Illinois State Redbirds vs Eastern Michigan Eagles Match Player Stats On Sep 08, 2012

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 8, 2012

Illinois State 31, Eastern Michigan 14: Darrelynn Dunn rushed for a career-high 129 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries as visiting Illinois State controlled the second half en route to a rare win over a Football Bowl Subdivision school.

Matt Brown completed 14 of 22 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown and Jonathon Miller added 81 yards on the ground for the Redbirds (2-0), who improved to 4-32 all-time against FBS opponents.

The Illinois State defense forced five turnovers, including interceptions on Eastern Michigan’s final two possessions to seal the victory. The Eagles (0-2) were also hit with nine penalties in a sloppy performance.

Miller set the Redbirds up with a 58-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and a field goal made it a 10-0 gap early. But Eastern Michigan found some rhythm in the second quarter as Alex Gillett hit Garrett Hoskins with a 32-yard touchdown pass and kept it for a 5-yard rushing score to go into the break on top, 14-10.

Illinois State, which ranked fifth in the FCS last season in rushing defense, locked down after the break and held the Eagles to 71 total yards.

That allowed the offense plenty of time to get things moving, and Brown gave the Redbirds back the lead on a 22-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Harden early in the third.

Dunn capped a 52-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown burst to provide a little breathing room with 6:53 left in the third and turned an interception into some insurance with another 4-yard touchdown with 1:08 left in the game.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Redbirds’ last win over an FBS opponent was a 25-3 triumph over Akron on Sept. 14, 1991. … Dunn had set career highs in carries (25) and yards (127) against Dayton last week. … Gillett finished 11 of 25 for 145 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He rushed 13 times for 49 yards and a score. … The Eagles fell to 8-4 all-time against FCS schools.