SETTING THE SCENE
Date: September 21, 2024
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Site: Normal, Illinois
Stadium: Hancock Stadium
Capacity: 12,440
Series: Illinois State leads 59-43-9
Last: EIU won 14-13 (Sept. 16, 2023)
Watch/Stream: Marquee/ESPN+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 93.7 FM / The Varsity Network

THE GAME
One of the longest rivalry series in the FCS continues on Saturday, as Eastern Illinois travels to Normal to take on No. 15/17 Illinois State in the playing of the 112th Mid-America Classic at Hancock Stadium, with kickoff slated for 6 p.m. The teams will be playing for the coveted traveling trophy, which currently resides in Charleston after EIU's win last season.

THE SERIES
Illinois State and Eastern Illinois will meet for the 112th time on the gridiron on Saturday. The series dates back to 1901 and the Redbirds hold a 59-43-9 advantage over the Panthers. ISU has won five of the last six contests in the series overall, but dropped a heart breaker by a point at EIU in 2023. Overall, the Redbirds have won seven of the last nine games against the Panthers and are 9-5 against EIU under the direction of head coach Brock Spack.

THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 16th season as the head coach at Illinois State (103-71). Spack guided the Redbirds to back-to-back shares of the MVFC title in 2014-15 and an appearance in the 2014 FCS Championship game. He has led the ISU to five playoff appearances overall and became the program's all-time wins leader in 2021.

Eastern Illinois: Chris Wilkerson (Eastern Illinois, 1995) is in his third season as the head coach at Eastern Illinois (11-14). In just his second season leading the Panthers, Wilkerson guided one of the best turnarounds in the FCS in 2023 as the Panthers went from two wins during his first season in 2022 to an 8-3 campaign and just missed out on a playoff berth.

THE REDBIRD FOOTBALL PROGRAM
    8 FCS playoff appearances (1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019)
    6-time FCS quarterfinalists (1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019)
    2-time FCS semifinalists (1999, 2014)
    The team is 63-22 at home under Spack's guidance
    ISU is 46-16 at Hancock Stadium since 2013 renovation

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
 Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois, and has an enrollment of 8,505. The Panthers are members of the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference and play their home games at O'Brien Field (10,000).
 The Panthers are off to a 1-2 start to the season, with both losses coming to in-state FBS opponents. Last weekend, EIU dropped a 31-7 decision to Northwestern on the lakefront in Evanston and the Panthers were shutout in the season opener in Champaign by the Illini 45-0.
 EIU improved to 1-1 on the season following a 27-20 win over Indiana State at home in week two. Nick Coates forced a fumble that Moses Alexander scooped up and raced 60 yards for an early second quarter touchdown as the Eastern Illinois defense forced four turnovers in the victory over the Sycamores. 

LAST TIME AGAINST THE PANTHERS (SEPT. 16,  2023)
A 12-yard touchdown run by Mason King with just over four minutes left in the game put No. 25 Illinois State up 13-7 over Eastern Illinois, however the Panthers scored with just 30 seconds remaining to defeat the Redbirds by a score of 14-13 in the 111th meeting of the Mid-America Classic at O'Brien Field. The Redbird defense was disruptive all game, forcing three turnovers, recording eight sacks and posting 12 tackles for loss in the defeat to the Panthers.

FUTCH NAMED MVFC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Punter Hayden Futch put up career numbers for Illinois State in its 51-34 win over in-state rival Western Illinois. The Valdosta, Georgia, native averaged a career-best 54 yards per punt on four attempts in the win against the Leathernecks and pinned WIU inside its own 20 yard line twice. His first punt of the day was his longest at 63 yards (also a career long) and he followed that with one for 56 yards that was fair caught by the WIU returner. His third and final 50-plus yard punt of the game was his last of the contest, which went for 56 yards and was downed at the WIU 13 yard line to pin them deep once again.

50 IS NIFTY
The Redbird scoring offense was one of the best in the MVFC and the country last season, with three 40-plus point performances while scoring 32.8 points per contest. However, ISU's 51 point performance in its home-opening win over Western Illinois on Saturday was its first in six seasons. The last time the Redbirds broke the 50-point plateau was on October 13, 2018, when they picked up a 51-3 win over in-state rival Southern Illinois on Homecoming at ISU. It marked the tenth time the Redbirds have scored 50 points or more in a game under the leadership of Brock Spack.

