>>ISU Returns Home After Season's First Loss
After suffering its first loss of the 2014 season, No. 12 Illinois State (7-1, 4-1 MVFC) will look to get back to its winning ways when it hosts No. 10 Youngstown State (7-2, 4-1) on Saturday at Hancock Stadium in a battle for sole possession of second place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference standings at 1 p.m.
The Penguins are tied with the Redbirds for second place in the MVFC standings, with a 4-1 record. The lone loss was a 30-24 defeat at the hands of Western Illinois and YSU has won three-straight games since that point.
Youngstown State scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to overcome a 10-point deficit and knock off South Dakota, 28-17, last Saturday at home. The comeback was fueled by a strong running attack, which saw tailback Martin Ruiz rush for a career-best 185 yards and a touchdown and Jody Webb run for 128 yards and two scores.
Last year, Youngstown State scored 31 second-quarter points en route to a 59-21 victory over Illinois State at Stambaugh Stadium.
>>Fighting Illini On A Bye
(Champaign, IL) -- The Illinois Fighting Illini have no game tomorrow. Illinois has a bye this weekend. The Illini got hammered 55-14 at Ohio State last Saturday to slip to 4-and-5 overall and 1-and-4 in the Big Ten. Illinois will be back on the field next Saturday when 6-and-2 Iowa comes to Champaign.
