PLAYER TO WATCH
Sophomore running back Cliffton Gordon rushed for 96 yards on 17 carries and rambled for four touchdowns against Austin Peay in last Saturday's home-opening win for the Redbirds. All three of those marks set new career highs for Gordon and his performance against the Governors earned him MVFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
THE GAME
Illinois State will wrap up a two-game homestand Saturday when it opens Missouri Valley Football Conference play against South Dakota State at Hancock Stadium. The Redbirds are coming off their first win of the season, a 38-7 win over Austin Peay, and will be looking to even their season record. The Jackrabbits are undefeated so far in 2009, with home wins against Georgia Southern (44-6) and Indiana State (41-0).
THE SERIES
The Redbirds and the Jackrabbits have only met once on the gridiron. ISU was upended by a powerful SDSU offense, as the Jackrabbits defeated the Redbirds, 52-21, at a chilly Coughlin-Alumni Stadium on Nov. 8, 2008. South Dakota State quarterback Ryan Berry threw seven touchdown passes in the game.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his first season as the head coach of the Illinois State Redbirds (1-2). Prior to taking over the program at ISU, Spack spent 12 seasons as the defensive coordinator at Purdue, where he guided the Boilermakers to the top-ranked defense in the Big Ten Conference in 2002 and the 13th-best defense in the nation in 2003. He coached in 11 bowl games while at Purdue, including a Rose Bowl appearance in 2001.
South Dakota State: John Stiegelmeier (South Dakota State, 1979) is in his 13th season as the head coach at his alma mater (77-56). SDSU has posted seven consecutive winning seasons, including the school's first five campaigns at the FCS level, and have posted a winning record in 10 of Stiegelmeier's 12 years as head coach, including five with seven or more victories.
THE PROGRAM
Illinois State was home to the Missouri Valley Football Conference's Defensive Player of the Year each season from 2002-06. The Redbirds had at least one player selected in the NFL Draft each year from 2005-07. In each of the past four years, ISU student-athletes have contributed more than 2,000 hours of community service to the Bloomington-Normal area. Redbird student-athletes posted a school-record 3.13 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) during the spring 2009 semester.
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
•South Dakota State is located in Brookings, S.D., and has an enrollment of 11,995. The Jackrabbits compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
•The Jackrabbits return 42 lettermen and 16 starters from last year's team that finished the season with a 7-5 overall record and a 6-2 mark in MVFC play (3rd).
•SDSU is led on offense by junior running back Kyle Minett, who has rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns in the team's two games this season. On the other side of the ball, senior defensive lineman Danny Batten and junior linebacker Derek Domino are players to watch for. Domino leads the team with 15 tackles and a sack, with Batten (a preseason All-America selection) right behind with 13 stops and a team-leading 3.5 TFLs.
•The Jackrabbits are off to a 2-0 start, with wins at home against perennial powerhouse Georgia Southern (44-6) and MVFC foe Indiana State (41-0). In those two victories, South Dakota State did not allow a touchdown and the Jacks held Indiana State to just 90 yards of total offense.
TIES WITH THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
•South Dakota State head coach John Stiegelmeier was a graduate assistant coach at Missouri Valley Football Conference member Northern Iowa in 1981.
•Nathan Moe, head strength and conditioning coach at South Dakota State, formerly directed the strength and conditioning program at Eastern Illinois, a longtime rival of Illinois State.
•Moe shares another common bond with Illinois State in that he graduated from the same university (Minnesota State-Moorhead) that current Redbird wide receiver Eyad Salem began his collegiate career at. Moe graduated from MSU-Moorhead in 1997, while Salem attended the university in 2005.
CLIFF'S NOTES
Illinois State sophomore running back Cliffton Gordon ran for the first touchdown of his career in the Redbirds 38-7 win over Austin Peay on Saturday (Sept. 19), but he didn't stop there. Gordon added three more scores to tie the Hancock Stadium record with four total rushing touchdowns. Gordon rushed for 96 yards on 17 carries, both also career highs. Gordon's four touchdowns on the ground were the most by an ISU back since 2005, when Brian Thompson rushed for four scores in an upset win over No. 1 ranked Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill. The quartet of touchdowns rank as the third-best performance in a game by a Redbird runner in school history.
