ISU Sycamores prevail on Homecoming, 28-22 over Bears

TERRE HAUTE, IN (10-21-2006) — For the first time since the 2004 season, the Indiana State Sycamores leave the field a winner, as they held on to defeat the Bears by a score of 28-22 on a beautiful Homecoming afternoon at Memorial Stadium. The victorious Sycamores improve to 1-7, 1-3 GFC while MSU drops to 1-7, 0-4 GFC.

“This was a total team effort today by our guys,” head coach Lou West said. “We came together and made the plays we needed to make at the right times to get a victory. I am just so happy and proud for our players. This is the first of many, many victories for our program.”

ISU opened the scoring in the contest on their second drive of the game, when quarterback Ben Schmidt found Sam Logan streaking across the middle for a 13-yard scoring strike. Schmidt found Logan with 6:44 left in the first quarter to finish a drive that went seven plays and 77 yards. After Missouri State connected on a field goal with less than a minute left in the first period to make the score 7-3, the Sycamore struck back with another touchdown as Schmidt scampered in from 11 yards out for the 14-3 lead with 5:43 left in the second stanza. A wild sequence of events followed as the Bears scored twice in the span of a minute. MSU scored on a 23-yard pass from Tyler Horner to Chris Geisz with 2:42 showing on the clock, and then took the lead when Eric Davis returned a punt 55 yards for another score. Holding a 16-14 lead, the Bears PAT attempt failed.

ISU would answer on the next drive to take a 21-16 lead into the half, when Schmidt found Carl Berman on a 32-yard scoring strike to score in the hurry-up offense. In the third, Schmidt got in on his fourth touchdown of the day, when he scored from two yards out to stretch the advantage out to 28-16. That score came at the 6:13 mark to end a six-play, 58-yard drive. All the Bears could muster in the final period and a half was a pair of Stokes field goals (39 and 38 yards) as the Sycamores won 28-22.

Disaster nearly struck late in the fourth quarter, when Schmidt fumbled a snap as the Sycamores were attempting to run out the clock. But the ISU defense, much maligned during the year, came up with a big play. Freshman defensive end D.J. Macarthy picked off a Horner pass to give the Sycamores the ball and help secure the win. Schmidt finished the game by connecting on 18-of-27 passes for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He added 51 yards on the ground with a pair of rushing TDs as well. Tony West ran the ball 13 times for 42 yards in the game.

Leading the way in the air was junior Jerimy Robinson who caught seven passes for 77 yards. Logan hauled in four passes for 37 yards with a score, while Berman had two catches for 38 yards and a TD. Defensively, the Sycamores forced five Bear fumbles and recovered three of them, while picking off a pass. For the day, ISU was plus three in turnover margin. Andy Jones posted a career-best 19 tackles in the game, including three tackles for loss and two sacks. Macarthy finished the game with seven tackles, including one for a loss with a forced fumble, a recovered fumble and an interception.

Scoring Summary:
1st 06:44 INSU - Logan, Sam 13 yd pass from Schmidt, Ben (Hooper, Kyle kick). MSU 0 - INSU 7
00:56 MSU - Stokes,Nathan 34 yd field goal. MSU 3 - INSU 7
2nd 05:43 INSU - Schmidt, Ben 11 yd run (Hooper, Kyle kick). MSU 3 - INSU 14
02:42 MSU - Geisz,Chris 23 yd pass from Horner,Tyler (Stokes,Nathan kick). MSU 10 - INSU 14
01:42 MSU - Davis,Eric 55 yd punt return (Stokes,Nathan kick failed). MSU 16 - INSU 14
00:26 INSU - Berman, Carl 32 yd pass from Schmidt, Ben (Hooper, Kyle kick). MSU 16 - INSU 21
3rd 06:13 INSU - Schmidt, Ben 2 yd run (Hooper, Kyle kick). MSU 16 - INSU 28
01:42 MSU - Stokes,Nathan 39 yd field goal. MSU 19 - INSU 28
4th 04:13 MSU - Stokes,Nathan 38 yd field goal. MSU 22 - INSU 28

GAME STATISTICS

Indiana State looks to start a winning streak now as they travel to Western Kentucky next week for the first of two consecutive conference road contests. ISU faces off against the Hilltoppers next Saturday, October 28, at 4:00 p.m. (CT). Live Internet Radio coverage begins on www.USA-365.com at 3:40 p.m., CT (4:40 p.m., ET).

NOTES: Indiana State broke a 24-game losing streak, which dated back to a 41-38 double overtime victory against Illinois State on October 2, 2004. The streak was the longest in all of NCAA Division I. ISU had lost 16 consecutive Gateway Football Conference contests before winning today over Missouri State, 28-22. Indiana State scored first in the game for the fourth time this season. The previous three times have been field goals, however this time the Sycamores opened the game with 13-yard touchdown from Ben Schmidt to Sam Logan with 6:44 left in the first quarter.

ISU previously was 0-3 in games in which they scored first, but this time they were victorious 28-22.

Senior kicker Kyle Hooper, who broke the Indiana State scoring record last week with 201 points scored, added number 202 with a PAT off the Logan touchdown in the first quarter. With his four PATs on the day, Hooper has hit 88 for his career, which breaks Scott Bridges’ previous school record of 87.

Junior quarterback Ben Schmidt started the game by hitting 8-of-10 passes for 89 yards and a TD. Junior tailback Tony West returned to action for the Sycamores, taking the first offensive snap after missing last week’s game against Northern Iowa with an ankle sprain. Today’s game against Missouri State is the 78th Homecoming on campus. ISU is now 2-1 against Missouri State all-time when playing in a Sycamore Homecoming.

On the Sycamores’ first offensive play from scrimmage, Ben Schmidt found senior Sam Logan on an 11-yard pass, to give him 177 career receptions. He moved into No. 4 by himself in the Gateway Football Conference’s career records with that catch. He passed UNI’s Dedric Ward on the Gateway charts. Ward is now an assistant coach for Missouri State. Logan finished the game with four catches for 37 yards to give him 180 for his career. Indiana State’s 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter is the first time all season that the Sycamores have led following the first period of action.

Missouri State’s Eric Davis returned a punt for a touchdown (55 yds) with 1:42 left in the second quarter. It was the first punt return for a touchdown allowed by Indiana State, since Jason Perry returned one 64 yards for a score at Youngstown State on Oct. 7, 2006. For the second time this season, Indiana State held a lead heading into the locker room at halftime. ISU led the Bears by a score of 21-16 at the break. The Sycamores led Eastern Illinois 9-3 at the break in week 2, only to lose to the Panthers 31-21.