flag
back Back
Beckham Pellant leads Illinois State past Southern Illinois 35-14

Victor Dawson contributed 82 yards on the ground, and the 13th-ranked Redbirds turned two turnovers into scores to build a 35-0 cushion heading into the final period.

Oct 17, 2026 at 7:48 pm ET • 1 min read

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) Beckham Pellant had a touchdown pass and a touchdown run in a 28-point second quarter and Illinois State breezed to a 35-14 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday.

Pellant completed 16 of 25 passes for 191 yards for Illinois State (5-2, 1-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference), ranked 13th in the Stats Perform FCS poll. Victor Dawson added 82 yards and a score on 16 rushes.

Dawson scored on a 1-yard run to give the Redbirds a 7-0 lead after a scoreless first quarter, and Chase Kwiatkowski followed with a 5-yard touchdown run. Pellant scored on a 10-yard run after a Southern Illinois turnover and then connected with Dylan Lord for a 17-yard score after another turnover for a 28-0 lead at halftime.

Dawson rushed for 41 yards on first down and Pellant fired a 57-yard scoring strike to Luke Mailander two plays later to cap a 99-yard drive for a 35-0 advantage heading to the fourth quarter.

DJ Williams totaled 166 yards and a touchdown on 19-for-31 passing for Southern Illinois (3-5, 1-3). He connected with Kyle Thomas for a 29-yard score in the final quarter and Tae Marrero Jr. added a 45-yard touchdown on a punt return.

Illinois State: Hosts Indiana State on Saturday.

Southern Illinois: Hosts Northern Iowa on Saturday.

---

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.

You may like

Offenses on display as No. 20 Houston tops No. 18 Oklahoma State

aol.com 1 hour ago

Ty Dieffenbach shines in his first UCLA start as Bruins defeat Wisconsin, improve to 6-0

latimes.com 1 hour ago

Weigman throws 5 TD passes to lead No. 20 Houston to a 35-32 win over No. 18 Oklahoma State

aol.com 1 hour ago

3 Matchups That Will Decide Giants' Week 6 Game Against Saints

si.com 3 hours ago

Colorado's Offensive Struggles Continue With Bewildering Statistic

si.com 31 minutes ago

Burns, Chalk leave marks in Southern Utah's 38-17 win over UC Davis

abcnews.com 1 hour ago

CFB Upsets: Georgia, Texas, Alabama Fall On Same Day For First Time Since 1966

foxsports.com 1 hour ago

Kaden Anderson's 5 TD passes power Tarleton State to 49-35 win over Central Arkansas

abcnews.com 1 hour ago

Texas Tech routs Arizona State 53-25 behind J'Koby Williams

cbssports.com 4 hours ago