SIU's Phil Goforth (Benet Academy) and Brandon Smith (Waubonsie Valley) and ISU's Nick and Dan Passarelli (Central) and Dan Simnick (North) are all from Naperville, Ill.
No Cupcakes on Homecoming
So much for scheduling "W's" on Homecoming. Since 1995, the Redbirds have faced eight ranked teams in the last 11 Homecoming games. The three games against non-ranked foes all resulted in ISU wins, while the 'Birds own a 2-6 record in the other eight contests.
Run Rembert Run
That has been the offensive philosophy to date in 2006. With 145 carries in the first five games, senior running back Pierre Rembert has accounted for 71 percent of ISU's rushing attempts this season. An integral part of the ball-control offense, Rembert is averaging 29 carries per game and is on pace to finish with 319 during the regular season - the second highest total in ISU history.
29 and Counting
With a catch in tonight's game, Illinois State wide receiver Laurént Robinson will extend his streak of having at least one catch to 230 straight games. The grab will claim the school record, currently shared by Robinson and Vito Golson.
Getting Your Picks On Route 66
With Hancock Stadium located just off nostalgic Route 66, the Redbird defense has been getting their kicks in 2006. Through five games, the `Birds have intercepted nine passes, which is tied for the fourth-best team total in Division I-AA. The kicker is that the Redbirds are only one interception away from matching last season's total of 10. In addition, the 'Birds are averaging 1.8 picks per game, which would put them on pace for 20 interceptions, the most since 1989.
Rembert Running with Regularity
Five games into the 2006 season. Five 100-yard rushing games for Illinois State running back Pierre Rembert. By rushing for 100+ yards in every game this season, Rembert has compiled the longest such streak in ISU history, bettering four straight 100-yard rushing games by Quincy Washington, Willie Watts and Toby Davis.
Home Sweet Home
Illinois State officials are expecting a huge crowd for Saturday's Gateway Football Conference showdown against Southern Illinois. Temporary bleachers are being brought into the north end of Hancock Stadium and the crowd is estimated to be larger than 15,000.
Traveling No Problem for the 'Birds
With last weekend's win at Western Kentucky, the Redbirds have won three straight conference road games dating back to 2005. The streak started against this week's opponent, Southern Illinois, who the 'Birds defeated in Carbondale 61-35 on October 15 when they were ranked No. 1 in the country in I-AA. ISU then went on to defeat Missouri State 48-23 on November 5. With the three straight wins, it marks the first time ISU has done that since 1999, when they defeated Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Youngstown State in succession on the road.
Coming Through In the Clutch
Fullback Garin Harcar has just two catches for five yards in 2006, however both have been big catches for the Illinois State offense. The first came against Eastern Illinois, when Harcar hauled in a 4-yard catch on fourth down to set up an ISU touchdown in the fourth quarter. The second came last week at Western Kentucky, when he caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Luke Drone to put the Redbirds up 14-13 heading into halftime.
Gaining Yards When It Counts
Success on third down is key to any football team's success, and ISU is playing well when facing fourth down this year. In all, the 'Birds have converted on third down 51 percent of the time (37-for-1. North Dakota State 73) in 2006. Adding to that, on fourth down the Redbirds are 4-of-7 in conversion attempts, good for a 57 percent success rate.
Drone Feeling Little Pressure
Luke Drone has had plenty of time to throw the ball this year and has managed to keep his uniform somewhat clean along the way. That is due to his re-built offensive line, as the group is only giving up 0.8 sacks per game, which ranks No. 8 in I-AA. Their performance has also allowed the rest of the Redbird offense average 378.4 yards of total offense per game, which ranks ISU No. 19 nationally in that category.
Airing It Out
The explosive Redbird passing offense is at it again in 2006. After leading the conference in passing offense with 268.7 yards per game in 2005, ISU is once again leading the way in 2006. Through five games, the 'Birds are averaging 226.4 yards per game through the air and quarterback Luke Drone leads the conference in passing yards per game, with that same 226.4 mark.
State School Showdown
Today's matchup between in-state rivals Illinois State and Southern Illinois also pits two of the Gateway Football Conference's statistical leaders against each other. ISU and SIU are ranked No. 1 and 2 in five separate Gateway team categories including: rushing defense, total defense, opponent 4th down conversion percentage, sacks against and PAT conversion percentage. The teams also rank in the top three in the Gateway in scoring defense, total offense, pass defense efficiency, opponent first downs, sacks, and red zone defense. Lastly, the showdown will showcase the top two running backs in the conference, with SIU's Arkee Whitlock averaging 136.6 yards per game and ISU's Pierre Rembert trailing him it No. 2 with 135.0 yards per game.
