SETTING THE SCENE
Date: Nov. 21, 2015
Location: Normal, Illinois
Kickoff: Noon CT
Stadium: Hancock Stadium
Stadium Capacity: 13,391
Series: ILS leads 4-0
Watch: CSN Chicago/ESPN3
THE GAME
For the second year in a row, Illinois State (8-2, 6-1 MVFC) will have a chance to clinch at least a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference title with a win in the regular-season finale. A win over South Dakota (5-5, 3-4 MVFC) would secure the Redbirds back-to-back championships for the first time in school history and propel ISU into the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1998-99.
TV BROADCAST
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, as part of the Illinois State Television Network. Below are channel listings where the game can be found:
Comcast Cable – Channel 56/522
ATT Uverse – Channel 740/1740
Comcast Xfinity – 37/200
DIRECTV – Channel 665
DISH Network – Channel 429/5429
DISH Network Hopper Channel – 412-19
MEDIACOM – Channel 25/732
THE SERIES
This will be the fifth meeting in the series between Illinois State and South Dakota, with the Redbirds winning all four matchups dating back to 2011. The Redbirds have won twice against the Coyotes at home, with the last a 28-14 victory on Homecoming in 2013.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his seventh season as the head coach at Illinois State (54-28). Spack led the Redbirds to their first Missouri Valley Football Conference title in 15 years in 2014, and set the school record for wins with 13 while being named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award.
South Dakota: Joe Glenn (South Dakota, 1971) is in his fourth season as the head coach at his alma mater (12-33) and his 28th as a collegiate head coach (200-133-1.) Glenn entered 2015 with the fifth-most wins among active FCS head coaches and has combined to win three national championships at the Division II and FCS levels.
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
- The University of South Dakota is located in Vermillion, South Dakota, and has an enrollment of 9,971 students. The Coyotes are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play their home games at the DakotaDome (10,000).
- The Coyotes finished the 2014 season with a 2-10 overall record and a 0-8 mark in MVFC play, which placed them 10th in the league standings. South Dakota returns 53 letterwinners and 19 starters from last year's team.
- South Dakota has won three of its last five games and its five total wins are the most for the program since 2011.
- When the Coyotes have found their way into the red zone, they have been extremely affective. South Dakota ranks No. 4 in the country in red zone scores at 91 percent (29 of 32) and have scored touchdowns on 63 percent of those trips (20 of 32).
- The USD offense is led by quarterback Ryan Saeger, who has completed 57.9 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,960 and 12 touchdowns this season. Saeger put together a 269-yard, three-touchdown performance in a win over SIU, while also running for a score, and followed that up with 266 yards passing and a touchdown last week against No. 5 South Dakota State.
- The offense has also received a huge pick up from true freshman running back Michael Fredrick, who has run extremely well in four starts in place of starter Trevor Bouma, who was injured in the Coyotes' win against NDSU. Fredrick rushed for 143 yards on 31 carries last weekend against the stingy Jackrabbit defense and
- Redshirt freshman Andrew Van Ginkel leads the way for the Coyote defensive with 9.0 and more sacks than 11 FCS teams this year. He ranks No. 8 nationally in tackles-for-loss with 17 and No. 10 nationally in sacks with his nine.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET (NOV. 15, 2014)
As snow fell hard outside of the DakotaDome, Illinois State running back Marshaun Coprich was heating up the turf inside as he rushed for a then career-best 221 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 7 Illinois State to a 45-26 win over South Dakota. The junior surpassed the 100- yard mark on the Redbirds' third drive of the game, and his first-career 200-yard rushing game gave him his 10th-consecutive 100-plus yard rushing performance to start the season. Senior defensive lineman Collin Keoshian picked up 2.5 sacks, and junior defensive back Josh Burch returned an interception 46 yards up the left sideline for a touchdown to cap the scoring for the Redbirds.
CONFERENCE TITLE UP FOR GRABS
For the second-consecutive year, the Redbirds will have a chance to clinch at least a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference regular-season championship with a win at home in the final game of the regular season. Last season, the Redbirds secured a share of the title for the first time in 15 years with a win over Southern Illinois, and they will have the chance to do the same Saturday with a win over South Dakota on Senior Day at Hancock Stadium.
GROUND AND POUND
Illinois State countered a potent air attack from Southern Illinois (Nov. 14) with a strong rushing attack that led to season-best numbers on the ground. The Redbirds, led by running back Marshaun Coprich's 254 yards, and 72 yards on the ground from quarterback Tre Roberson, set a season high with 372 yards rushing on the ground against the Salukis. All six of Illinois State's touchdowns against Southern Illinois also came on the ground, with Coprich accounting for three, Roberson for two, and Jamal Towns adding a 40-yard score in the second quarter. ISU has now run for over 300 yards twice as a team this season, with a 306-yard performance in a win over Western Illinois (Oct. 24) the other.
