TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Eleven days after two teammates were killed and two others were injured in a car crash, the Indiana State Sycamores opened their football season with a victory.
Rylan Cole of McCordsville intercepted a desperation heave from North Alabama quarterback Noah Walters to seal the 17-14 win in overtime Thursday night in Terre Haute.
The season-opening win came less than two weeks after Indiana State football players Christian Eubanks and Caleb VanHooser, along with classmate Jayden Musili were killed in a crash on SR 46 in Riley, Indiana on Aug. 21. Omarion Dixon and John Moore, who were also members of the football team, were seriously injured in the crash.
The Sycamores took an early 6-0 lead on a pair of Ryan O'Grady field goals before North Alabama took a 7-6 lead with five minutes left in the first half. Indiana State went back on top in the fourth quarter on a touchdown pass from Gavin Screws to Tyce Ferrell, an Avon High School graduate. The two-point conversion made the score 14-7.
North Alabama rallied in the final minutes, tying the game on a touchdown pass from Walters to Corson Swan to tie the game.
After holding the Sycamores to a field goal in their first possession of overtime, the Lions moved inside the Indiana State 10-yard line. But a bad snap on second down put them outside the 30 and a delay of game penalty on a game-tying field goal try pushed them back five more yards, setting up Cole's interception.
The Sycamores travel up the road to West Lafayette next Saturday to face the Purdue Boilermakers. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Ross-Ade Stadium.