Mr. Efficiency
In his two seasons as the Redbird starting signal caller, Luke Drone has quickly become one of the most efficient quarterbacks in ISU history. Drone currently leads all quarterbacks since 1970 in career completion percentage (62.2), pass efficiency (150.5), average yards per pass (8.6) and average yards per completion (13.9).
Action Jackson
Despite having all-American wide receiver Laurént Robinson hobbled with an ankle injury, senior Pierre Jackson emerged as an alternative deep threat for the Redbirds. "Jelly" notched two consecutive games with 100 yards or more receiving and leads the team with 23 catches for 411 yards. He has also added three touchdowns.
Moving on Up
In just his second season as a starter, Luke Drone is starting to creep up the charts in the ISU record book. With 4,072 career passing yards, Drone only needs 307 yards to surpass Dusty Burk (1999-01), who passed for 4,378 yards during his Redbird career, and move into sole possession of the No. 3 spot on the all-time ISU passing list.
In the Zone
The efficiency the Redbirds have shown in the Red-Zone this season rings like a Hawk Harrelson home run call - "you can put it on the board." Through five games, the 'Birds are 16-for-18 in the Red-Zone with 11 touchdowns and five field goals for an 89 percent success rate and 61 percent on Red-Zone touchdowns. ISU opponents haven't been in the zone as often, nor have had the success. Redbird foes are 7-for-11 inside the Red-Zone with two touchdowns and five field goals.
No Running Allowed
It appears the Redbirds have taken a lifeguard approach to the defense this season - no running. In five games, the Redbirds have held three teams to under 100 yards rushing and two to under 50. The Redbird defense is allowing a conference-best 98.8 rushing yards per game and ranks No.14 nationally in that category.
Dismissing Defensive Deficiencies
Up until the game at Western Kentucky the Redbird defense had been solid, but the Hilltoppers racked up 465 yards of total offense last Saturday - the most yards allowed by the Redbirds since Western Illinois collected 504 yards in 2005. As a result, the Redbirds rank No. 8 in the Gateway Football Conference in passing defense, but are still No. 2 in total defense.
Fourth and Futile
It hasn't been easy converting on fourth down against the Redbirds in 2006. Through five games, ISU opponents are 3-for-9 when "going for it" on fourth down for a 33.3 percent success rate. In fact, opponents haven't had much more success on third down. Redbird foes are 29-for-69 on third down, or 42 percent.
Gunnin' 'em Down
Cameron Siskowic is showing why he was named a Buck Buchanan Award watch list member in 2006, as the senior linebacker has recorded 59 tackles in five games. Not only does his total lead the Gateway Football Conference, but he also ranks No. 5 nationally in that category. With a career-high 22 tackles against No. 18 Eastern Illinois earlier in the season, Siskowic has also recorded 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble on the season.
Making Mazur
Kevin Mazur is off to a hot start in 2006, as the sophomore placekicker is 6-of-8 in field goal attempts and 16-for-16 in PAT conversions, good for 34 points, which is second on the team. His 1.2 field goals per game rank him 17th in I-AA footbal for that category, and he is also making a bid in the ISU record book. Mazur has now made 71.4 percent (15-of-21) of his career field goal attempts, which is just behind school record holder Stephen Carroll's success rate at 71.6 percent.
Applying the Full Nelson
That's exactly what sophomore free safety Tom Nelson has been doing to opposing quarterbacks this season, as he has picked off three passes in the first five games, the first three interceptions of his career. He picked off two of Dylan Meier's attempts down field at Kansas State and snagged a Robbie Park offering in the third quarter against Central Arkansas. Nelson ranks tied for 13th in I-AA football with an average of .60 interceptions per game.
Rembert's Rave Reviews
Through five games, his first as ISU's featured running back, Pierre Rembert has gotten two thumbs up. With 135 rushing yards per game, Rembert ranks No. 5 nationally among running backs. He is on pace to finish the regular season with 1,485 yards on the season, which would rank as the second highest total in Redbird history.
Drone: A Worker QB
Junior Luke Drone is working the Redbird offense despite all the interchangeable pieces early in the season due to injury. The Redbird offense ranks No. 19 in the national rankings with 378 yards per game. The passing offense is No. 21 nationally (226.4 ypg.), while Drone is No. 18, individually, in total offense with 225.4 yards per game.
