No. 2 Redbirds Host No. 7 Spiders In FCS Quarterfinals

SETTING THE SCENE
Date: Dec. 11, 2015
Location: Normal, Illinois
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. CT
Stadium: Hancock Stadium
Stadium Capacity: 13,391
Series: First Meeting
Watch: ESPN3

THE GAME
With 19 consecutive home wins under its belt, No. 2 seed Illinois State (10-2) will look to increase that streak to 20 games when it hosts No. 7 seed Richmond (9-3) in a quarterfinal match up between two of the best programs in FCS football.

THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his seventh season as the head coach at Illinois State (56-28). 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.
Richmond: Danny Rocco (Wake Forest, 1984) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Richmond (30-16) and his 10th as a collegiate head coach (77-36). Rocco was named the CAA Coach of the Year  and has guided the Spiders to back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since the 2008 and 2009 seasons. 

PLAYER TO WATCH 
After not recording a catch in the final two regular-season contests for the Redbirds, junior wide receiver Anthony Warrum got back on track in the team's FCS second-round win over Western Illinois.  The All-MVFC First Team selection recorded his fifth 100-plus yard receiving performance of the season with 107 yards and a touchdown against the Leathernecks.  The touchdowns was his 14th of the season, which set a new single-season mark, and he moved up to No. 4 on the single-season receiving yards list with 1,138.

THE @REDBIRDFB PROGRAM

• Six FCS playoff appearances (1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015)
• Five-time FCS quarterfinalists (1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015)
• Two-time FCS semifinalists (1999, 2014)
• The team is 36-6 at home under Spack's guidance
• ISU's current 19-game home winning streak is the longest in the FCS
• The team tied a program-record cumulative GPA of 2.94 in the Spring 2015 semester

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT

• The University of Richmond is located in Richmond, Virginia, and has an enrollment of 2,950 students.  The Spiders are members of the Colonial Athletic Association and play their home games at E. Claiborne Robins Stadium (8,700).
• The Spiders finished the 2015 regular season with a 8-3 overall record and a 6-2 mark in CAA play.  One of those losses came in the season opener to FBS foe Maryland (50-21) and the other two came in consecutive weeks to start the month of November to New Hampshire and Villanova.
• Richmond returns to the FCS playoffs for the 10th time and for the second-straight year.  The Spiders have a 12-8 mark all-time over those 10 appearances in the NCAA playoffs, with a perfect 4-0 record during the team's 2008 National Championship season. 
• The Spiders defeated longtime rival William & Mary in consecutive games to advance to the quarterfinals to play the Redbirds.   Richmond knocked off William and Mary 20-9 in the final game of the regular season, keeping the Capital Cup in Richmond and earning the automatic qualifier for the NCAA playoffs as the CAA champion. They then defeated the Tribe by a score of 48-13 last weekend to move on to the quarterfinals.  
• All-CAA running back Jacobi Green ran for 141 yards and scored three times on 25 carries to pace the Spider offense in the win over William & Mary, while quarterback Kyle Lauletta threw for 146 yards and rushed for two scores.
• Richmond defensive back David Jones was the defensive stalwart again opposite William & Mary. The junior picked off Steve Cluley in the end zone to set a new single-season interception record (9) and took it 100 yards to the house to register the longest interception return in Richmond football history.

THE ROAD TO FRISCO RUNS THROUGH NORMAL
Illinois State literally had to fly from coast to coast during the 2014 FCS playoffs before securing its spot in the FCS Championship for the first time in school history in Frisco, Texas.  This year, the road to Frisco may not involve any travel at all for the Redbirds, who earned the No. 2 national seed and will host games at Hancock Stadium throughout the playoffs if they advance.  That includes a possible re-match of last year's FCS title game against North Dakota State in the semifinals, if both teams advance.  After the second-round win over Western Illinois, the Redbirds will host Richmond in the quarterfinals this week, marking the first time in school history the Redbirds have hosted more than one playoff game at home in a season.

