Sometimes, a sizable guarantee check represents the sole benefit a Division I-AA school receives when it steps up in class and plays on the road against a I-A power. Illinois State received more than that when it lost 37-21 last weekend at nationally ranked Minnesota.
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The Redbirds showed their balanced offense can move the ball against a strong Big Ten defense.
Redbirds quarterback Yance Vaughan completed 33 of 57 passes for 372 yards in Minneapolis. He has four touchdown passes, a 298.5-yard average and a 59.7 completion percentage after two games.
Illinois State also ran the ball effectively against the Golden Gophers. Demetrus Johnson averaged 7.4 yards per carry with 104 yards in 14 attempts. He became the first back in 15 games to crack 100 yards against Minnesota.
On the defensive side of the ball, middle linebacker Boomer Grigsby, the Redbirds’ candidate for the Walter Payton Award as Division I-AA’s national player of the year, made 16 tackles, including three for losses, two of them quarterback sacks.
– Next: Sat. vs. E. Illinois, 6:30 p.m.