GORDON EARNS MVFC OFFENSIVE WEEKLY HONOR
After rushing for four touchdowns and nearly 100 yards, Cliffton Gordon was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week by the league office Sunday. The Chicago Heights, Ill., native rushed for 96 yards on 17 carries and rambled for four touchdowns against the Governors in the home-opening win for the Redbirds. The award is the first for a Redbird player this season and the first for Gordon in his career. Waylon Richardet of Missouri State and Todd Speight of Western Illinois earned the league's Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week awards, respectively, to round out the honors.
TAKEAWAY ARTISTS
The turnover drought in Normal, Ill., seems to be over. Illinois State picked off four passes in Saturday's 38-7 win over Austin Peay. The single game total surpassed the entire 2008 season mark, when the Redbirds intercepted just three passes. ISU has six picks through three games, led by E.J. Jones' three interceptions. The three picks are the first of the junior cornerback's career. This year's Redbirds are coached by an entirely new defensive staff including defensive coordinator Phil Elmassian who combines with defensive backs coach Lamar Conard to lead the secondary. Elmassian brings more than 35 years of coaching experience to the Redbird sidelines.
SPREADING THE RED
Illinois State's new quarterback Matt Brown is doing everything he can to make sure all his receivers are happy. The redshirt freshman, who took over for injured starter Drew Kiel, completed passes to nine different receivers in Illinois State's 38-7 win over Austin Peay. Brown was also able to distribute the ball to nine different receivers at Illinois during the previous week (Sept. 12). More than likely, it's Illinois State's new spread offense, as the Redbirds completed passes to seven different receivers at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 3). In each of the first two contests the top-three targets each snagged five or more passes. The Redbirds completed passes to seven or more different receivers three times last season, but never had an equal distribution at the top. The last time Illinois State completed five or more passes to three different receivers in a single game was Oct. 29, 2005 against Western Illinois in Hancock Stadium. In that game, Jason Horton and Laurent Robinson each had six catches and Pierre Jackson had five.
COMING THROUGH IN THE `KUTCH'
Senior place kicker Zach Kutch set a new career long with a 48-yard field goal in the third quarter of Illinois State's 38-7 win over Austin Peay (Sept. 19). Kutch set his previous career high the week before - a 45-yarder at Illinois (Sept. 12). Kutch is 2-for-3 on field goal tries in 2009, all coming from 45 yards or longer. The Milton, Fla., native is 5-for-7 (.714) on field goal tries in two seasons as a Redbird after transferring from Auburn.
THE FIRST OF MANY
True freshman wide receiver Tyrone Walker caught the first touchdown of his career in the first quarter of Illinois State's 38-7 win over Austin Peay last weekend. The eight-yard connection from Matt Brown gave the Redbirds a 7-0 advantage over the Governors and also gave ISU its first lead of the season overall. The Indianapolis, Ind., native has quickly become one of Brown's favorite targets, as he currently ranks third on the team with 10 receptions for 87 yards.
PUTTING EARLY POINTS ON THE BOARD
Illinois State hadn't scored in the first half all season before hanging 21 points on Austin Peay before the break of Saturday's, 38-7, win (Sept. 19). Still, opponents hold a 45-21 points edge in the first half. The numbers get better after the break, when the Redbirds have out-scored opponents 26-14 in the third quarter, including a 10-7 margin in the loss on the road to Illinois (Sept. 12). The `Birds have out-scored opponents 40-38 in the second half overall.
IN THE RED ZONE
The Redbirds have made nine trips to the red zone in three games and have converted on eight for an 88.9 percent success rate. All eight scores were touchdowns. An interception thrown late in the game at Illinois is the only thing keeping Illinois State from being perfect when moving the ball inside the 20.
SALEM'S LOT
Eyad Salem continues his climb up the Redbird leader boards. Salem moved into a tie for seventh place all-time with 112 career receptions, after hauling in six passes for 53 yards against Austin Peay (Sept. 19). He caught two touchdown passes at Illinois (Sept. 12) to move him into fifth place all-time with 14 career touchdown catches.
