MVFC Playoffs: Illinois State 38, Appalachian State 37

Illinois State's Mike Zimmer (9) celebrates with Matt Goldsmith (14)
after the Redibrds blocked an extra-point in overtime to beat Appalachian State.
(Photo: AP Photo/Walk Unks)

Illinois State will advance to the quarterfinals all thanks to a blocked extra-point attempt in overtime. The Redbirds lead the entire game until the fourth quarter when Appalachian State tied the game via a tricksy wide-receiver pass with three minutes left to play to force overtime. In overtime, Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Matt Brown, connected with James O'Shaughnessey to take a 38-31 lead. Jamal Jackson and the Mountaineers answered three-plays later with a four-yard Andrew Peacock touchdown, however, the extra-point was block and the Redbirds escaped Boone victorious. Redbird quarterback Matt Brown was at his best on Saturday. He connected 20 times on 32 pass attempts for 322 yards 5 touchdowns, and most importantly, zero interceptions. Illinois State most definitely needed their passing game as the Mountain er rush defense kept Redbird RB, Darrelynn Dunn, in check all game; Dunn ended the game with just 67 total yards. At wide-receiver, both O'Shaughnessey and Tyrone Walker ended the day hauling in two TD passes a piece.

Next weekend, Illinois State will have to face Eastern Washington from the Big Sky. This matchup will be extremely interesting as Eastern Washington struggled all night with Wagner from the NEC. Eastern Washington has been said to have one of the best defenses in the Big Sky, however, the Seahawks marched the ball on them multiple times and were up on the Eagles 19-16 in the third-quarter. However, Wagner ran out of steam and Eastern Washington ran away from the Seahawks in the fourth quarter. There are multiple things to consider about this matchup between Illinois State and Eastern Washington. One, on paper, both of these teams run similar offenses; they like to throw the ball and keep a defense off-balance with screens and draws. Secondly, Illinois State's passing attack looks to match up well against Eastern Washington's pass defense. Finally, the long road trip and elevation could contribute to faster fatigue in Illinois State players, on the other hand, Illinois State is undefeated on the road this season.