CHARLESTON, Ill. – Holding the Panthers to a mere 14 total rushing yards on O'Brien Field, No. 14 Illinois State defeated Eastern Illinois, 44-13, in the 106th meeting of the Mid-America Classic to take home the trophy on Saturday evening.
The Redbird defense racked up six sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss in the victory and held EIU to just seven first downs and 117 yards of total offense. ISU was led by transfer linebacker Tyree Horton, who led the team with 11 tackles, two sacks and 3.5 tackles-for-loss for the Redbirds. Jason Harris also had nine tackles and a sack-fumble for the Redbirds in the win, while Adam Conley tallied four stops and two tackles-for-loss.