NORMAL, Ill. – A home-and-home series with Big Sky Conference foe Northern Arizona will begin in 2017, with the first game in the series completing next year's Redbird football season schedule. The series was announced Tuesday, prior to head coach Brock Spack's weekly press conference.
The game against Northern Arizona, which will take place on the road October 7, 2017, will be the first for the Redbirds against the Lumberjacks. NAU will return the favor and play the Redbirds at Hancock Stadium Sept. 21, 2019. Illinois State has compiled a 3-3 record against current members of the Big Sky Conference, with the most recent opponent being Eastern Washington in the 2014 FCS playoff quarterfinals. The Redbirds are 2-1 against EWU, but have also faced Southern Utah (1-1) and North Dakota (0-1) in years past.
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Date
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Opponent
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Location
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Time
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9/2/17
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Butler
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Normal, Ill.
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TBA
|
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9/16/17
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at Eastern Illinois
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Charleston, Ill.
|
TBA
|
|
9/23/17
|
at Missouri State*
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Springfield, Mo.
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TBA
|
|
9/30/17
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Indiana State*
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Normal, Ill.
|
TBA
|
|
10/7/17
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at Northern Arizona
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Flagstaff, Ariz.
|
TBA
|
|
10/14/17
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at Southern Illinois*
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Carbondale, Ill.
|
TBA
|
|
10/21/17
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South Dakota*
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Normal, Ill.
|
TBA
|
|
10/28/17
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at Youngstown State*
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Youngstown, Ohio
|
TBA
|
|
11/4/17
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Western Illinois*
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Normal, Ill.
|
TBA
|
|
11/11/17
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at South Dakota State*
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Brookings, S.D.
|
TBA
|
|
11/18/17
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North Dakota State*
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Normal, Ill.
|
TBA
|
"The football scheduling landscape continues to be a challenge, but Senior Associate Athletics Directory Peyton Deterding worked diligently to find a good outcome," ISU Director of Athletics Larry Lyons said. "He identified a possible scenario that required assistance from Missouri State to make it happen. I want to thank Missouri State Athletics Director Kyle Moats and the Bears for their collegiality in moving a conference game date to make this Northern Arizona contract become a reality. We are pleased to have a strong home-and-home series with a Big Sky opponent that completes the 2017 schedule, but also fills a date in 2019."
NAU was picked to win the Big Sky in 2016 by both league coaches and media, and made its last FCS playoff appearance in 2013, when it drew South Dakota State in the first round. The Lumberjacks are led by head coach Jerome Souers, who is in his 19th season, and is the Big Sky's all-time winningest coach with 74 conference wins. NAU is led on offense by reigning FCS STATS National Freshman Player of the Year in quarterback Case Cookus, who also finished fifth in offensive player of the year voting last year behind Illinois State's Marshaun Coprich's third-place finish
The 2017 season opener will take place Saturday, Sept. 2, when the Redbirds host Butler from the Pioneer League. After a bye week, the Redbirds will then travel to face Eastern Illinois in the 106th meeting of the Mid-America Classic, which is set to be played Sept. 16 at O'Brien Field in Charleston, Illinois. The game will continue the oldest FCS football rivalry in Illinois and the 13th-oldest at the FCS level, with the Redbirds leading the all-time series 54-42-9.Â
ISU will then begin MVFC play with a Sept. 23 contest at Missouri State, followed by a home game against Indiana State Sept. 30. The road game at NAU in the Walkup Skydome will follow Oct. 7, with a road contest at Southern Illinois to take place the following week on Oct. 14. The 2017 Homecoming game against South Dakota will take place Oct. 21, and will be followed by a trip to Youngstown State Oct. 28 to end the month.
The Redbirds will play two of their final three games at home, beginning Nov. 4 against Western Illinois and ending Nov. 18, when ISU hosts the Bison from North Dakota State. A road contest at South Dakota State Nov. 11 will round out the 2017 slate for the Redbirds.
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