SETTING THE SCENE
Date: Sept. 19, 2015
Location: Charleston, Illinois
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT
Stadium: O'Brien Field
Stadium Capacity: 10,000
Series: ILS leads 53-49-1
Watch TV: WMBD / WCIA / WTWO
Watch Online: OVC Digital Network
THE GAME
Coming off a decisive 67-14 win over 2014 MEAC champion Morgan State in the home opener last week, Illinois State (1-1) will travel to Charleston, Illinois, to face rival Eastern Illinois (0-2) at O'Brien Field in the 104th meeting of the Mid-America Classic.
THE SERIES
The game renews the oldest FCS football rivalry in the state of Illinois and the 13th-oldest at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. ISU and EIU have played 103 times, with the first game being played in 1901. The Redbirds have won nine of the last 13 games against the Panthers and lead the series, 53-41-9. However, the Redbirds have not won in Charleston in their last three tries under Spack.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his seventh season as the head coach at Illinois State (47-27). 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.
Eastern Illinois: Kim Dameron (Arkansas, 1983) is in his second season as the head coach at Eastern Illinois (5-9). An experienced defensive coach with more than 15 years as a defensive coordinator, Dameron spent 2013 as the defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech.
THE @REDBIRDFB PROGRAM
- Five FCS playoff appearances (1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014)
- Four-time FCS quarterfinalists (1999, 2006, 2012, 2014)
- Two-time FCS semifinalists (1999, 2014)
- The team is 31-6 at home under Spack's guidance
- ISU finished the 2014 regular season undefeated at home (8-0) and set the school record with 13 total wins
- The team tied a program-record cumulative GPA of 2.94 in the Spring 2015 semester
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
- Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois, and has an enrollment of 9,775 students. The Panthers are members of the Ohio Valley Conference and play their home games at O'Brien Field (10,000).
- The Panthers finished the 2014 season with a 5-7 record under first-year head coach Kim Dameron, and tied for third in the OVC with a 5-3 league record.
- EIU returns 33 letterwinners and 16 starters from that squad, with key losses including 2014 second-team All-American wide receiver Adam Drake (93 rec., 1,321 yards, 12 TD) and first-team All-American offensive lineman Collin Seibert.
- The Panthers are off to an 0-2 start to the 2015 season, with losses to Missouri Valley Football Conference member and in-state rival Western Illinois in the season opener and at FBS in-state foe Northwestern last weekend in Evanston, Illinois.
- 2015 second-team All-OVC selection Dino Fanti anchors the EIU defense from his defensive tackle position. Through two games, Fanti has recorded 16 tackles, a sack and leads the Panthers with 3.5 tackles-for-loss.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET (SEPT. 13, 2014)
Illinois State dominated No. 24 Eastern Illinois on both sides of the ball, as the Redbirds won, 34-15, at Hancock Stadium on Family Weekend. Middle linebacker Pat Meehan was selected as a national player of the week by The Sports Network, named a College Sporting News All-Star and earned MVFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, after tallying 11 tackles and setting career-bests with two sacks, four tackles-for-loss with an interception against the Panthers.
MID-AMERICA CLASSIC TO BE TELEVISED LOCALLY
The 104th playing of the Mid-America Classic between Illinois State and Eastern Illinois on Sept. 19 will be carried live across the region in prime time. The game will be carried by CBS affiliate WCIA in the Champaign market and will also be seen on CBS affiliate WMBD in Peoria and NBC affiliate WTWO in Terre Haute, Ind. In order to broadcast the game in prime time on all three network stations, the kickoff time has been moved back one hour to 7 p.m. The talent for the game will be provided by Nexstar Broadcasting, the parent organization of all three stations. Play-by-play will be provided by the television voice of the Redbirds Kurt Pegler (WMBD), with Brett Behrens (WCIA) serving as the color analyst.
