Redbirds and Leathernecks Set To Meet For 100th Time

THE FACTS
Date: Nov. 4, 2017
Time: Noon CT
Site: Normal, Illinois
Stadium: Hancock Stadium (13,391)
Series: WIU leads 50-46-3
Streak: ILS won 7
Last: ILS won 31-26 at WIU on Nov. 5, 2016
Listen: WJBC AM 1230 / 93.7 FM
Streaming Audio: GoRedbirds.com and TuneIn App
Watch: ESPN3

PROMOTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Two special promotional items will be distribute to fans prior to kickoff Saturday. 500 Reggies Kids Club Pillowcases, courtesy of Papa John's, will be presented to kids age 12 and under beginning at 10 a.m. in the Fun Zone located inside Horton Field House. In addition, the first 1,000 fans through the gates at Hancock Stadium will be handed a traveler mug presented by Advocate BroMenn Medical Center.

THE GAME
Coming off back-to-back wins over nationally-ranked opponents, No. 12 Illinois State returns home to host in-state rival No. 15 Western Illinois in the 100th game in the all-time series between the two programs on Family Weekend at ISU.

THE SERIES
Illinois State and Western Illinois will meet for the 100th time today. The Leathernecks lead the all-time series 50-46-3, however the Redbirds have dominated the recent slate with wins in their last seven contests against WIU. The series dates back to 1904 and has been played each year since 1923.     

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Illinois State: James Robinson, RB, So.
For the second-consecutive week, Robinson rushed for over 100 yards to lead the Redbirds to a victory over Youngstown State. The Rockford, Illinois, native followed up his 193-yard effort from the previous week with 117 yards on 22 carries (5.3 avg.) and set a career-best with three rushing touchdowns in the Redbirds' 35-0 shutout win over the Penguins.

Western Illinois: Steve McShane, RB, Jr. 
McShane rushed for 90 yards and matched a career-high of two touchdown runs last week in a loss to nationally-ranked South Dakota State. He also added another receiving touchdown to go along with on 66 yards receiving on three receptions. 

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
>>>  Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois, and has an enrollment of 10,373 students. The Fighting Leathernecks are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play their home games at Hanson Field (16,368).
>>>  WIU is led by head coach Charlie Fisher, who is in his second year in charge of the storied Leatherneck Football program (11-8). In his first season at the helm, the Leathernecks jumped out to a 3-0 start during the 2016 season, winning all three non-conference games, including a 28-23 FBS win at Northern Illinois - the program's first since 2003 - and got off to a 6-2 mark.
>>>  The Leathernecks started the season 3-0, before suffering a close 38-33 defeat at the hands of then No. 10 ranked South Dakota to begin MVFC play. Two more wins at UNI and against Missouri State followed, but WIU heads into the game against ISU as losers of the last two contests at No. 2 North Dakota State and at home against No. 11 South Dakota State.
>>>  Senior wide receiver Jaelon Acklin finished with six catches for 59 yards last week against South Dakota State. He now has 1,002 yards this season, marking the eighth 1,000-yard performance in a season in program history. Acklin is the sixth receiver to reach 1,000 yards in a season, extending the streak to four straight years with a 1,000-yard receiver (Lance Lenoir 2014-16).
>>>  All-American linebacker Brett Taylor had 14 stops against the Jackrabbits and leads the MVFC with 118 total tackles to go along with 10.5 TFLs. Taylor increased his career tackles total to 425 in his illustrious career.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET (NOV. 5, 2016)
Quarterback Jake Kolbe threw a career-high four touchdowns and led Illinois State to its second-consecutive victory over a ranked opponent, as the Redbirds dispatched No. 11 Western Illinois, 31-26, to keep their playoff hopes alive at Hanson Field. Senior wide receiver Anthony Warrum was on the other end of two of those touchdowns, finishing the day off with season-high 152 receiving yards highlighted by a season-long 58-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. The defense had a strong day holding WIU's to just 68 rushing yards.

HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
When Illinois State hosts Western Illinois, it will mark the 100th meeting between the two in-state rivals. WIU holds a 50-46-3 lead in the series, which began in 1904. The two teams have played every year since 1923 and no team has had a winning streak longer than eight games. The Redbirds currently have a seven-game winning streak over the Leathernecks and have won eight of the last nine contests overall under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack. Additionally, Illinois State sports 28-21 home record against Western Illinois, winning the last six consecutive games at Hancock Stadium. It will mark the second 100-plus game series for ISU, which played its 106th game against in-state foe Eastern Illinois earlier this season.

RUNNING PAST THE PENGUINS
For the second-straight week, the Illinois State rushing attack was dominant and rushed for nearly 300 yards.  The duo of Markel Smith (124) and James Robinson (117) paced the attack and they became the first duo to both run for over 100 yards since Dec. 5, 2015, when Marshaun Coprich (217) and Tre Roberson (111) achieved the feat in the FCS playoffs against Western Illinois. Robinson has now rushed for over 100 yards in consecutive weeks and Smith recorded the first 100-plus yard effort of his career at ISU in the victory over the Penguins.
 
MCCOWN MAKES GOOD
It's always good to be in the right place at the right time, and senior defensive lineman Matt McCown was the beneficiary of one such happenstance of luck in the Redbirds' win at Youngstown State. Just six minutes into the game, Tyree Horton sacked YSU quarterback Nathan Mays and forced a fumble that popped in the air landed in the arms of McCown, who rumbled 26 yards for the defensive score to widen the ISU lead to 14-0 at the time. The score was the first of McCown's career and the third defensive score for the Redbirds this season.

RANKING THE WINS
Following victories over then fourth-ranked South Dakota and No. 21 Youngstown State, the Redbirds logged back-to-back top-25 wins for the first time this season, as their only ranked wins of the year. Illinois State's Homecoming win over No. 4 South Dakota was the Redbirds' highest ranked win since their 2014 National Championship run. Illinois State topped then-ranked No. 1 New Hampshire, 21-18 in Durham, New Hampshire. Additionally, the homecoming victory was the first ranked win of the 2017 campaign and the first win over a ranked opponent since Nov. 5, 2016 when ISU topped No. 11 Western Illinois, 31-26 on the road. Illinois State's momentum continued on the road at No. 21 Youngstown State, when the Redbirds blanked the Penguins, 35-0. The shutout was the first Valley shutout of the year and only the second shutout in the series history against Youngstown State with the first coming in 1997.

REDBIRD TRIO WIN WEEKLY VALLEY HONORS
Spencer Schnell, Sean Slattery and Dean Helt each had standout performances in Illinois State's big Homecoming win over No. 4 South Dakota. Their efforts each earned each of them MVFC Player of the Week honors. Schnell set a career-high with 191 yards receiving on just seven receptions and scored the game's first two touchdowns to win Offensive Player of the Week plaudits. For the third time this season, Slattery made three field goals and finished the game with 13 total points for the Redbirds in the win over the Coyotes to earn Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the second time this year. Lastly, Helt graded out at 88 percent and was credited with five knockdowns, while not allowing a sack to be named the Offensive Lineman of the Week.
 
RE-ESTABLISHING THE RUNNING GAME
Through the first three games of the season, the Illinois State running attack rushed for over 150 yards or more and scored at least three touchdowns in three victories. However, the Redbirds found that success hard to maintain, as they could not crack the 150-yard mark in the next three contests and did not have a rushing touchdown. Against No. 4 South Dakota, Illinois State was able to re-establish its running game and amassed a season-high 331 yards on the ground. ISU is now 5-0 this season when rushing for over 150 yards and just 1-2 when falling below that mark.