TOUCHDOWN SAVERS
The Illinois State secondary helped keep points off the board with interceptions in the end zone in back-to-back games to start the season. Junior cornerback EJ Jones saved a touchdown with an interception at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 3) and senior corner back Chris Garrett ran under an errant Eddie McGee pass in the end zone at Illinois (Sept. 12). The interceptions were the first of each player's career.
NOT BAD FOR A FIRST TIMER
Despite being the first Redbird signal caller since 1999 to start as a freshman, Matt Brown completed 27-of-45 pass attempts and threw for 312 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Illinois State's 45-17 loss to Illinois. Brown's mark was the first over 300 for an Illinois State quarterback since Luke Drone threw for 305 yards against Missouri State, Nov. 4, 2006, and the most passing yards since Drone torched Indiana State for 440 yards Nov. 12, 2005.
HEMPHILL'S SAFETY NET
Kelvyn Hemphill, a 2008 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Honorable Mention selection, didn't make a tackle in Illinois State's season-opening loss to Eastern Illinois, but the junior safety recorded a team-best 14 tackles against Illinois. Hemphill proved to be a pest to Illinois' Eddie McGee, bringing down the quarterback twice in the backfield for both his tackles-for-loss. Hemphill sacked McGee for an eight-yard loss on third down to force a field goal in the second quarter and dropped McGee behind the line on a run play during the next drive.
SHINEY SIDE UP
Illinois State captains Doni Phelps and Drew Kiel have been fairly successful in their three chances with the coin toss this season. The duo picked right at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 3) and deferred to the second half, then won the toss again with Matt Brown in the pregame meeting and elected to receive at Illinois (Sept. 12). All three were on hand for the coin toss against Austin Peay, which the Redbirds lost. Two out of three isn't bad.
HOT TICKET
The announced attendance at Memorial Stadium for the Illinois State-Illinois match-up was 62,347, making it the largest crowd the Redbirds have ever played in front of. The previous mark was also set at Memorial Stadium when the Redbirds took on the Illini in front of 56,304 fans Sept. 6, 2003.
KIEL'S COMPLETE EFFORT
Illinois State quarterback Drew Kiel completed his first 15 pass attempts en route to a 20-for-22 effort in the season opening loss at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 3). Kiel's .909 percent completion percentage was the best ever by a Redbird quarterback in a single game with more than 20 attempts. The mark surpassed Dusty Burk's 31-of-37 effort against Hofstra (Dec. 4) in the quarterfinals of the 1999 FCS Playoffs. The 15 consecutive pass completions tied Youngstown State's Tom Zetts (vs. WKU in 2004) for the fifth-longest streak all-time by a Valley quarterback.
KIEL OUT AT LEAST SIX WEEKS AFTER SURGERY
Sophomore quarterback Drew Kiel had surgery to repair a torn ligament on his right thumb Wednesday, Sept. 9. Recovery time will be at least six weeks for the Redbird signal-caller. An MRI done after the Eastern Illinois game revealed a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the thumb on Kiel's throwing hand. The Columbus, Ind., native suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of ISU's season-opening loss at Eastern Illinois on Sept. 3.
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
The injury to Drew Kiel presents an obvious challenge for the Redbirds, but it also presents a tremendous opportunity for redshirt freshman Matt Brown. Prior Brown's start at Illinois (Sept. 12), the Redbirds hadn't started a freshman quarterback since the 1999 season when Dusty Burk took over for injured starter Kevin Glenn. Burk earned Valley freshman of the year honors after leading Illinois State to the conference title, then the Redbirds' first playoff and road playoff wins. Burk's Cinderella story ended in the semi-final round of the playoffs when the Redbirds fell to eventual national champion Georgia Southern. Will the slipper fit for Brown?
RUNNING LOW
The Redbirds were limited to 20 yards rushing in the season-opening loss to Eastern Illinois (Sept. 3). That mark was the team's lowest since being held to minus six yards at Youngstown State Oct. 20, 2001.
GETTING MALCOLM STARTED
Illinois State safety Jermaine Malcolm has made the most of limited starting opportunities as a Redbird. The junior started just his second contest at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 3), but notched a career-high and team-best 10 stops. Malcolm had three solo tackles and seven assists. Malcolm chipped in six more tackles at Illinois (Sept. 12) and five against Austin Peay (Sept. 19). His previous career high in tackles was eight, set in his only other career start last season at Western Illinois. Malcolm also intercepted the first pass of his career against the Governors.
