By: The road continues to be kind to the IC football team, who won for the second time in two tries away from England Stadium on Saturday with a 40-15 victory over Lawrence University.
Box Score
APPLETON, Wis. – The Illinois College football team got back in the win column on Saturday with an emphatic 40-15 victory over Lawrence University. The Blueboys improved to 2-2 (1-1 Midwest Conference) with the win.
In most games this season, either the running game or the passing game has been effective, but not always at the same time. That wasn't a problem for Illinois College this time around. The Blueboys racked up 218 yards on the ground and more than 300 through the air against a Lawrence defense that struggled to get IC off the field. On the day, Illinois College converted 12-of-19 third down chances.
After winning the coin toss and electing to receive, the Blueboys promptly marched 76 yards in 14 plays, milking nearly six minutes off the clock to take a 7-0 lead. Facing a 3rd & 29 and later a 2nd & 25, the Vikings gifted Illinois College first downs with 15-yard penalties. On third down in the red zone,
Drew Chance connected with
Kyle Obertino on a 14-yard completion to put IC on top.
Following a brief drive from Lawrence, the Illinois College offense struck quickly to double its lead. Starting the second possession of the game on their own 25, Chance completed a pass to
Austin Ellsworth that went 75 yards for a Blueboy touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
A Lawrence interception ended a second quarter drive from Illinois College, but on the first play on offense for Lawrence, Ryan Butterfield fumbled the ball and
Dakotah Jones recovered to give the Blueboys possession back at the Lawrence 36. IC would drive down to the Viking three-yard line before stalling, but
Zack DeWitt booted a 20-yard field goal to increase the margin to 17-0.
The Vikings got their offense in gear late in the first half, scoring on a 61-yard completion from Butterfield to Trevor Spina to make it 17-7 with less than four minutes remaining until halftime. With
Deavon Puck making an appearance behind center, the Blueboys began to move the ball again. Puck moved the chains with a third-down completion to Ellsworth and
Jason Barbour had a first-down run to midfield. On a 3rd & 7 from the Lawrence 29, Puck hit
Logan Uyetake for 28 yards down to the 1-yard line and Barbour crossed the goal line two plays later to give Illinois College a 24-7 lead at the break.
After a three-and-out from Lawrence to start the second half, Illinois College put six more points on the board on its opening possession of the third quarter. The 10-play, 79-yard drive culminated in an eight-yard touchdown run from
Greg Cross for a 30-7 lead.
At the end of the third quarter, the Blueboys were driving again and DeWitt boomed a 42-yard field goal to make it 33-7 early in the fourth. On the ensuing kick-off, Terrell Myers provided Lawrence with a rare highlight, going 100 yards for the score. The two-point conversion was good, making it 33-15 with less than 14 minutes to play.
Illinois College made sure there was no chance for a comeback, pounding out 75 yards on a 10-play drive and scoring on a six-yard pass to Uyetake on its next possession. DeWitt's extra point made it 40-15 and completed the scoring for the day with less than 11 minutes remaining. The Vikings again went three-and-out on their next possession and the clock ran out with Lawrence inside IC territory at the end of the contest.
In his first career start, Chance ended the game 19-of-29 for 258 yards and three touchdowns against one interception. He also netted 37 yards on the ground on eight carries. In limited action, Puck was 4-of-7 for 54 yards.
On the ground, Barbour carried 17 times for 104 yards and a score. Ellsworth led the receiving corps with nine catches for 181 yards and a touchdown. Uyetake had six catches for 67 yards with a touchdown and Obertino had three grabs for 20 yards and a touchdown.
Matt Graef and
Jacob Homann each ended with six tackles apiece to lead the IC defensive effort.
Ryan Torrance had an interception and a 31-yard return, while Ellsworth also picked off a pass and returned it 11 yards.
Illinois College will come home to England Stadium for its Homecoming game next weekend. The Blueboys take on Grinnell on Oct. 1 with a 1 p.m. kick-off.