THE WRIGHT STUFF
Senior Wenkers Wright is certainly no stranger to Redbird fans, however he is having a resurgent season in 2024 after taking over as the team's lead back following the season-ending injury to starter Mason King. After leading the team in rushing as a sophomore in 2022, he carried the ball just 36 times last season while splitting carries with King and Cole Mueller but has returned to form so far this season. Through three games, he is averaging nearly 100 yards per game on the ground (98.3) and 5.8 yards per carry. Against North Alabama, he rushed for 153 yards in a Redbird road win and he followed that up with his second-straight 100-plus yard effort with 106 yards and a score in a home win over Western Illinois.

SCOOP AND SCORE
Holding a narrow three-point lead just after halftime, the Redbird defense forced Western Illinois to attempt a 49-yard field goal on its first drive of the second half. That long attempt would turn into six points for the Redbirds, as the kick was blocked by ISU defensive lineman Donovan McBride and scooped up by linebacker Lavoise-Deontae McCoy, who then ran 58 yards for the special teams touchdown. It was his second special teams touchdown in as many years, as he recovered a fumble in the endzone on a snap over Dayton's punter's head in the 2023 season opener. It was also the first blocked field goal for a touchdown by the Redbirds since Aug. 31, 2000, when Armando Andrade returned one 85 yards for a score against West Virginia Tech.

SUCCESS IN HOME OPENERS
The Redbirds have been very good at home under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack, especially in the first home game of each season. Thanks to their dominant 51-34 win over Western Illinois to open the 2024 home slate, ISU is 15-1 in the first home game of the season at Hancock Stadium under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack. 

BALANCED RUSHING ATTACK
Despite not having the services of preseason All-American and 2023 MVFC Newcomer of the Year Mason King due to injury, the Redbirds still managed to control the game on the ground in their 24-17 road win at North Alabama. ISU racked up 325 yards on the ground, its most since rushing for 345 yards in a win against Murray State late last season. The rushing attack was led by senior Wenkers Wright, who racked up 153 yards on the ground including a big 54 yard run late in the fourth quarter that helped put the game away. Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse also rushed for a career-best 94 yards in the contest, with two rushing scores including a 71-yard dash. Newcomer Seth Glatz also had a soldi game with 51 yards and Josh Robinson added 37. Wide receiver Xavier Loyd also got in on the mix, picking up nine yards and a first down on an end-around run.

STUFFING THE RUN
Coming off a week one tough assignment against the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Redbird defense looked to get back to its standard of stopping the run against North Alabama. The usually stout rushing defense for the Redbirds was apparent once again, as they held the Lions to just 83 yards on the ground and racked up nine TFLs in the 24-17 victory. Defensive backs Mark Cannon Jr. and Keondre Jackson led the way in that effort, as they were not shy in crashing from their duties in the secondary to make stops in the backfield with 1.5 TFLs each. Defensive lineman Nick Kessler also added 1.5 TFLs, as did linebackers Jalan Gaines and Tye Niekamp, who also forced a fumble as the Lions appeared to be headed into the end zone for a score. 

MITCH MAKES GOOD
One of the newest Redbirds made the first big play of the game in their win at North Alabama. After winning the toss and electing to receive, ISU proceeded to march 75 yards down the field in seven plays to score the first touchdown of the game and take the early momentum. Transfer tight end Mitch Bartol capped off that scoring drive with an 18-yard touchdown reception from Tommy Rittenhouse, his first as a Redbird. He would add one more catch on the day to finish with two grabs for 26 yards on the day.

TOMMY TIME
Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse did it all for the Redbirds in their road win at North Alabama. The junior quarterback from Geneva, Illinois, rushed for a career-high 94 yards and accounted for 236 yards of total offense in the Redbirds' win over the Lions. Rittenhouse was also responsible for three touchdowns in the win, two coming on the ground and one through the air. He wasted little time getting the offense going, leading the team down the field on the first drive of the game which he capped off with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Mitch Bartol. Early in the second quarter, he called his own number on a scramble in the red zone and ran it in for three yards out for his second touchdown of the game. Later in the contest, after coming out of the game with some cramping issues, he returned to break off a 71-yard rushing touchdown that would prove to be the game winner for the Redbirds.

MJ SOARS
Junior cornerback Mark Cannon Jr. was all over the field on in Illinois State's 24-17 win at North Alabama. The Skokie, Illinois, native led the Redbird defense with 10 total tackles (6 solo stops) and was credited with 1.5 tackles for loss. Cannon also forced one of two turnovers in the contest, when he intercepted a pass late in the second quarter and returned the ball 14 yards to the UNA 26 yard line. The interception for Cannon was the fourth in his career at ISU.