CLINE SHINES
It took two plays for sophomore tight end Casey Cline to go from No. 2 on the depth chart to Drew Kiel's favorite target. When Illinois State starter Cody White went down after a 15-yard catch on the `Birds second play from scrimmage at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 3), Cline entered the contest and caught a team-high six passes for 69 yards. The catches were the first of Cline's career. The Gibson City, Ill., native appeared in six games last season and logged two tackles on special teams.
THE X-FACTOR
Xzavier Stewart didn't take long to make his presence known on the Illinois State defensive line. The junior transfer from Kansas State who joined the Redbirds after fall camp, notched three tackles, including a tackle-for-loss upon entering the Eastern Illinois game (Sept. 2) as a reserve in the third quarter. The 6-foot-1, 315-pounder brought down Eastern Illinois running back Mon Williams for a three-yard loss to record his first tackle at ISU. Stewart had posted three tackles in each of the previous two seasons at Kansas State.
VIVA LAS RIVAS
Junior defensive tackle Dave Rivas collected a career-high with two tackles-for-loss at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 3). Rivas helped shut down the Panthers' first drive by dropping Mon Williams in the back field for a four-yard loss, and stuffed another run in the third quarter. He finished the contest with five total tackles, another career-high.
FIRST CATCHES, TD FOR GRAVES
The Redbirds found the end zone for the first time in the second half against Eastern Illinois (Sept. 3), partly because of sophomore wide receiver Ben Graves. Graves hauled in the first five passes of his career, all in the second half. He caught two passes on the Redbirds' only scoring drive of the game, including a three-yard strike from Drew Kiel for his first career touchdown reception. Graves added six more catches at Illinois (Sept. 12) and four more grabs against Austin Peay (Sept. 19) to rank second on the team with 15 receptions.
WHO ARE THOSE GUYS?
Fans used to seeing ISU player names on the back of the uniforms may have to rely more on their game program this year, as the names were removed from the newly-designed Nike jerseys. Head coach Brock Spack wanted his team to play for the name on the front of the jersey that says "Redbirds" instead of the ones on the back.
THREES COMPANY
Despite being picked eighth in the 2009 Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll, the league's coaches, media and sports information directors thought enough of the Redbirds to place three players on the preseason all-conference team. Senior wide receiver Eyad Salem, senior running back Geno Blow and junior defensive back Kelvyn Hemphill were all honored as first-team selections in the annual vote.
ALL-AMERICA U
ISU has produced at least one all-American player in 22 of its last 26 seasons. Over the last eight seasons, 30 players from 12 different positions have been honored. Former linebacker and current Saskatchewan Roughrider, Kye Stewart, was the last Redbird to earn All-America honors in 2007 when he was honored by The Sports Network and the Walter Camp Foundation. That number may go up this season, as senior wide receiver Eyad Salem received 2009 Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) preseason All-America recognition from Consensus Draft Services.
GIMMIE A I-A ... ER, FBS
With the Sept. 12 trip to Illinois, Illinois State has played a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent in 15-consecutive seasons. The last time the 'Birds didn't schedule an FBS game was in 1994. The game with the Illini also marked the first of two-consecutive games against the Big Ten Conference. ISU will play at Northwestern in 2010.
FBS WOES
Northern Iowa proved it wasn't a slouch on opening weekend with a near upset at Iowa and Illinois State came within a point of knocking off Kansas State to kick off the 2006 season, but FBS opponents have historically given the Redbirds fits. Including this season's 45-17 loss to Illinois (Sept. 12), Illinois State is 3-31 all-time against FBS opponents, with the team's last win coming against Akron (25-3) on Sept. 14, 1991. The Redbirds also have wins against Western Michigan (Sept. 12, 1987) and Eastern Michigan (Sept. 19, 1981). Part of the imbalance is the number of scholarships awarded. FBS schools can give 85 full scholarships, while FCS squads are allowed 63 scholarships.
