NORMAL, Ill. -- Matt Brown threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Tyrone Walker with 1 second to play, lifting Illinois State to a 41-39 victory over Youngstown State on Saturday.
Brown finished 29 of 37 for 390 yards and five touchdowns and Walker caught nine passes for 206 yards and three scores for the Redbirds (5-5, 4-4 Missouri Valley), who rallied after blowing an 18-point lead.
Jamaine Cook led the Penguins (3-7, 1-6) with 213 rushing yards and three TDs, Kurt Hess threw two touchdowns passes and Dominique Barnes had eight receptions for 113 yards.
Jake Detmers returned a blocked punt 2 yards for a score to put Illinois State up 35-17 with 6:02 left in the third quarter before Youngstown State scored 21 unanswered points. After Kurt Hess ran in from 7-yards out to put the Penguins ahead 39-35 with 27 seconds remaining, the Redbirds drove 69 yards in three plays for the winning score.