The Sisko Kid Looks for the Fifth
When Brent Hawkins claimed the 2005 Gateway Defensive Player of the Year award, it marked the fourth straight by a Redbird player and tied the league record for consecutive league MVPs with Northern Iowa (1991-94). Cameron Siskowic hopes to extend that ISU streak. The senior linebacker was a finalist for the 2005 Buck Buchanan Award and is a candidate again this year.
All-America U
ISU has produced at least one all-American player in 20 of its last 23 seasons. Over the last seven seasons, 27 players from 11 different positions have been honored. Laurént Robinson, Brent Hawkins, Stafford Davis and Cameron Siskowic were all consensus selections in 2005.
Notable Newcomers
Since the Gateway began recognizing an all-newcomer team in 1994, over 42 Redbirds have been cited for achievement in their first season. In 2005, running back Pierre Rembert and defensive back Tom Nelson added their names to the list.
Transferable
Since 1993, when the NCAA rules changed to allow players immediate eligibility at the I-AA level, Illinois State has had 44 players transfer from I-A schools. ISU's I-A transfers on this year's roster include: Alan Abrams (RB, Ole Miss); Adam Blankenship (DL, Nebraska); Pierre Jackson (WR, Minnesota); Brandon Joyce (OL, Indiana); Dan Passarelli (WR, Northern Illinois); Pierre Rembert (RB, Michigan); Cameron Siskowic (LB, Washington St.); Jonathan St-Pierre (OL, Miami (Fla.)) and James Stevenson III (DL, Illinois).
Cross That off the List
Both Cameron Siskowic and Leon Kittrell are in their final seasons at Illinois State, but entering the game at Murray State the duo played a combined 63 games in a Redbird uniform without an interception. But, that all changed on Sept. 23. Both Siskowic and Kittrell picked off Murray State quarterback Zach Barnard and recorded the first interceptions of their ISU careers.
Turnover Turnaround
In 2004, the Redbirds ranked dead last (117) in turnover margin (-1.91) nationally among I-AA teams. ISU turned the tide in 2005 and finished with 23rd best turnover margin in the country (+.55). The actual result was a difference of +27 turnovers between the two seasons. The Redbirds are continuing their recent trend and rank tied for No. 21 this season with a +4 turnover ratio in 2006.
Another One Bites the Dust
With the 44-30 victory over No. 18 Eastern Illinois, the Redbirds have now beaten at least one ranked foe in nine of the last 10 seasons. Dating back to last season, the 'Birds have won three straight games against ranked foes, including a 61-35 victory at then-No. 1 ranked Southern Illinois.
Men of Honor
The Redbird football team concluded the spring semester with 35 players on the AFNI Athletics Honor Roll, a new team record. The Redbirds also compiled a 2.68 grade point average for the semester, which was the highest team GPA by the football team in over a decade.
Back-To-Back Trifectas
With the Redbirds' 35-14 win at Murray State, the 'Birds posted three non-conference victories for a second straight season. It marked the first time the Redbirds have accomplished the feat since the 1998 and 1999 campaigns, which were Illinois State's two previous NCAA I-AA Playoff appearances.
40 Days and 40 Nights
Actually it is a little less than 67 days - that's how many straight 24-hour days a person would have to work to equal the 1,595 community service hours that the Illinois State football team put in last academic year. Typically, the goal for the entire athletic department is 1,000, but the Redbird gridders put in 1,595 hours themselves.
Somebody's Watching
On Aug. 23, Cameron Siskowic was put on watch. Siskowic was added to the 2006 Buck Buchanan Award watch list after finishing as a finalist last season as one of the nation's top I-AA defensive players. Senior wide receiver Laurént Robinson began the 2006 campaign on the Walter Payton Award list, but due to limited action with his high-ankle sprain, Robinson was removed from the watch list on Oct. 11.
Love 'Birds
Prior to the start of fall camp, senior offensive lineman Janiah Downing proposed to his girlfriend, Illinois State volleyball player Lindley McDavid. The proposal was accepted and continued a string of Redbird football-volleyball romances. In July a pair of recent graduates, former Redbird fullback Kevin Kreger and former setter Kelly Rikli, were married, while ISU offensive coordinator Justin Fuente and his wife, Jenny, the Redbirds' assistant head volleyball coach, celebrated their first wedding anniversary.
Band of Brothers
The 2006 Illinois State roster sports three sets of brothers. The Redbird family includes Cameron and Kyle Siskowic, Rafael and Cortes Rice and Dan and Nick Passarelli.
