NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State football team moved up five spots to No. 17 in the nation according to The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 Poll released Monday. The Redbirds also broke into the FCS Coaches Poll, at No. 24, after beating Southern Illinois, 38-30, in Carbondale, Ill., Saturday.
ISU (6-3, 4-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) has now been ranked in The Sports Network/Fathead.com poll for two-consecutive weeks. The Redbirds garnered 977 points in The Sports Network/Fathead.com poll, and they earned 85 points in the FCS Coaches Poll. MVFC leader North Dakota State overtook the No. 1 spot in both polls after beating former No. 1/No. 2 Northern Iowa.
Northern Iowa dropped to No. 6 in The Sports Network/Fathead.com poll, followed by MVFC representatives Illinois State at No. 17 and Indiana State at No. 21. UNI also fell to No. 6 in the FCS Coaches Poll, followed by Indiana State at No. 16 and Illinois State at No. 24. Indiana State was off Saturday with a bye.
The Redbirds continue to gain national attention after winning four-consecutive games for the first time since 2006. In Saturday's 38-30 win at Southern Illinois, ISU's defense limited the Salukis to 73 rushing yards, marking the seventh time this year that the Redbirds have held a team under 100 rushing yards. Illinois State's rushing-defense is now ranked fourth-best in the nation, and ISU's overall defense is ranked 15th.
The Redbirds play MVFC foe Western Illinois Saturday at 1 p.m. at Hancock Stadium. A limited number of tickets are still available for the ISU Family Weekend matchup by calling the box office at 309-438-8000 or by visiting GoRedbirds.com.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
