SETTING THE SCENE
Date: November 16, 2024
Time: Noon CT
Site: Terre Haute, Ind.
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 12,764
Series: Illinois State leads 40-32-2
Last: ILS won 44-7 (Oct. 14, 2023)
Stream: ESPN+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 93.7 FM / The Varsity Network

THE GAME
The final road contest of the 2024 regular season awaits Illinois State, as the Redbirds (7-3, 4-2 MVFC) head to Terre Haute, Indiana, for another crucial road game against the Indiana State Sycamores (4-6, 3-3 MVFC) at Memorial Stadium. The Redbirds will be looking to keep their playoffs hope alive with their fourth win in a row to push their season win total to eight, which will continue to bolster the Illinois State's playoff chances headed into the final week.

THE SERIES
Illinois State and Indiana State will meet for the 75th time, with the Redbirds holding a 40-32-2 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1936. The Redbirds have won the last two matchups against the Sycamores, with a home win in 2023 and a close road win in Terre Haute in 2022. Overall, the Redbirds are 10-4 against the Sycamores under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack, who is 3-3 at Memorial Stadium.

THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 16th season as the head coach at Illinois State (108-73). 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.

Indiana State: Curt Mallory (Michigan, 1992) is in his eighth season as the head coach at Indiana State (24-53). Mallory and his staff mounted the biggest turnaround in collegiate football in 2018 after leading the Sycamores to a 7-4 finish, a third-place finish in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and a No. 22 national ranking.

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
> Indiana State University is located in Terre Haute, Indiana, and has an enrollment of 7,660. The Sycamores are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play their home games at Memorial Stadium (12,764).
> The Sycamores hold a 4-6 overall record and are 3-3 in MVFC action. Indiana State has been on a bit of a run lately, winning two of its last three conference games with win at home against Southern Illinois and then nationally ranked North Dakota.
> Indiana State defensive end Joey Shew was named the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week due to his efforts in the 35-31 win over No. 15 North Dakota. The Sycamore defensive end posted six tackles, 3.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, a forced fumble, and he also scored Indiana State's first points of the game courtesy of a 20-yard pick-six in a standout effort.
> Last Saturday, the Sycamores fell on the road to No. 5 South Dakota inside The DakotaDome, 49-0. South Dakota racked up 622 yards of total offense utilizing 317 yards on the ground and 322 passing yards. The Sycamores were limited to 129 yards of total offense and just five first downs in the contest.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE SYCAMORES (OCT. 14, 2023)
After an auspicious start that saw Indiana State take an early lead on an interception return for a touchdown off a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage, Illinois State rallied with 44 unanswered points as the Redbirds rolled to a 44-7 victory over the Sycamores at Hancock Stadium in front of a Homecoming crowd of over 9,000 fans. Quarterback Zack Annexstad threw four touchdown passes in the win for the Redbirds, and Mason King rushed for 74 yards and a score. Safety Keondre Jackson stepped in front of a Cade Chambers pass and returned it 30 yards for the pick six to cap off the scoring for the Redbirds.

THAT'S HOW YOU START A HALF
Holding a slim 10-3 lead at halftime, Illinois State was set to receive to begin the second half after winning the pregame coin toss and deferring its choice. After a 14-yard kickoff return by Jalen Carr brought the ball out to the 14 yard line, the Redbird offense took over looking to extend its lead. ISU did just that, as they put together a drive for the ages that last 20 plays, covered 86 yards and took 8:19 off the clock. Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse was 6-for-8 passing for 48 yards on the key drive, however the Redbirds also leaned heavily on the running game, which capped the drive with Wenkers Wright's 3-yard scoring run. The drive was also extended by six conversions for first downs, including a key one from senior Scotty Presson Jr. who made a sliding catch for a 9-yard gain on third-and-8 to move the chains.