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 19 games in a row with a 36-19 playoff victory over Western Illinois (Dec. 5). 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). 

BACK TO BACK CHAMPS
In 2014, the Redbirds broke a 15-year drought without a championship by sharing the Missouri Valley Football Conference title with North Dakota State. The wait was only 12 months for ISU to win its next MVFC title, as the Redbirds secured a share of the conference championship with NDSU after their 46-0 shutout win over South Dakota in the regular-season finale.  The conference title is the third for the Redbirds since joining the league (1999, 2014, 2015) and for the second year in a row, they finished with a 7-1 record in league play.  In addition to the back-to-back conference championships, the Redbirds will also make consecutive appearances in the FCS playoffs for just the second time in school history.  ISU advanced to the FCS playoffs in consecutive seasons in 1998 and 1999.

DOUBLE DIGITS IN THE WIN COLUMN
For the third time in program history and second time in two seasons, the Illinois State football team has recorded 10 wins, thanks to its 36-19 second-round playoff win over Western Illinois (Dec. 5). The 1999 team's 11-3 record was the first and last year's school-record 13-2 campaign are the other two times the Redbirds have posted double-digit wins.  In both of those seasons, the Redbirds also advanced to the FCS playoff semifinals, with a national championship appearance last year in 2014.

WARRUM RE-IGNITES REDBIRD OFFENSE
Junior wide receiver Anthony Warrum had a record-setting regular season for the Redbirds, but did not record a catch in the team's final two games of the season.  Whether that was due to Marshaun Coprich's dominance in those two games or the weather conditions is up for debate, however he returned to his normal self in ISU's second-round playoff win over Western Illinois (Dec. 5).  The first-team All-MVFC selection caught six passes for 107 yards and scored a touchdown in the victory over the Leathernecks to set ISU's single-season touchdown receptions mark at 14 total. The 100-plus yard effort was his fifth of the season and he moved up to No. 4 on the ISU single-season receiving yards list with 1,138.

THIRD TIME'S A CHARM
In the final two games of the regular season, Redbird All-American running back Marshaun Coprich rushed for over 250 yards in wins over Southern Illinois and South Dakota.  Not many were expecting him to rush for over 200 yards again in the second round playoff game vs. Western Illinois (Dec. 5), and until his final offensive series he had not.  However, after the Redbirds took over at their own 28 yard line after a missed field goal, Coprich took off for a 72-yard touchdown run down the right sideline for a touchdown. The run put him over 200 yards for the third-straight game and the fourth time this season.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Stopping All-American running back Marshaun Coprich is difficult enough, but having to keep quarterback Tre Roberson in check is even more troubling for opposing defenses.  The duo have each run for over 100 yards and scored at least one touchdown on the ground in each of the past two weeks. Over the past two years, the duo has combined to rush for over 100 yards each four times, with the Redbirds holding a 3-1 mark in those contests.

COPRICH IN TOP THREE FOR STATS FCS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 
Illinois State senior running back Marshaun Coprich has amassed a slew of awards during his illustrious career at Illinois State, but his most recent honor could be his biggest. Coprich, along with running back Kade Harrington of Lamar and wide receiver Cooper Kupp of Eastern Washington have been invited to the national awards banquet, where the offensive player of the year will be announced in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 8 - the night before the FCS national championship game.  Coprich a 5-foot-9, 205-pound senior from Victorville, California, ranks No. 1 in rushing touchdowns (22), second in the FCS in rushing yards (1,937) and rushing yards per game (161.4), and third in points per game (11.2).

