By WJBC Staff

NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State football team (2-4, 0-3 MVFC) suffered its fourth-straight loss in a defensive battle with Youngstown State (4-1, 2-0 MVFC), as the Penguins defeated the Redbirds, 20-6, in front of 12,570 fans on homecoming at Hancock Stadium Saturday afternoon.

It was a defensive struggle throughout the day, marked by 13 punts, 10 of which took place in the first half. Brent Spack made a statement for the Redbird defense, recording six total tackles, four solo tackles, one sack and two tackles for losses. B.J Bello and Dalton Keene led the defense in tackles with eight each.

The Illinois State offense accumulated just 250 yards of total offense. With the absence of George Moreira due to injury, true freshman James Robinson stepped up and rushed for a career-best 103 yards on 14 carries, highlighted by a career-long 43-yard dash in the third quarter to advance the Redbirds into the red zone that eventually resulted in a field goal.

After a scoreless first quarter that was marked by a plethora of punts from both sides, Youngstown State broke the defensive stalemate to score first off a 42-yard field goal by Zak Kennedy to break the scoreless tie and put the Penguins up 3-0 at the break.

Coming out of the locker room at the half, the Redbirds came alive scoring back-to-back field goals. ISU tied the game up at three apiece just three minutes into the second half on a 20-yard field goal by Sean Slattery. Later on, Spencer Schnell sparked another scoring drive, returning YSU’s punt 17 yards to give ISU solid field position. Robinson and Jamal Towns took turns carrying the pigskin, getting it as close as the eight-yard line after Robinson’s run, before being forced to kick a field goal to put the Redbirds ahead of the Penguins 6-3.

However, 17 fourth-quarter points scored by the Penguins allowed them to pull away from the Redbirds and help them secure the victory. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Penguins responded to the ISU field goal and took the lead on a 17-play, 91-yard touchdown drive to give them a 10-6 advantage over the Redbirds. DraShane Glass then picked off Penguins quarterback Ricky Davis in the middle of the fourth quarter and to swing the momentum momentarily back in favor of the Redbirds. Unable to convert off the turnover, however, the Redbirds were forced to punt.  The Penguins punched back scoring a touchdown and kicking a field goal to end the game.

Illinois State remains at home next Saturday to face off against in-state foe Southern Illinois at Hancock Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m., with the game set to air on CSN Chicago and ESPN3.