NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State Athletics Department finalized its 2010 football schedule with the addition of Central Missouri to the home slate, which will give the Redbirds six home games at Hancock Stadium for the first time since 2005.
"Having six home games next season will benefit everyone involved with this program," head coach Brock Spack said. "It's great for the players, students, fans and also for the community as a whole. The extra revenue gained from those games is good for the city and we look forward to putting a quality product out on the field."
The season-opener between Illinois State and Central Missouri will the fifth game in history between the two schools. The Redbirds and the Mules met four times between 1967-71, with each team winning two contests. Illinois State won the last meeting 18-14 on Sept. 18, 1971, in Normal. A NCAA Division II member, Central Missouri competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).
The Redbirds will then shift their focus to NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Big Ten Conference member Northwestern (Sept. 11). The match up against the Wildcats in Evanston, Ill., will mark the 16th-straight season in which ISU has faced a FBS opponent.
"It's great to be able to play another quality in-state opponent in Northwestern next year," Spack said. "The FBS opponents are always tough to play, but it helps a bit when we can stay closer to home and have our friends, family and friends come out to support us. It looks like this will be our last game against an FBS opponent for a while, so that makes the game that more exciting."
After opening Missouri Valley Football Conference play on the road at South Dakota State (Sept. 18), ISU will return home for back-to-back games against Missouri State (Sept. 25) and Southern Illinois (Oct. 2). The `Birds will then travel to Terre Haute, Ind., to face Indiana State (Oct. 9) before coming back to Hancock Stadium for Homecoming against North Dakota State (Oct. 16).
The Redbirds will wrap up the month of October with road contests at Northern Iowa (Oct. 23) and Western Illinois (Oct. 30). ISU will then round out the season with home contests against Youngstown State on Family Day (Nov. 6) and against Eastern Illinois (Nov. 13) on Senior Day.
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