 0-0 tie and put the Redbirds ahead by six heading into the locker room at the half.
The beginning of the second half was much like the first, as each team’s defense held strong and forced punts from the opposition. After an uneventful third quarter, Northwestern took a one-point lead at the nine minute mark of the fourth quarter. The 12-play 55-yard drive ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Clayton Thorson to wide receiver Austin Carr to put the Wildcats ahead of the Redbirds, 7-6.
The Redbirds will return home to Hancock Stadium next Saturday to battle Eastern Illinois in the annual Mid-America Classic on Family Weekend at ISU. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on CSN Chicago and ESPN3. Redbird Preview on WJBC-AM 1230 and WJBC.com begins at 1 p.m.
Listen here to the WJBC call of the game-winner by Dick Luedke and Ted Schmitz.
PODCAST: Listen here to the post-game interview with Craig Bertsche and ISU coach Brock Spack.
