By ISU Sports Information
BROOKINGS, S.D. – No. 5 South Dakota State needed overtime to come away with the home win over No. 17 Illinois State Saturday, as the Redbirds (6-4, 4-3 MVFC) scored late to tie the game, before the Jackrabbits secured the victory with a field goal in overtime, 27-24, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Malachi Broadnax earned his first career start and nearly upset the Jackrabbits on their home turf. Broadnax finished the day 10-for-18 with 102 yards through the air and rand for 63 yards for the Redbird offense. Sophomore running back also James Robinson rushed for 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns to cap off a strong day on the ground for the ‘Birds. The Redbird defense forced a pair of interceptions and held the Jacks passing offense to just 172 yards on the day.
The Illinois State defense came up big on South Dakota State’s first drive of the game, as Matt Swaine tipped a Jack’s pass at the line of scrimmage and Devin Taylor brought in the football for his first career interception. However, the Redbirds could not do much on the following drive, and a strong punt return set SDSU up at the ISU 33 yard line. Taryn Christion wasted little time and found tight end Dallas Goedert for the 33-yard score to give the Jackrabbits the 7-0 lead with 8:55 left in the first quarter.
Illinois State answered on its next drive, using a strong rushing attack to go 75 yards on 10 plays to tie the game. Robinson got things started with a 16-yard run and three plays later, Markel Smith broke free for 17 yards to the SDSU 31 yard line. Facing third-and-5 from the 15 yard line, a bad snap made Broadnax scramble, pick up the ball and toss to Christian Gibbs, who was brought down by his facemask to set up first-and-goal from the three yard line. Robinson pounded the ball across the goal line before Sean Slattery’s extra point make tied the game at 7-7 with 3:36 left in the quarter.
SDSU was threatening deep in ISU territory to start the second quarter, but a pivotal sack by James Graham that resulted in a seven-yard loss forced the Jackrabbits and Chase Vinatieri settle for the 34-yard field goal to take a 10-7 lead over the Redbirds. A six-yard touchdown pass from Christion to Jacob Brown later gave the Jackrabbits a 10-point edge with 3:58 left before halftime.
On the ensuing kickoff, Christian Uphoff received the kick five yards in the end zone, brought it out and followed blockers all the way down the far sideline for the 100-yard kickoff return touchdown. The 100-yard return for a score was the sixth in school history and the first since Josh Burch returned one 100 yards against Indiana State in 2013. Slattery’s extra point brought the Redbirds within three points at 17-14.
The Redbird defense then forced a three-and-out and got the ball back at its own 31 yard line after the punt. Broadnax then called his own number and ran 22 yards into Jackrabbit territory for the first down before finding Gibbs for a 20-yard gain to the SDSU 27-yard line. Broadnax ran for another first down to the 16 yard line, where the drive stalled before ISU head coach Brock Spack called the timeout with three seconds left. Slattery booted the 30-yard field goal as time expired to tie the game at 17-17 as both teams headed to the locker room at halftime.
A turnover on downs by the Redbird defense and a fumble recovery by the Jackrabbits ended a pair of scoring threats for each squad early in the third quarter. Following a punt by the Redbirds and a good return by SDSU to the 50 yard line, the Redbird defense came up with its second turnover of the day, when Adam Conley tipped the pass at the line and came down with the ball for the interception at the ISU 45 yard line as the game moved to the fourth quarter tied at 17-17.
The defensive stalemate finally ended when Christion broke free for an 84-yard touchdown run to give the Jackrabbits a 24-17 lead with 8:13 left in the contest. The Redbirds responded in a big way, driving 83 yards on 11 plays for the game-tying score. Robinson had runs of 17 and 10 yards and Broadnax took off to the SDSU 10 yard line. After a defensive holding penalty moved the ball to the SDSU five yard line, Robinson punched in his second score of the day to knot the score at 24-24 with 2:14 left in the game.
Illinois State’s defense forced a quick three-and-out to get the ball back with 1:15 on the clock. However, the Redbirds could not advance past their own 34-yard line, forcing the game into overtime – ISU’s first overtime contest since Sept. 19, 2015 at Eastern Illinois. The Redbirds were on offense first and were shut down on three plays, forcing Slattery to attempt a 39 yard field goal which he missed wide left. The Jackrabbits then took over and Vinatieri won the game with a 43 yard make to earn the hard-fought win.
The Redbirds return home next Saturday for the regular-season finale to host top-10 ranked North Dakota State on Senior Day at Hancock Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon and the game will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Chicago and ESPN3.
GAME NOTES:
- The interception for Devin Taylor in the first quarter was the first of his career at ISU
- James Robinson scored his 10th touchdown of the season for the Redbirds
- The 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Christian Uphoff was the sixth in school history, the 100-yard return since Josh Burch in 2013 and the first kickoff return for a score since Tevin Allen’s 95-yard return in 2014
- Adam Conley recorded his first career interception in the game as well for the Redbirds.
