Aug. 17, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
Head coach Denver Johnson and the Illinois State football team finalized the 2008 schedule Friday with the addition of Marshall, from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The Redbirds will travel to Huntington, W. Va., for the first time since 1983, to open the season on Aug. 30 at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
"I'm excited about the game," Johnson said. "It's a team that we haven't played in a while, it's in a different part of the country that we haven't ventured to and Marshall is a program of notoriety. They have had some tragic history and are a success story with the recent rise to FBS football. I'm excited about going to Marshall and playing the Thundering Herd."
In addition to signing a single-game contract with Marshall, the Gateway Football Conference also released the league schedules for the 2008 and 2009 seasons, which are subject to change.
Illinois State's game against the Thundering Herd will be the fifth in the series, with Marshall owning a 3-1 edge. All four previous meetings occurred while Marshall was competing at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. ISU's lone win in the series on Sept. 10, 1983, the Redbirds' last trip to Huntington, when the `Birds posted a 22-3 win. The victory was the 300th in ISU history, and Edroy Yancey claimed a share of the school record with a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Including the Marshall game, the Redbirds will play four of their first five games on the road to start the 2008 campaign. After a road game at Murray State, ISU will host Eastern Illinois on Sept. 20, before opening league play at Indiana State and Northern Iowa.
ISU will end October with a three-game home stand, hosting Missouri State, North Dakota State and Youngstown State. After road contests at South Dakota State and Western Illinois, the Redbirds will finish the regular season at home against Southern Illinois.
"Both North Dakota State and South Dakota State are great additions to the league," Johnson said. "We welcome them to the league and we are certainly not afraid of competition. If we were, we wouldn't be in this business and certainly wouldn't be in the Gateway to begin with. I think we take a lot of pride in our institution and our program, and we also take a lot of pride in the league in which we participate and in which we compete. Any time we enhance the strength and image of our league, we enhance the image and strength of our program."
Illinois State still has two games to schedule for the 2009 season, with Illinois being the only non-conference team currently on the slate.
2008 Schedule
2009 Schedule
