Redbirds Look To Bounce Back On The Road Against The Sycamores

SETTING THE SCENE
Date: Sept. 24, 2016
Location: Terre Haute, Ind.
Kickoff: 2 p.m. CT
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Stadium Capacity: 12,764
Series: ILS leads 36-29-2
Watch: ESPN3

THE GAME
Coming off a disappointing 24-21 loss to in-state rival Eastern Illinois last Saturday in the Mid-America Classic, Illinois State (2-1) will look to rebound against Indiana State (2-1) in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for both squads Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Terre Haute, Indiana. These games have been extremely close the past few years, with four out of the last five games decided by a touchdown or less and the last two decided by three points or fewer.

THE SERIES
This will be the 68th meeting all-time between the Redbirds and the Sycamores in a series dating back to 1936. Illinois State leads the series 36-29-2, with wins in the last five games and 10 out of the last 11 contests overall against Indiana State. The Redbirds have won seven of the last nine contests against the Sycamores in Terre Haute and Brock Spack is 6-1 overall against Indiana State in his eight seasons at ISU.

THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his eighth season as the head coach at Illinois State (58-30). Spack, the 2014 MVFC Coach of the Year, has led the Redbirds to back-to-back shares of the MVFC title the past two seasons and FCS playoff appearances three times in the past four years.
Indiana State: Mike Sanford (Southern California, 1978) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Indiana State (16-24) and his ninth as a collegiate head coach (32-67). In 2014, Sanford led the Sycamores 8-6 overall record, their first trip to the NCAA FCS Playoffs since 1984 and their first postseason win since 1983.

PLAYER TO WATCH
Redshirt sophomore running back  George Moreira has proven himself a viable option at tailback in the Redbirds' multiple back offense. The Gretna, Louisiana, native leads the team with 203 yards rushing and is tied for the team lead with a pair of rushing touchdowns through the first three games of the season.  Moreira has also caught a pair of passes for 13 yards out of the backfield for the Redbirds in 2016.

THE @REDBIRDFB PROGRAM

• 6 FCS playoff appearances (1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015)
• 5-time FCS quarterfinalists (1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015)
• 2-time FCS semifinalists (1999, 2014)
• The team is 37-8 at home under Spack's guidance
• ISU is 20-2 at Hancock Stadium since 2013

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT

• Indiana State University is located in Terre Haute, Indiana, and has an enrollment of 11,458 students. The Sycamores are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play their home games at Memorial Stadium (12,764).
• The Sycamores posted a 5-6 overall record in 2015, which included a 3-5 mark in MVFC play. The team returns 11 starters (five on offense and six on defense) and 42 letterwinners from last year's team.
• Indiana State opened the season with a 41-25 victory over Butler at home on Sept. 3. The Sycamores scored 21 points off turnovers (including a 100-yard fumble return for a TD by Tsali Lough), and sophomore Isaac Harker became the first 300-yard passer at Indiana State in two seasons in his first career start after a position battle during fall camp.
• Down 24-13 with only 5:19 left to play, Indiana State chances at a win seemed unlikely last weekend against Southeast Missouri State. However, two touchdowns in the final five-plus minutes propelled the Sycamores to a 27-24 win on the road.
• For his effort in the win over SEMO, sophomore quarterback Isaac Harker was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week.  Harker ended the night 22-of-36 for 302 yards and three touchdowns, and in the fourth quarter alone, he was 11-of-16 for 126 yards and two TDs while leading the Sycamores to the come-from-behind win.
• Senior linebacker Jameer Thurman leads the way for the Sycamores on defense with 22 tackles on the season. The veteran has also added 1.5 tackles-for-loss, two pass break ups and caused a fumble in the first three games for the Sycamores.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET (OCT. 31, 2016)
The Redbirds extended their home winning streak by marching down the field on an eight-play, 82-yard drive capped off by a five-yard touchdown run by quarterback Tre Roberson on a bootleg in the fourth quarter. The score put the 'Birds ahead and a two-point conversion attempt was punched in by Marshaun Coprich to give Illinois State some insurance with a 27-24 lead over the Sycamores (4-4, 2-3 MVFC), who could not get anything going on their ensuing drive which was stalled after four plays by the Redbirds' defense.