FRESHMAN OPENING EYES
Freshman tailback Matt Lawson had his best day as a Redbird, as he helped lead ISU to a 31-9 victory at UNI. The Hoffman Estates, Illinois, native rushed for a career-high 84 yards and scored his third touchdown of the year in the win over the Panthers. Lawson averaged 5.2 yards per carry and ripped off a long run of 17 yards, as the Redbirds tallied 217 yards on the ground. His four-yard touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter put the Redbirds up 24-6 at the time and helped cement the team's third win a row. Lawson now ranks third on the team with 313 yards rushing and three scores, while averaging nearly 4.9 yards per carry.

WRIGHT BACK AT IT
Running back Wenkers Wright recorded three-straight 100-yard rushing performances during the non-conference portion of the schedule but had been held under the century mark through four MVFC games despite ranking in the top five in the conference in rushing. However, he has been able to eclipse that mark in each of the last two games for the Redbirds. Wright tallied 104 yards on just 10 carries against Youngstown State and followed that up with a 109 yard effort in a win at UNI to give him his fourth and fifth 100-plus yard rushing efforts of the season. On the season, he leads the team with 753 yards and seven scores as the Redbirds' primary tailback.

A LONG TIME COMING
When All-American linebacker Amir Abdullah was injured in Illinois State's season opener at Iowa, many feared the worst and thought the Redbirds' elite pass rusher was done for the season. Thankfully the leg injury was not season ending, but it did force Abdullah to miss seven games and eight total weeks including last week's bye before he was finally able to return to the field against Youngstown State. He wasted little in making a big impact for the Redbird defense, as he recorded six tackles and tallied 1.5 sacks with a pass breakup against the Penguins. Abdullah was also instrumental in keeping YSU quarterback Beau Brungard under wraps, as the MVFC rushing leader was held to just 22 yards on the ground on the day with Abdullah often spying him or flushing him from the pocket.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
Three times in 2023, the Redbirds offense eclipsed 500 yards or more of total offense in a resurgent year on that side of the football. Through eight games in 2024, the Redbirds have eclipsed that mark twice with four games to play. However, ISU's offensive output at Murray State was one for the record books with 633 yards of total offense, the fifth highest mark in school history. It was a balanced effort for the Redbirds, with 386 yards passing and 247 yards rushing as attempts were split at 40 and 42, respectively. Illinois State's 633 yards of total offense just moved past the 632 yards recorded at Northern Iowa on October 10, 1998, to crack the top five all time, and it marked the first 600-plus yard effort for ISU since Nov. 22, 2014, when the Redbirds put up 604 at Southern Illinois. It is also the most total yards for a Brock Spack led team, topping the previous high of 622 set on Sept. 6, 2014, in a win over Mississippi Valley State.

RITTENHOUSE, LOYD EARN MVFC HONORS
The Illinois State football team picked up a crucial road win headed into a bye week at Murray State on Saturday, and a pair of offensive standouts for the Redbirds garnered attention as quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week and transfer wide receiver Xavier Loyd has been tabbed the MVFC Newcomer of the Week for their performances against the Racers. Rittenhouse had the best game of his career against Murray State, as he accumulated 475 yards of total offense and accounted for three touchdowns in Illinois State's 40-32 road victory. Loyd had his best receiving performance as a Redbird in the win over the Racers, as he averaged 29.6 yards per catch and finished the game with five grabs for a career-best 148 yards. 

SPACK CLIMBING THE RANKS
Now in his 16th season at the helm of the Illinois State football program, Brock Spack has set nearly every coaching record in program history and hit another milestone against Missouri State in 2023. Already Illinois State's program wins record holder, Spack picked up the 100th win of his career in the Redbirds' thrilling 36-35 victory over the Bears to become just the fourth coach in MVFC history to reach 100 wins at a member school. Since that time, he's moved his career mark to 108-73 (.596), with his most recent victory coming at home against Youngstown State. That gave Spack his 67th win in MVFC play, which puts him in sole possession of third place all-time in league victories ahead of former UNI and Missouri State head coach Terry Allen.