McCoy's 58-yard return of a blocked FG sparks Illinois State past Western Illinois 51-34

NORMAL, Ill. -- , Tommy Rittenhouse threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third and LaVoise-Deontae McCoy returned a blocked field-goal attempt 58 yards for a touchdown as Illinois State posted a 51-34 victory over Western Illinois on Saturday. Rittenhouse got the Redbirds (2-1) on the board in the game's second minute, hitting Xavier Loyd with a 59-yard touchdown pass, then made it a 14-0 lead five minutes later, scoring from the 6 to cap a six-play, 46-yard drive. Nathan Lamb rallied the Leathernecks with a 6-yard touchdown run followed by a 3-yard pass to Christian Anaya to tie the game at 14-14 early in the second quarter. Ian Wagner 's 27-yard field goal late in the second quarter sent Illinois State into halftime with a 24-21 advantage. McCoy's return pushed the Redbirds lead to 31-21, but Lamb ran for his third touchdown to keep Western Illinois close at 31-28.