After an auspicious start that saw Indiana State take an early lead on an interception return for a touchdown off a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage, Illinois State rallied with 44 unanswered points as the Redbirds (4-2, 2-1 MVFC) rolled to a 44-7 victory over the Sycamores (0-6, 0-3 MVFC) at Hancock Stadium on Saturday.

The Sycamores took the early lead, as a Zack Annexstad pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and returned 27 yards for a touchdown by Garret Ollendieck to make the score 7-0 less than a minute into the contest.

Illinois State tied the score at 7-7 with 1:44 left in the first quarter, with the Redbirds facing a 4th-and-5 situation Annexstad connected with Jalen Carr for a 30-yard score to knot things up.

The Redbirds took the lead with 8:55 left in the second quarter, thanks to a 30-yard field goal by Ian Wagner that made the score 10-7 in favor of the Redbirds. Illinois State extended the lead to 17-7 with 3:31 left before halftime, following a 13-yard touchdown run by Mason Blakemore that capped off an 8-play, 55-yard scoring drive that took 3:02 off the clock.

After a blocked punt attempt by the Sycamores went off the hand of Cole Mueller, the Redbirds took over and wasted little time in finding the endzone again as Annexstad connected with Cam Grandy on a 10-yard shovel pass to make the score 23-7 with 16 seconds left before halftime.

The four touchdown passes by Annexstad set a career-high, as did his 79 rushing yards in the win over the Sycamores.

Illinois State will travel to Youngstown, Ohio, next Saturday for a matchup with the Youngstown State Penguins, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. CT at Stambaugh Stadium.