HOME COOKING
In 2013, a newly-renovated Hancock Stadium was opened to the public and the Redbirds treated the fans in attendance to a 31-17 win over Abilene Christian. Little did those in attendance realize that win would be the first of many for the Redbirds, who increased their home winning streak to 17 games in a row with a 27-24 win over No. 21 Indiana State (Oct. 31). Illinois State's streak at Hancock Stadium is the longest in FCS football and is the third-longest home win streak in MVFC history, trailing NDSU (26) and UNI (25). Bethune-Cookman has the next longest streak at 11 games, followed Jacksonville with 10 home wins in a row.
EIGHT IS GREAT
With their win against Southern Illinois (Nov. 14), the Redbirds improved to 8-2 on the season. It marked the 10th season in which the Redbirds have won eight games or more and the third eight-win season in the last four under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack. The eight-win mark has also recently meant the Redbirds were playoff bound, as the last five times the Redbirds have won eight games resulted in playoff runs in 1998, 1999, 2006, 2012 and 2014.
WE'LL TAKE THAT
The Redbirds held the Salukis scoreless in the second half in their 42-21 win (Nov. 14), mostly because the 'Birds forced some key takeaways in the final two quarters. The Redbirds forced a total of four turnovers by the Salukis (three fumbles, one interception) to up the team's total to 18 turnovers gained on the season. The Redbirds have committed just 12 turnovers this year, meaning their turnover margin sits at +6, which is third best in the MVFC this season behind Northern Iowa (+9) and South Dakota State (+8). The +6 turnover margin also ranks the Redbirds in the top 20 in the FCS, coming in at No. 19 overall.
AVALOY, COPRICH EARN WEEKLY VALLEY HONORS
The Redbirds amassed a season-best 372 yards rushing at Southern Illinois (Nov. 14) and scored all six of their touchdowns on the ground against the Salukis. Junior guard Kyle Avaloy and the Redbird offensive line had a lot to do with that and led the way for senior All-American running back Marshaun Coprich, who led the country with 254 yards and three touchdowns. For their efforts, each received Missouri Valley Football Conference weekly honors as Avaloy was named the MVFC Lineman of the Week and Coprich earned the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week award for the second time this season.
KEENE TOUGH IN THE TRENCHES
The Redbird defensive line has got better and better as the season has progressed, and sophomore defensive tackle Dalton Keene may be the most improved of the entire bunch. The Jacksonville, Illinois, native set a career-best with 11 tackles, four of which were solo stops, and tied career highs with a sack and 2.5 tackles-for-loss against the Southern Illinois (Nov. 14). Keene also added a 13-yard fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter that kept the Salukis out of the end zone and sealed the victory for the Redbirds. Over the past three games, Keene has averaged seven tackles per game and recorded at least a half of a sack and 2.0 tackles-for-loss.
PASSING OVER THE JACKRABBITS
The South Dakota State defense had not allowed an opposing FCS quarterback to throw for over 200 yards all season. That all changed against Illinois State (Nov. 7), as quarterback Tre Roberson and wide receiver Anthony Warrum each set season bests through the air against the Jackrabbits. Roberson finished the game with a season-high 317 yards passing with three touchdowns, all to his favorite target Warrum. Eight of Roberson's 14 completions fell in the hands of Warrum, who set a career-best with 241 yards receiving and tied a season best with three receiving touchdowns. Christian Gibbs also averaged 20 yards per catch on the day, making two leaping grabs over the middle to finish with 60 yards.
MINIMIZING MISTAKES AND PENALTIES KEY TO SUCCESS
Illinois State head coach Brock Spack has preached focus and attention to detail in his seven seasons as head coach and stressed the importance of not beating yourself to his teams. The 2015 Redbirds seemed to have embraced this concept, as they rank among the FCS leaders in fewest penalties and turnovers. ISU ranks No. 5 in the country in fewest penalties with just 43 total and No. 19 in turnovers lost with just 12 total (five fumbles, seven interceptions).
REDBIRD TRIO AMONG NATION'S BEST
The three-headed monster of the Redbird defense has been terrorizing opposing defenses all season and in doing so the trio have cemented themselves high in the FCS national rankings:
Marshaun Coprich - RB
Rushing Touchdowns - 3rd (16)
Rushing Yards - 3rd (1,469)
Rushing Yards Per Game - 3rd (146.9)
Scoring - 4th (9.8)
All Purpose Yards - 7th (160.8)
Tre Roberson - QB
Passing Yards Per Completion - 1st (20.52)
Passing Yards Per Attempt - 3rd (10.08)
Anthony Warrum - WR
Yards Per Reception - 2nd (23.98)
Receiving Touchdowns - 3rd (13)
Receiving Yards - 6th (1,031)
Receiving Yards Per Game - 8th (114.6)