QUICK STRIKE OFFENSE
The Redbird offense was explosive in 2014 and it showed that big-play ability still remains in 2015. ISU needed less than two plays to score four different times in a convincing 67-14 win over 2014 MEAC champion Morgan State (Sept. 12). Tre Roberson found Christian Gibbs for a 70-yard strike on the first play of the drive late in the first quarter and Roberson later connected with Anthony Warrum on a 57-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in the second quarter. Midway through the third quarter, Marshaun Coprich bowled his way from one yard out on the second play of the drive to put the Redbirds up 50-7 in the third quarter. Roberson and Warrum hooked up again on the next drive, needing just one play to connect on a 34-yard touchdown pass.
THE STREAK(s) CONTINUE
Illinois State head coach Brock Spack headed into the game against Morgan State (Sept. 12) undefeated in home openers at Hancock Stadium, and his team made sure that streak stayed intact with a dominating 67-14 win over the Bears under the lights. The Redbirds are now 7-0 in home-opening games under Spack's leadership and improved their home record to 31-6 since 2009. ISU also extended its overall home winning streak to 14-0 dating back to 2013, extending the longest run in school history.
RUSHING TOWARD HISTORY
All-American running back Marshaun Coprich added his name to the record books once again with a stellar performance in a 67-14 win over Morgan State (Sept. 12). The All-American tailback rushed for 130 yards on 20 carries (did not play the entire fourth quarter) and scored three touchdowns against the Bears. With his three scores, Coprich now has 39 rushing touchdowns in his career, which tops the previous best of 37 set by Toby Davis. Coprich also has 39 career total touchdowns, which ties Davis' school record in that category. He is just 311 yards short of the ISU all-time rushing yards record held by Davis (3,702) and 538 yards short of Davis's all-purpose yards record (4,371).
SPLITTING THE UPRIGHTS
Filling the duties of Illinois State all-time leading scorer Nick Aussieker would not be an easy task for any placekicker. However, sophomore Sean Slattery looked like he is up to the challenge with his performance against Morgan State (Sept. 12) in the home opener. Slattery accounted for 16 of Illinois State's 67 points against the Bears and nailed all three of his field goal attempts. The field goals were the first for Slattery in his career at ISU and all were made from 40 yards or more. He scored the first points of the day on a career-long 48-yard field goal and followed it with a 41-yard make later in the first quarter. His final field goal was a 44-yarder in the fourth quarter that put the Redbirds up 60-14 at the time. Slattery was also a perfect 7-for-7 in extra point attempts against the Bears.
BALANCED ATTACK
Most good offenses pride themselves on being balanced in order to function at the highest level possible. One look at the stat sheet from Illinois State's victory over Morgan State (Sept. 12) and balanced is the best word to describe it. ISU amassed 513 yards of total offense to put up 67 points, which is the fifth-highest point total in school history. Of those yards, 247 came on the ground and 266 were recorded through the air to give ISU an even look. The scoring was evened out as well, as Tre Roberson accounted for four touchdowns through the air, Marshaun Coprich scored three on the ground and Anthony Warrum snagged three of the four from Roberson.
THE BACK UP PLAN
Marshaun Coprich took 80 percent of the handoffs in the backfield in 2014, resulting in the All-American taking a lot of hard hits which took a toll on his body by the end of the season. Heading into 2015, the Redbirds were seeking a viable backup and redshirt freshman George Moreira looks like he might be that option. Through two games, Moreira is averaging 5.5 yards per carry and scored his first career touchdown in the 4th quarter against Morgan State (Sept. 12). Moreira has also shown some speed returning kicks for the Redbirds, with an average of 39.0 per return thanks to a 54-yard return against the Bears.
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
Redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Kolbe made the most of an opportunity in the season opener against Iowa (Sept. 5). The Naperville, Illinois, native came into the game in relief of starter Tre Roberson, who was suffering from leg cramps on a hot day in Iowa City. Kolbe proceeded to complete 11-of-15 passes for 147 yards with two touchdowns against the Hawkeyes. The first touchdown was set up on a 52-yard strike to Christian Gibbs and eventually capped off on a 1-yard pass to Brady Tibbits. The second score was a 22-yard connection to Anthony Warrum with just under a minute left to play in the game.
