Ready When Called: Victor Dawson Embraces the Moment for Illinois State
- Nathan Swaffar
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Former FCS All-American Victor Dawson relishing expanded role during Redbirds’ postseason run
When Illinois State running back Wenkers Wright went down with a shoulder injury during the Redbirds' opening playoff game against Southeastern Louisiana, Victor Dawson was more than prepared to step up.
Dawson had already filled in for Wright multiple times during the regular season when he dealt with other injuries that hampered him. He was ready for the moment, and the key was just to stick with what worked.
“Just stay consistent,” Dawson said. “Don't try to look out for the big plays, because when you do that, you kind of get off your game. Just let the plays come to you and just execute.”
Dawson has been a catalyst for the Redbird offense during this postseason run after Wright went down. Over Illinois State’s four playoff games, he’s accumulated 512 yards on the ground and averaged 5.27 yards per rush to go along with two rushing touchdowns. On the season, he’s rushed for 1,251 total rushing yards with five TDs, including five games where he eclipsed the century mark. He’s rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last three games.
“Whatever we’ve asked him to do, he’s done it,” head coach Brock Spack said. “When Wenkers went down, Victor kind of took over the number one spot, and he's done a great job. He’s a good player, a physical back, he’s had a little adversity in his career. He had an ACL [injury] now two years ago, and he’s been really good … It’s been awesome.”
His decision to come to Illinois State over the offseason was somewhat of a welcome-back party.
The Akron, Ohio, native began his career in the FCS ranks playing at Merrimack, where he quickly made a name for himself. Over his two seasons with the Warriors, Dawson rushed for 971 total yards and 12 touchdowns. In his redshirt freshman season, he rushed for 741 yards and 10 TDs, earning him FCS All-American freshman honors from multiple outlets.
After his two seasons, he transferred to Cincinnati, where things didn’t work out as expected. Along with the ACL injury, he saw limited opportunities, only rushing for 63 yards on seven carries through those two seasons. He decided it was time for yet another change of scenery.
That’s when Illinois State came calling, and Dawson was immediately impressed by almost every aspect of the Redbird program.
“The coaches, the playing scheme that we have, everything. It just seemed like the right place,” Dawson said. “I've been at the FBS level, I've been at the FCS level, so I've seen some things. And really, it's everything that I needed.”
As for Monday night’s title game, Dawson will also have his running mate back.
On Saturday, Spack confirmed that Wenkers Wright will be available to play after missing the last three games for Illinois State. The two formed a dynamic running back duo when they were healthy, and will get one last chance to put it on display against Montana State.
The duo’s relationship has also flourished during this one season, with both pushing each other to maximize their talents. And Dawson is looking forward to sharing the field with him when it matters most.
“He’s just so positive, it makes it fun,” Dawson said. “It's not even competition. We just kind of encourage each other to make those big plays. And if one of us does it, it just leads us to wanting to make one ourselves. It’s just fun playing with him.”