By: Illinois College raced out to a 42-0 halftime lead and put it on cruise control in the second half to pick up its second win in a row.
Box Score LAKE FOREST, Ill. – A week after a record-setting offensive output in a win over Grinnell, the Illinois College football team looked like they were trying to go for more in the first half of their game at Lake Forest College on Saturday. The Blueboys scored touchdowns on six of their first seven drives of the game to take a 42-0 lead into halftime and eventually come away with a 52-28 win over the Foresters. IC improves to 3-4 (2-1 Midwest Conference South Division), while Lake Forest fell to 2-5 (1-2 MWC South).
While the rushing attack did a lot of the damage last week, the Blueboys went back to the air on Saturday.
Brady Huber completed 25-of-35 passes for 379 yards and four touchdowns. Backup Danny Modelski was solid when called upon as well, going 6-of-8 for 81 yards and a score. The trio of
Logan Uyetake,
Austin Ellsworth and
Kyle Obertino hauled in 25 of those 31 combined completions with three touchdown catches between them.
Lake Forest used a solid kick return and a 22-yard pass completion to get into IC territory on its opening drive, but
Dylan Schuler snuffed out the first chance for the Foresters with an interception at the IC 38 and a return to the 41. Illinois College then marched 59 yards in 10 plays, converting a pair of third downs along the way to take a 7-0 lead on a one-yard Ellsworth touchdown grab.
The second drive for Lake Forest also ended with an interception, this time by Ellsworth. The two-way player for the Blueboys stepped in front of a ball downfield and returned it 21 yards to set up Illinois College with field position in the Lake Forest red zone to start its next drive. It would only take one play for Huber to connect with Obertino for the score to double IC's lead to 14-0.
Modelski took the reins after Lake Forest was forced into a three-and-out, starting behind center from the Illinois College 29. Showing good accuracy, Modelski completed all four passes on the drive and hit
Greg Cross for the last 16 yards to up the advantage to 21-0. The final Illinois College drive of the first quarter began with 1:34 on the clock. Huber completed a 29-yard pass to Ellsworth to get into Forester territory and then found Obertino for 42 yards down to the Lake Forest 2. Two plays later, it was Huber finding paydirt as time expired in the quarter, ending the opening 15 minutes with a 28-0 lead.
The second quarter started with more of the same.
Nick Tadie forced a fumble on Lake Forest's first play from scrimmage and
Matt Graef made the recovery to give IC the ball on Lake Forest's side of the 50. The Blueboys went to the ground game this time with Modelski at quarterback, utilizing
Bo Davis and
Dyllan Bailey to work their way downfield. Bailey converted a fourth down inside the Lake Forest 10-yard line and pounded it in two plays later from two yards out to make it 35-0.
IC's last touchdown of the first half had Huber again finding his downfield targets. A third-down pass went to Uyetake for 35 yards to move across midfield and Obertino went the last 31 yards to make it 42-0. Lake Forest moved efficiently on its next possession until Sean Dickson was intercepted in the end zone – his third interception of the half – by
Dinari Ellis to end the threat.
With a commanding lead, the Blueboys were content to use the ground game to let the clock roll. Lake Forest scored on its opening possession of the third quarter, but IC won the time of possession battle by holding onto the ball in the third for more than eight minutes. Illinois College maintained a healthy 42-7 lead going into the fourth.
The Foresters tried to make a late push to make things interesting, scoring two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter to slice the lead to 42-21 with just under 12 minutes to play. Illinois College re-inserted Huber at quarterback on the next drive and chewed up yardage through the air to put it away though. Following a pass interference call that put the Blueboys at the LFC 2-yard line, Huber found freshman
Zach Reische for a touchdown pass, the second touchdown in as many weeks for the tight end.
Lake Forest added a touchdown late in the contest and Uyetake connected on a 23-yard field goal in the final minutes to close out the scoring.
Ellis added a second half interception to end with two picks in the game along with five solo tackles. Schuler and Graef were the leading tacklers for the Blueboys with eight (seven solo for Schuler, six solo for Graef). Tadie added in six more (five solo) and
Meeko Reddick had five, including two sacks.
Illinois College will be back home at England Stadium for Senior Day on Oct. 31 against Knox College beginning at 3 p.m.
