NORMAL – Cameron Meredith was not immediately on board when the Illinois State coaching staff recommended he switch from quarterback to receiver.
“Honestly, it wasn’t too positive. I was kind of hesitating,” Meredith said. “I prayed on it and ultimately did what was best for the team — and myself too at the time. It was a good decision and it came out with very great outcomes.”
Illinois State captains and honorary caption Cameron Meredith comes out for coin toss before the game against Eastern Illinois.
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Meredith became a standout receiver on ISU’s 2014 team that won a conference title and advanced to the FCS national championship game before dropping a heartbreaking 29-27 decision to North Dakota State.
That 2014 team was honored Saturday at Hancock Stadium on the 10th anniversary of the Redbirds’ magical season at halftime of the current ISU squad’s 31-7 victory over Eastern Illinois.
“Those guys laid the foundation that the expectation is a championship. We’ve got to have a championship-type season,” said tailback Wenkers Wright, who rushed for 150 yards as the 15th-ranked Redbirds improved to 3-1.
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“Having them around and having it end the way it did tonight, it kind of shows them you can trust us players. We got your back. We’re going to continue what you guys did.”
The 2014 national runner-up Illinois State football team is celebrated at halftime against Eastern Illinois.
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Meredith caught 86 passes during his NFL career, including 66 receptions for 888 yards and four touchdowns for the Chicago Bears in 2016.
“So thanks Coach (Brock) Spack for pushing me in that direction,” said Meredith, “and thank God for putting my mind to it and giving me the skills necessary to be good and consistent at the job.”
Meredith was the honorary captain for the pregame coin toss and got ISU off to a favorable start when Eastern wrongly guessed how the coin he launched would land.
“It means a lot honestly to be 10 years out and see the guys and see everybody doing good and everybody’s got babies and families. It goes by very fast,” Meredith said. “Everybody gets to see what we accomplished and what it really meant to all of us.”
Meredith’s advice to the current Redbirds was “be here, be present, be in the moment and enjoy it because it’s a good thing and good things are hard to find. Enjoy yourself.”
The 2014 team and their families sat behind the south end zone to watch the decisive ISU victory.
“I think this is the biggest thing we missed from playing is the camaraderie. You can see it and know the camaraderie we still have,” linebacker Pat Meehan said. “When you’re in the (college) years you don’t really appreciate it as much as when you come back and get to look back on it a little bit.”
Wide receiver Anthony Warrum met his wife during his years at ISU.
“It means a lot to me to be back here. I jokingly texted my wife I had a tear in my eye and was smiling all the way down Main Street,” said Warrum.
“I obviously loved the football, but the university did a lot for me, the coaches did a lot for me and Coach Spack did a lot for me. It kind of built me into the man I am today. We’ve been talking about the way we were molded here.”
Leave the trophy
Eastern brought the Mid-America Classic trophy to Hancock Stadium after a 14-13 win in Charleston last season.
It was not on the bus going back as ISU topped the Panthers for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.
Defend every inch
Eastern marched 73 yards to the ISU 1-yard line on the game’s first possession. But Panthers quarterback Pierce Holley fumbled the snap and Redbird linebacker Darius Walker emerged from the pile with the football.
Illinois State defensive lineman Steven Curtis (8) celebrates after a stop against Eastern Illinois.
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“I saw the quarterback dropped the snap so I was looking for it. It just popped out the side. I saw it and took it,” Walker said. “I was hoping they gave me the return but at least we got them with no points on the board.
“Coach (defensive coordinator Travis) Niekamp has been telling us all week they don’t score until they score so we defend every inch.”
Spack thought the turnover, which was followed by a 98-yard ISU scoring drive, “set the tone for the rest of the game. Travis does a good job with our defense. He always talks to them about defending every inch.
“Even though the ball was on the 1-yard line, you have to defend it because you never know what’s going to happen. We took control, got the lead and never gave it up.”
Flea market
ISU’s first touchdown came on a flea flicker. Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse handed off to Wright and pitched it back to Rittenhouse, who found Daniel Sobkowicz in the clear for a 31-yard scoring strike.
“That’s something Tony put in,” Spack said of offensive coordinator Tony Petersen. “We run the ball well with the inside zone. They bit on it, and it was the perfect time to call it. Dan was wide open and the ball was well delivered.”
