Illinois State assistant men's basketball coach Rob Judson graduated from the University of Illinois in 1980 and served as an assistant coach on the Illini men's basketball staff from 1996-2001.BIRDS AND THE BIG TEN
Illinois State is 0-4 in the FBS-era against the Big Ten Conference. The Redbirds last match-up with the conference was a 37-21 loss to then-No. 22-ranked Minnesota in Minneapolis on Sept. 11, 2004.
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.
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 is 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 Valley quarterback.
KEIL OUT AT LEAST SIX WEEKS FOLLOWING SURGERY
Sophomore quarterback Drew Kiel had surgery to repair a torn ligament on his right thumb earlier this week. Recovery time after surgery will be at least six weeks for the Redbird signal-caller. An MRI done over the weekend 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. The Redbirds haven'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?
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 game 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.
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 Thursday at Eastern Illinois, but notched a career-high and team-best 10 stops. Malcolm had three solo tackles and seven assists. Malcolm's previous career high in tackles was eight, set in his only other career start last season at Western Illinois.
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, 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.
SPREADING THE RED
Illinois State's new spread offense resulted in completed passes to seven different wide receivers against Eastern Illinois. Tight end Casey Cline led all receivers with six catches, while wide outs Ben Graves and Eyad Salem both hauled in five passes each. 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.
VIVA LAS RIVAS
Junior defensive tackle Dave Rivas collected a career-high two tackles-for-loss at Eastern Illinois. 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 Thursday's contest with five total tackles, another career-high. Rivas had six tackles, including two for a loss, during the 2007 campaign before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. He appeared in eight games last season and made six tackles.
JONESING FOR THE BALL
Junior cornerback EJ Jones saved a touchdown by snagging his first career interception in the Eastern Illinois end zone. Jones, a converted running back and transfer from Minnesota, also made six tackles in the game. The Edwardsville, Ill., native logged 18 stops in 2008, his first season as a Redbird. Illinois State intercepted just three passes during the 2008 season.
FIRST CATCHES, TD FOR GRAVES
The Redbirds found the end zone for the first time in the second half last Thursday, partly because of sophomore wide receiver Ben Graves. Graves hauled in the first six 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.
RUNNING LOW
The Redbirds were limited to 20 yards rushing in the season-opening loss to Western Illinois. That mark is the team's lowest since being held to minus six yards at Youngstown State Oct. 20, 2001.
GIMMIE A I-A...ER, FBS?
When the Redbirds travel to Illinois Sept. 12, it will be the 15th-straight season that Illinois State has played a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent. The last time the 'Birds didn't schedule an FBS game was in 1994. It will also mark 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 last 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. Illinois State is 3-30 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.
COMING OUT IN DROVES?
A pair of lopsided losses - ISU to Eastern Illinois, and Illinois to Missouri - didn't do much to hype Saturday's in-state match-up, but the potential for a large crowd still remains. The last time the Redbirds traveled to Memorial Stadium to play the Illini, the Birds played in front of 56,304 fans, the largest road crowd ISU has ever played in front of.
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 and because of that he is getting some national attention. Nelson 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 and will see action for Cincinnati during the NFL's regular season.
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.
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:
2007 - Kye Stewart (LB) - FourthWHO'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.
WHAT A RUSH
In 2008, the Redbirds averaged 4.5 yards per rush attempt. The per-carry average ranked as the seventh-best average in school history.
NOTEABLE NEWCOMERS
Since the Gateway began recognizing an all-newcomer team in 1994, 49 Redbirds have been cited for achievement in their first season. In 2008, linebacker Paul Wright and running back Walter Mendenhall added their names to the list.
GARRETT'S GRAND ENTRANCE
Due to a roster shift, junior Chris Garrett found himself as a first-tier kick returner last year in ISU's Nov. 1 game against Youngstown State. Garrett probably made himself a mainstay by returning four kickoffs for 150 yards, including a 93-yard touchdown return in the fourth quarter. It was the first Redbird kickoff returned for a touchdown since LaShawn Bullock did it, also against Youngstown State, Oct. 23, 2004. Look for Garrett to be huge factor in the ISU return game this season with the loss of Tom Nelson.
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.
2008 NEWS AND NOTES
