DECATUR, Ill. – The Illinois College football team opened the 2024 campaign with a 46-21 victory over Millikin on Saturday at Frank M. Lindsay Field
The contest was the season opener for both teams.
IC's
Destin Chance, an All-American a year ago, picked up where he left off, throwing for seven touchdowns, which is tied for the second-best performance in school history (Chance owns the record with eight which he set last season). He finished the day 23-for-41 for 341 yards.
Trey Birdsong led the receiving corps with eight catches for 118 yards and a pair of touchdowns. All-American
Collin Brunstein had another outstanding day, also grabbing eight balls for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
The Blueboy offense featured a balanced attack as
Tanner Spencer rushed for a game-high 182 yards on 30 carries.
Jamie Hendrix led the IC defense with nine tackles, including two for losses.
Cam Dailey added six tackles with a pair for loss.
Ethan Billingsley had two interceptions and
Malik Byndom added another.
IC 46 Millikin 21
IC got on the board right away when Chance found Brunstein from six yards out to make it 6-0. On the following drive, Chance hit Birdsong with a 23-yard strike to make it 12-0.
The second quarter opened with
Cameron Lewis catching a 27-yard pass from Chance and after
Toby McTamney's PAT, it was 19-0 Blueboys.
Millikin scored on a fumble recovery before Chance and Brunstein hooked up from 21 yards out to make it 26-7. IC took a 26-14 lead into halftime after the Big Blue scored in the period's final minutes.
The Blueboys roared out of the gates after intermission, reeling off 20 unanswered points starting with Chance finding
Will Campbell from 64 yards out. Birdsong then hooked up with Chance on a 23-yard scoring pass before
William Piening closed out the IC scoring with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Chance.
Blue Notes
IC has now won nine consecutive regular-season games and 14 of its last 16 contests overall… the Blueboys are averaging 49.3 points per game in their past seven regular-season games… Chance now has 73 career touchdown passes which is third in IC history… Already IC's all-time leader in reception yards and receiving touchdowns, Brunstein increased his totals to 3,584 yards and 51 TDs respectively… Brunstein now has 154 career catches which is fifth in IC history.
Up Next
The Blueboys open Midwest Conference play by traveling to Lake Forest on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