Illinois State wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz (2) runs into the end zone for a touchdown against Eastern Illinois.
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“We feel like we got them pretty good,” said Sobkowicz. “We’ve been repping it all week and executed it on game day.”
The Wright stuff
Wright repeatedly broke Eastern tackles and fell forward for extra yardage on his 25 carries.
“From the start the offensive linemen just made every hole. They were pretty definitive with what they wanted me to do as a back,” Wright said. “They really made it easy to do what I did, run downhill and run hard. The offense together as a whole really played our hearts out. The defense stopped them when we needed to and we capitalized.”
Illinois State tailback Wenkers Wright (32) looks for an opening in the first quarter against Eastern Illinois.
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“He really was on a mission,” said Spack. “I told him all week we’ve got to run the ball downhill, and he responded really well to that. That’s kind of who he is. He’s a really good player.”
The Redbirds rushed for 253 yards. Rittenhouse and Jake Rubley combined to complete 22 of 28 for 265 yards through the air as ISU dominated the Panthers in total offense 518-192.
Dynamic duo
Sobkowicz hauled in seven passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, while Xavier Loyd secured seven catches for 75 yards and one score.
“That’s why we went and got Loyd. We wanted to take the pressure off Dan and have another guy like him out there,” Spack said. “They’re both long, they both run well and they’re both good ball skill guys.”
“He’s phenomenal,” said Sobkowicz of Loyd. “He’s making catches downfield. You can rely on him to make a play on third down, fourth down. Our quarterback has a lot of trust in him, and that’s benefitted a lot of us this season.”
Eastern’s view
EIU slipped to 1-3 with the two previous losses coming to Big Ten Conference entries Illinois and Northwestern.
Eastern Illinois running back MJ Flowers (4) runs against Illinois State in the first quarter.
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“Disappointing to say the least. Obviously we weren’t ready to play and that’s my responsibility,” Panthers coach Chris Wilkerson said. “It’s a tough pill to swallow, but a tip of the hat to the Redbirds. They outplayed us.
“You’re not going to win many games with three turnovers, not finishing drives and some penalties at inopportune times.”
Illinois State safety Keondre Jackson (3) returns an interception against Eastern Illinois.
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MJ Flowers rushed for 117 yards on 19 carries and EIU’s lone touchdown. Holley was limited to 72 yards passing while completing 10 of 19 and was intercepted by Keondre Jackson and Mark Cannon Jr.
Photos: Eastern Illinois at Illinois State football
Illinois State captains and honorary caption Cameron Meredith comes out for coin toss before the game against Eastern Illinois.
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The 2014 national runner-up Illinois State football team is celebrated at halftime against Eastern Illinois.
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The 2014 national runner-up Illinois State football team is celebrated at halftime against Eastern Illinois.
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The 2014 national runner-up Illinois State football team is celebrated at halftime against Eastern Illinois.
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Illinois State wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz (2) runs into the end zone for a touchdown against Eastern Illinois.
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Illinois State wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz (2) runs iagainst Eastern Illinois in the second quarter.
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Illinois State wide receiver Xavier Loyd (1) and tight end Javon Charles (85) celebrate after Loyd scores against Eastern Illinois.
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Illinois State safety Keondre Jackson (3) returns an interception against Eastern Illinois.
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Illinois State defensive back Keondre Jackson (3) tackles Eastern Illinois quarterback Pierce Holley (3) in the second quarter.
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Eastern Illinois running back MJ Flowers (4) scores a touchdown against Illinois State.
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Eastern Illinois quarterback Pierce Holley (3) looks to throw in the first quarter against Illinois State.
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Eastern Illinois running back MJ Flowers (4) runs against Illinois State in the first quarter.
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Eastern Illinois quarterback Pierce Holley (3) looks to throw in the first quarter against Illinois State.
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Illinois State defensive lineman Steven Curtis (8) celebrates after a stop against Eastern Illinois.
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Illinois State tailback Wenkers Wright (32) looks for an opening in the first quarter against Eastern Illinois.
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Illinois State running back Wenkers Wright (32) runs in the first quarter against Eastern Illinois.
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Follow Randy Reinhardt on Twitter: @Pg_Reinhardt
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Publish date : 2024-09-21 15:00:00
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