REDBIRDS WELL REPRESENTED ON ALL-MVFC TEAMS 
A total of 12 Illinois State football players were named to the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference teams, highlighted by five MVFC First-Team selections that included MVFC Offensive Player of the Year Marshaun Coprich.  Joining Coprich on the first team were senior quarterback Tre Roberson, junior center Mark Spelman, junior wide receiver Anthony Warrum and senior middle linebacker Pat Meehan. Four Redbirds were also selected to the All-MVFC Second Team. Senior defensive linemen Teddy Corwin and David Perkins were joined by junior fullback Brady Tibbits and junior offensive lineman Kyle Avaloy. Senior linebacker Alex Donnelly, sophomore safety Alec Kocour and sophomore defensive lineman Dalton Keene were also named All-MVFC Honorable Mention selections in the annual vote.

VERSATILE BARRY NAMED TO MVFC ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM 
Redshirt freshman Brannon Barry was asked to do a little bit of everything in his first season playing for the Redbirds. Barry played in all 12 games, splitting time at both tight end and defensive end, which earned him a spot on the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team.  Barry led the ISU newcomers with 17 tackles, five of which went for a loss and ranked third on the team with five sacks on the year.  He also added an interception, caught one pass for three yards and was a standout on special teams with four tackles.

REDBIRD TRIO AMONG NATION'S BEST 
The three-headed monster of the Redbird offense 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 - 1st (22)
Rushing Yards - 2nd (1,937)
Rushing Yards Per Game - 2nd (161.4)
Scoring - 3rd (11.2)
All Purpose Yards - 4th (173.3)

Tre Roberson - QB
Passing Yards Per Completion - 1st (19.73)
Passing Yards Per Attempt - 3rd (9.85)

Anthony Warrum - WR
Yards Per Reception - 2nd (23.22)
Receiving Touchdowns - 3rd (14)
Receiving Yards - 8th (1,138)

THE BULL IS LOOSE
With nearly 2,000 rushing yards in back-to-back seasons, most opponents take the "you can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him" approach with Marshaun Coprich.  However, opposing defenses have found it extremely difficult to contain the "Young Bull" and prevent him from making big runs down field.  Coprich has 19 runs on the season of over 20 yards or more and has scored touchdowns on nine of those plays.  Breaking it down even farther, Coprich has eight runs of over 40 yards, seven of which have gone for six points.  All five of his runs from 70 yards or more have gone for touchdowns, with scores of 72, 74, 75, 76 and 83 yards.  He leads all FCS rushers with the five 70-plus yard touchdowns, with no other player having more than three.

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 per game (4.17) and No. 13 in turnovers lost with just 14 total.  

ROBERSON RUNNING TO THE END ZONE
With over 1,000 yards rushing in 2014, Redbird quarterback Tre Roberson proved he could be dangerous running the ball as well as throwing it. The senior quarterback has posted six games with multiple rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons and upped his rushing touchdown total to 11 with two against Western Illinois (Dec. 5), tying his career high of 11 from 2014.

TOPPING THE CENTURY MARK ON A CONSISTENT BASIS
A stout Iowa Hawkeyes defense kept ISU All-American running back Marshaun Coprich corralled in the season-opening loss (Sept. 5). Since that time, however, the "Young Bull" has run wild against opposing defenses and once again ranks among the best running backs in FCS football. With his 217 yards vs. Western Illinois (Dec. 5), Coprich rushed for over 100 yards for the 10th time this season and for the 23rd time in the last 27 games. Coprich upped his career rushing total to 5,165, which is No. 1 among all active FCS players and ranks him No. 2 on the all-time MVFC list behind Zach Zenner of South Dakota State.

AT HOME IN THE SNOW
The heavy snow and windy conditions at Hancock Stadium did not slow down Marshaun Coprich at all, as he had one of the best days of his career in the regular-season finale win over South Dakota (Nov. 21).  The Victorville, California, native looked right at home running in the snow and rushed for 251 yards on 30 carries and tied a career-best with four rushing touchdowns. 

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 four times as a team this season.

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 have committed just 14 turnovers this year, meaning their turnover margin sits at +7, which is third best in the MVFC this season behind Northern Iowa (+15) and Western Illinois (+8). The +7 turnover margin also ranks the Redbirds in the top 25 in the FCS, coming in at No. 21 overall.

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).