SETTING THE SCENE
Date: Oct. 3, 2015
Location: Normal, Illinois
Kickoff: Noon CT
Stadium: Hancock Stadium
Stadium Capacity: 13,391
Series: UNI leads 20-12
Watch: ESPN3
PLAYER TO WATCH
Tre Roberson struggled in his first meeting against UNI in 2014, but rebounded in his second opportunity against the Panthers in the second round of the FCS playoffs. Roberson threw for a career-best 382 yards and threw four touchdowns to send the Redbirds to the FCS quarterfinals for the second time in the past three seasons.
THE GAME
The start of the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference slate begins with a marquee match up, as No. 4 Illinois State hosts No. 6 Northern Iowa in a rematch of the second-round playoff game hosted at Hancock Stadium. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3, as the MVFC Game of the Week.
THE SERIES
This will be the 33rd meeting all-time between the Panthers and the Redbirds in a series dating back to 1972. UNI leads the series by a 20-12 margin; However the Redbirds have won three out of the last four meetings overall and the past two games played at Hancock Stadium against the Panthers.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his seventh season as the head coach at Illinois State (48-27). 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.
Northern Iowa: Mark Farley (UNI, 1987) has led the Panthers to a mark of 122-57 in his 14 years as head coach. Included in that 14-year run for the Panthers are seven conference championships, eight playoff appearances, three national semifinal appearances and one national title game appearance in 2005.
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
- The University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and has an enrollment of 12,273 students. The Panthers are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play their home games at the UNI Dome (16,324).
- The Panthers finished the 2014 season with a 9-5 overall record, including a 6-2 record in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. UNI advanced to the second round of the FCS Playoffs and was defeated by ISU by a score of 41-21 at Hancock Stadium on Dec. 6.
- UNI finished the year ranked No. 10 in the country in the FCS final polls and currently rank in the top 10 in the country heading into today's game.
- A total of 37 lettermen return from that team, including 11 starters (5 offense, 6 defense) and three special teams returners.
- One of the starters lost for UNI, running back David Johnson, became the first NFL player to begin the first two games of his career with a receiving touchdown, a kickoff return for a touchdown and a rushing touchdown. As a result, Johnson's jersey and shoes he wore this past Sunday in Chicago are being shipped to Canton for an exhibit in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- The Panthers are off to a 2-1 start to the season, with a pair of back-to-back wins against nationally-ranked opponents in No. 7 Eastern Washington (38-35) and No. 17 Cal Poly (34-20). The lone loss for UNI was a 31-7 defeat in the season opener to in-state rival Iowa State.
- Illinois transfer Aaron Bailey was named the MVFC Newcomer of the Week for his performance in UNI's win at Cal Poly. Bailey passed for a career-high 218 yards and one passing TD. He also added 57 yards on the ground and his first rushing touchdowns.
- Junior linebacker Brett McMakin leads the way for the UNI defense. McMakin has recorded a team-high 31 tackles, has added a sack, and 3.5 tackles-for-loss.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET (DEC. 6, 2014)
In a dominating performance, Illinois State quarterback Tre Roberson threw for 382 yards and four touchdowns to lead the No. 5 Redbirds to a second-round playoff victory against Northern Iowa, 41-21, at Hancock Stadium. After losing to the Panthers on Nov. 1 at the UNI Dome, ISU got its revenge on the only team to defeat them during the regular season.
CHECK ONE OFF THE LIST
The Redbirds have had a lot of problems winning on the road in Charleston, Illinois, in recent history and were hoping to change that Saturday in the 104th Mid-America Classic (Sept. 19). The Redbirds had not won on the home turf of their in-state rivals since 2007 and O'Brien Field is one of two stadiums that ISU head coach Brock Spack had not won in that ISU visits frequently in his time as head coach. ISU needed a turnover and a game-winning field goal in overtime from Sean Slattery to change that, but the Redbirds picked up the 34-31 win over the Panthers. The only other spot Spack has not won at is Stambaugh Stadium in Youngstown, Ohio, but that too could get checked off the list when the Redbirds take on the Penguins on Oct. 10.
RARE WIN IN OVERTIME
It had been two full seasons since Illinois State needed extra time to try and win a ball game, and the outcome was just as exciting as the last overtime win for the Redbirds. ISU did not play an overtime contest in 2013 or the 15-game 2014 season, with the last overtime game happening in the second round of the FCS Playoffs in December of 2012 at Appalachian State. The Redbirds needed a blocked extra point to win that one and advance to the quarterfinals, and ISU needed a forced fumble and a game-winning field goal Saturday to pick up the 34-31 win over Eastern Illinois in the 104th Mid-America Classic. ISU has now won its last three overtime contests dating back to a 34-27 double overtime win over the Panthers at Hancock Stadium in 2012 and is 8-6 all-time in overtime games.
REDBIRD COACHES PARTICIPATE IN COACH TO CURE MD
Illinois State and UNI coaches will join college football coaches across the country in raising awareness for Duchenne muscular dystrophy by wearing arm patches during Saturday's game. Football fans can donate to Duchenne muscular dystrophy research by either going online to www.CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word CURE to 90999 (a $5 donation will automatically be added to your next phone bill). Since the Coach to Cure MD efforts began through the American Football Coaches Association in 2008, more than $1 million has been raised for research.
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 continues to be one of the best running backs in Illinois State history and among the best in the FCS. Against Eastern Illinois (Sept. 19), Coprich rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns to earn MVFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. With those two scores, Coprich upped his career total touchdowns to 41, which tops Toby Davis' school record in that category. He is also just 133 yards short of the ISU all-time rushing yards record held by Davis (3,702) and 360 yards short of Davis's all-purpose yards record (4,371). Coprich now ranks No. 2 among all active FCS players with 3,568 career rushing yards, trailing only quarterback John Robertson of Villanova (3,643). Coprich also ranks No. 17 on the all-time MVFC list, just behind Sam Ojuri of North Dakota State (3,694).
THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE
Sophomore safety Alec Kocour serves as the last line of defense for the Redbirds in the secondary, and his services were needed frequently Saturday night against the Panthers. The Waukesha, Wisconsin, native led all tacklers with a career-high 14 stops and added a tackle-for-loss against the Panthers. Kocour also forced the biggest turnover of the game, when he popped the ball loose from EIU running back Devin Church and Matt McCown recovered in overtime to give Slattery the opportunity to kick the game-winning field goal.
PLENTY OF LEG
Most coaches will think twice about sending a kicker out to boot a field goal over 40 yards; However, through three games Sean Slattery has proven to ISU head coach Brock Spack that he has plenty of leg to get his team points in crucial situations. In ISU's 34-31 overtime win at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 19), Slattery put the first points on the scoreboard for the Redbirds with a career-long make of 50 yards, which topped his previous best of 48 yards from a week earlier. That make was the first from 50-yards or more since 2010, when Steven Fetzer nailed a 50-yarder at Indiana State. Slattery also narrowly missed attempts from 47 and 49 yards, respectively, but had plenty of distance on both kicks. On the season, Slattery is 5-of-8 on field goal attempts with one block, and is 3-of-5 from 40 yards or more.
