THE GAME
The No. 22-ranked Illinois State football team is off to a 2-0 start, after a strong 34-15 defeat of in-state foe Eastern Illinois in the Mid-American Classic on Sept. 13. The Redbirds will face another Ohio Valley Conference foe on Saturday, when they welcome the Austin Peay Governors (0-3) to Hancock Stadium for the final non-conference match up of the season. Kickoff under the lights is set for 6:30 p.m.
THE SERIES
Illinois State and Austin Peay have met twice previously, with the last meeting happening in 2009. The Redbirds have won both of the previous meetings against the Governors: a 13-9 win on Oct. 27, 1990, at Hancock Stadium and a 38-7 defeat in Normal, Illinois, on Sept. 19, 2009.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his sixth season as the head coach at Illinois State (35-24). Spack led the Redbirds to their first playoff victory since 2006, just the third nine-win season in school history and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award during the 2012 season.
Austin Peay: Kirby Cannon (Missouri State, 1981) is in his second season as the head coach at Austin Peay (0-15). Cannon came to APSU after spending three seasons as the secondary coach at Central Michigan and was the head coach at Missouri S&T for 10 seasons from 1999-2009.
THE #REDBIRDFOOTBALL PROGRAM
- Four FCS playoff appearances (1998, 1999, 2006, 2012)
- Three-time FCS quarterfinalists (1999, 2006, 2012)
- The team is 24-6 at home under Spack's guidance.
- ISU finished the 2013 regular season undefeated at home (5-0), the first perfect home record for the Redbirds since 1999.
- The team set a program-record cumulative GPA of 2.94 in the Spring 2014 semester.
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
- Austin Peay State University is located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and has an enrollment of 10,597 students. The Governors are members of the Ohio Valley Conference and play their home games at the newly-remodeled Governors Stadium (7,000).
- The Governors finished the 2013 season with a 0-12 overall record, the first season under head coach Kirby Cannon. APSU returns 40 letterwinners and eight starters from that squad.
- The Govs are off to an 0-3 start to the 2014 season, with losses at Memphis (63-0), to Chattanooga (42-6) and last weekend to OVC foe Eastern Illinois (63-7) in the conference season opener in Charleston, Illinois. APSU has been out-scored 168-13 in those losses.
- The Governors have lost their last 15 games in a row, dating back to the 2013 season. The last win for APSU came in the 2012 season finale against Tennessee Tech (38-31).
- Offensively, the Govs are led by running back Justin Roberson, who has carried the ball 39 times for 137 yards and one of the team's two touchdowns scored on the season. On the defensive side of the football, free safety Johnathan Shuler leads the way with 20 tackles and a half TFL on the year.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Junior linebacker Pat Meehan was named the national player of the week by The Sports Network and College Sporting News, following a career-best performance in the Redbirds' 34-15 win over Eastern Illinois on Sept. 13. Meehan led the team with 11 tackles against EIU and set career-bests with two sacks and four tackles-for-loss. He also added a pass breakup and intercepted his first career pass, which sealed the victory over the Panthers.
LAST TIME THEY MET (SEPT. 19, 2009)
Head coach Brock Spack recorded his first victory as leader of the Redbird football team and sophomore running back Cliffton Gordon rushed for his first career touchdown - then his second, third and fourth - as Illinois State defeated Austin Peay, 38-7, in front of 10,158 at Hancock Stadium. Gordon led the Redbird rushing attack, as he racked up 98 yards on 17 carries and a career-high four scores.
REDBIRDS FLY INTO TOP 25
Thanks to a 2-0 start to the season and a win over No. 24 Eastern Illinois (Sept. 13), Illinois State flew into the Top-25, debuting at No. 24 in the FCS Coaches Poll last week. Despite having a bye week, the Redbirds moved up to the No. 22 spot in the FCS Coaches Poll and cracked The Sports Network Top 25 at No. 23. The national rankings are the first for the Redbirds since early in the 2013 season. The Missouri Valley Football Conference led all conferences with a league-record seven teams in the FCS Coaches Poll top 25.
MEEHAN GARNERS NATIONAL ATTENTION
Just a day after being named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week, Illinois State junior middle linebacker Pat Meehan was selected as a national player of the week by The Sports Network and College Sporting News. Meehan was all over the field and led the way for the Redbird defense in its 34-15 defeat of No. 24-ranked Eastern Illinois (Sept. 13) in the Mid-America Classic. He led the team with 11 tackles against EIU and set career-bests with two sacks and four tackles-for-loss. Meehan also added a pass breakup and intercepted his first career pass, which he returned for 12 yards late in the fourth quarter.
LECHEIN SHINES
To say return of senior wide receiver Lechein Neblett has made an impact for the Redbird offense would be an extreme understatement. Neblett was the team's No. 2 receiver in 2012 and was poised for a big 2013 season, but a season-ending knee injury suffered just before the season opener would cause him to miss the entire year. The offense struggled at times and could have used his speed and route-running ability. However, his addition back to the lineup in 2014 has produced great results, with a team-leading 211 yards and three touchdowns through the first two games of the season.
PICKS ARE PLENTIFUL
The Illinois State defense recorded a total of six interceptions during the 2013 season. Through just two games in 2014, the Redbirds have already tied that mark. ISU intercepted a pair of passes in the season-opening win against Mississippi Valley State (Sept. 6) and recorded four INTs in last week's win against No. 24 Eastern Illinois (Sept. 13). The defense still has a long way to go to get to the team's recent high-water mark of 17 set in 2012, when the Redbirds advanced to the FCS playoff quarterfinals.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Over the past six seasons, the Redbirds have had success in their regular-season non-conference match ups. In 17 contests, ISU has recorded an 11-6 record, with three of those losses coming at the hands of FBS programs (Illinois, Northwestern, Ball State). The only other three losses came against Eastern Illinois, who has gone 3-3 against the Redbirds in the six seasons under head coach Brock Spack. In addition, the Redbirds are 8-0 under Spack in non-conference home games at Hancock Stadium.
TAKEAWAY ARTISTS
Illinois State took full advantage of five turnovers by No. 24/25 Eastern Illinois on Saturday, which helped the Redbirds pick up a 34-15 victory over their in-state rivals. Pat Meehan, Teddy Corwin, DraShane Glass and Alex Donnelly each recorded interceptions and Tevin Allen forced a fumble that was recovered by Oshay Dunmore to account for the five takeaways. The four interceptions were the most for the Redbirds since Sept. 19, 2009, when the Redbirds forced six (4 INT, 2 FR) in a 38-7 win over Austin Peay. The four interceptions were the most for ISU since Nov. 21, 2009, when they also intercepted four passes in a 22-20 last-second win against UNI.
TROPHY RETURNS TO THE NEST
Since the inception of the Mid-America Classic trophy in 2011, it has switched hands each year with the home team winning each of the games. With Illinois State's 34-15 win over No. 24/25 Eastern Illinois at Hancock Stadium on Saturday, the trophy will remain at Illinois State for the next year until the two teams play again in 2015. The Redbirds have now won three-straight home games in the series against the Panthers. ISU has won nine of the last 13 overall in the series and improved to 53-41-9 all-time against the Panthers.
DEFENDING THEIR TURF
Hancock Stadium has been very friendly to the Redbirds dating back to the 2013 season, as the Redbirds have won seven-consecutive games in their home stadium. ISU was a perfect 5-0 at home last season and ISU has started the 2014 campaign 2-0. The streak is the longest for the Redbirds since the team won nine in a row from Nov. 14, 1998, to Aug. 31, 2000. The Redbirds are also 24-6 over the past six seasons at home under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack.