LET VALLEY PLAY BEGIN
In the ever-tough Missouri Valley Football Conference, it is important to get off to a good start. The Redbirds will be looking start strong this weekend, when they travel to Terre Haute to take on Indiana State in the 2016 league opener.  The Redbirds have had mixed success, posting a 4-3 record in conference-opening games since 2009, however they have won three out of their last four league openers.  Their success against the Sycamores has also been impressive, having won the last five games and 16 out of the last 18 games overall.

BELLO BRINGS THE BOOM
When B.J. Bello transferred to Illinois State, head coach Brock Spack told him that his new role on the team would be as a pass rusher. Bello was apprehensive, having never had to fill that role in his previous time at Illinois, however it looks like Spack knows best. The senior has recorded a sack in each of the first three games of the season for the Redbirds and leads the team with 4.5 tackles-for-loss.  He has also forced a pair of fumbles as he took the opposing quarterback down for a sack and has been credited with two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup. Bello currently ranks in the top 20 in the FCS in sacks per game and forced fumbles.

A MILESTONE DAY FOR WARRUM
Senior wide receiver Anthony Warrum has piled up awards and accolades over the past two seasons at Illinois State.  With his performance against in-state rival Eastern Illinois, Warrum reached a pair of new milestones and continued to cement his name in the ISU record books. Warrum caught five passes for 96, which moved him over the 100 catch plateau and the 2,000 yard receiving mark in his time in a Redbird uniform.  Warrum now ranks No. 6 all-time with 2,092 yards and No. 12 with 103 receptions and is just two touchdowns away from tying for No. 3 on the career touchdown list.

SPACK PASSES A LEGEND
The history of the Illinois State football program has been altered greatly during the tenure of head coach Brock Spack, with numerous 10-win seasons, playoff appearances and a national championship game appearance.  With the team's 9-7 win over Northwestern, Spack continued to cement his legacy as one of the best coaches in ISU football history. The victory was No. 58 for Spack, which moved him past legendary coach and stadium namesake Howard Hancock for second on the all-time wins list.  Spack still needs 18 more wins to tie Edwin Struck (86) for the wins record at ISU, but already has the best winning percentage (.659) among all coaches with over two years coaching at Illinois State.

THAT'S A FIRST
The Redbirds were 0-for-8 in previous tries against Big Ten Conference opponents heading into the game against Northwestern at Ryan Field.  ISU had recorded a pair of losses each to Illinois, Minnesota and Purdue and a lone loss each to Iowa (in 2015) and the Wildcats (in 2010).  However, that all changed when Sean Slattery connected on a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give the Redbirds a 9-7 win over the Wildcats and their first win over a Big Ten team in school history.  The win was the second for the Redbirds against a FBS foe in the past five seasons, with the last win coming at Eastern Michigan in 2012.

DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
With only six starters returning from last season, the Redbird defense headed into 2016 as talented but unproven unit. Through two games, the group affectionately called "The Mutts" by their coaches has proven to be dominant in stopping opposing offenses.  Through eight quarters of play, the Redbird defense had allowed just one touchdown and just over one point per quarter.  In a pair of wins, opponents averaged just over 200 yards per game of total offense and have only managed to run for 54 yards per game on the ground.  After three games, the Redbird defense ranks No. 2 nationally in total defense (223.3 yards per game), No. 7 in scoring defense (14.7 points per game allowed) and No. 4 in red zone defense (.500).

WARRUM RETURNS TO FORM
Senior wide receiver Anthony Warrum headed into his final season with All-America accolades and school records already on his resume, but he still wanted to prove he is one of the best receivers in FCS football.  After a quiet debut in a win over Valparaiso in the season opener, Warrum returned to his All-American form and had a fantastic game against Northwestern in a huge victory for the Redbirds.  The Fishers, Indiana, native was quarterback Jake Kolbe's favorite target against the Wildcats, tying a career-high with nine receptions and finishing the game with 116 yards overall.  The 100-plus yard effort was the seventh of Warrum's career at Illinois State and hopefully the first of many in 2016.