AGAINST RANKED FOES
The Redbirds are 26-65-1 against ranked opponents. Saturday's meeting with the No. 17 Jackrabbits marks the 93rd meeting with a ranked foe. The Redbirds last victory over a top-25 team at No. 12 Youngstown State (Oct. 20, 2007), 27-22. Illinois State's last two games against ranked opponents both went to overtime.
CATCHING ON
Jason Horton, a former Illinois State wide receiver, signed a professional contract for the 2010 season with the Danube Dragons last week. The Dragons are located in Vienna, Austria and play in the European Federation of American Football (EFAF) American Football Bund Osterreich (AFBO). Horton was signed as a wide receiver and I will wear No. 86, the same number he wore as a Redbird. Horton left Illinois State with four career 100-yard receiving games.
LEADING RECEIVER
Former Illinois State All-American wide receiver Laurent Robinson hauled in his first touchdown pass as a member of the St. Louis Rams Sunday (Sept. 20). It was also the Rams' first touchdown of the season. Robinson caught six passes for 54 yards as St. Louis dropped a 9-7 decision at Washington. Robinson is the Rams' leading receiver with 11 catches for 141 yards. He was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Robinson ended his Redbird career with 3,007 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns on 192 catches, and was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference's Offensive Player of the Year in 2005.
IT'S A HARD KNOCK LIFE
Former Illinois State safety Tom Nelson was signed as a non-drafted free agent in the offseason by the Cincinnati Bengals garnered national attention when he and his new teammates were featured on HBO's annual training camp documentary Hard Knocks. In the third installment of the series, Nelson was featured and interviewed after a couple strong performances in game action for the Bengals. In the team's second preseason game, Nelson recorded a sack, broke up a pass in the secondary and forced a fumble late in the game that sealed the team's win over the New England Patriots. Nelson made the 53-man roster, but did not play in either of Cincinnati's first two games.
A QUARTER CENTURY OF GREATNESS
To kick off the league's 25th Year Celebration, the Missouri Valley Football Conference is paying tribute to its all-time greats - those who have had stellar careers or played with distinction in the National Football League. Three former Redbirds were selected to the "All-Select NFL Team" that included former NFL Most Valuable Players, Pro-Bowl selections and Super Bowl participants. Linebacker Boomer Grigsby, offensive lineman Mark Rodenhauser and running back/kick returner Aveion Cason represented Illinois State on the roster of Valley Football greats. During the season, fan voting will also be conducted to help select a "Silver Anniversary Team," recognizing the league's all-time greats. Voting can be accessed at www.valley-football25.org.
WHO'S GOT NEXT?
For six of the last eight seasons, the Missouri Valley Football Conference's top tackler has worn an Illinois State uniform. Three-time league defensive player of the year Boomer Grigsby set the stage by leading the conference in stops in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Former Redbird linebacker Cameron Siskowic followed suit with back-to-back tackle titles in 2005 and 2006, and Kye Stewart led the league in 2007 with 131 stops.
IT'S BEEN 10 YEARS ALREADY?
The 1999 season was the most successful in the history of the Illinois State football program. That team, led by head coach Todd Berry, recorded a school-record 11 wins on way to the school's second playoff berth in two seasons. The Redbirds stormed through the regulars season on way to a conference championship and advanced to the semifinals of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs. To honor that season, members of the team will be honored on Nov. 7 at Hancock Stadium in commemoration of its 10-year anniversary.
THE BUCK STOPS HERE
The Buck Buchanan Award is presented annually by The Sports Network to the nation's best NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) defensive player. When acquiring a list of potential candidates, or a watch list, Illinois State is as good of place to start as any. Since 2002, the Redbirds have had one player finish in the top-five of the Buck Buchanan Award voting in all but one season. Even though Illinois State hasn't been able to claim the top honor, a Redbird has finished second twice and third twice. Here is a list of ISU's Buck Buchanan Award finalists:
•2002 - Boomer Grigsby (LB) - Third
•2003 - Boomer Grigsby (LB) - Second
•2004 - Boomer Grigsby (LB) - Third
•2005 - Brent Hawkins (DE) - Second; Cameron Siskowic (LB) - 13th
•2006 - Cameron Siskowic (LB) - Fifth
•2007 - Kye Stewart (LB) - Fourth
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