SETTING THE SCENE
Date: Oct. 20, 2018
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Site: Fargo, North Dakota
Stadium: Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome
Capacity: 18,700
Series: North Dakota State leads 8-2
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 93.7 FM / TuneIn
THE GAME
A matchup of Top 10 FCS opponents and two of the best scoring defenses in all of FCS football is set, as No. 7/8 Illinois State (5-1, 2-1 MVFC) heads to face defending MVFC and national champion No. 1 North Dakota State (6-0, 3-0 MVFC) in a battle inside the Fargodome.
THE SERIES
The Redbirds and the Bison will meet for the 11th time, with NDSU holding an 8-2 lead in the series. ISU picked up back-to-back wins over North Dakota State in head coach Brock Spack's first two years in 2009-10, but NDSU has since won six-straight including a 29-27 come-from-behind victory over ISU in the 2014 FCS National Championship game.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 10th season as the head coach at Illinois State (73-41). Spack has led the Redbirds to four FCS playoff appearances, including three-straight from 2014-16 and guided the Redbirds to back-to-back shares of the MVFC title in 2014-15. His 2014 team advanced to the NCAA FCS National Championship game, the first in the program's history.
North Dakota State: Chris Klieman (Northern Iowa, 1990) is in his fifth season as the head coach at North Dakota State (60-6). Klieman has won four conference championships and three national titles at the helm of the Bison. Klieman was named the Bruce Craddock MVFC Coach of the Year in 2017, after leading NDSU to its third outright league crown.
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
- North Dakota State University is located in Fargo, North Dakota, and has an enrollment of 13,796 students. The Bison are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
- The Bison, coming off a sixth FCS National Championship in the last seven years, are a unanimous No. 1 choice in both national FCS polls once again this week with a perfect 6-0 overall record and 3-0 mark in MVFC play.
- NDSU forced five turnovers, including a fumble recovery for touchdown in the second quarter, to spark a 34-7 victory over Western Illinois last week. The Bison scored 17 points off those turnovers and intercepted four passes off the Leathernecks.
- Safety James Hendricks was named the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the victory over the Leathernecks. Hendricks intercepted two passes and broke up another for the Bison.
- Bison quarterback Easton Stick and running back Bruce Anderson are nominated for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, presented to the FCS offensive player of the year. On the other side of the ball, safety Robbie Grimsley and defensive end Greg Menard were named to the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the FCS defensive player of the year.
LAST TIME VS. THE BISON (11/18/17)
With rain turning into snow, No. 4 North Dakota and No. 21 Illinois State battled through a first half stalemate before the Bison clinched the outright MVFC Championship with a 20-7 win over the Redbirds on Senior Day at Hancock Stadium. Running back James Robinson rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown, his sixth game with at least 80 or more yards rushing, and senior defensive tackle Dalton Keene tied his career best with two sacks and finished the game with 2.5 tackles for loss.
TO BE THE BEST, YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST
If the Redbirds have any hopes of winning the Missouri Valley Football Conference title and getting a high seed in the FCS playoff field, they will have to go through two of the best teams in the MVFC and the country in the next two weeks. ISU heads to Fargo, North Dakota, this week to take on consensus No. 1 ranked North Dakota State (6-0) and then host No. 2 ranked South Dakota State (4-1) next week at Hancock Stadium. To make matters worse, the Redbirds then travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Nov. 3 to face No. 25 Northern Iowa, who jumped back into the polls this week.
GROUND AND POUND
The Redbird running back duo of James Robinson and Markel Smith have combined to give opposing defenses fits all season, and they helped ISU rush for over 400 yards in its 51-3 Homecoming win over Southern Illinois. Each set career highs and scored a touchdown, as Robinson (202) and Smith (143) tallied 345 of the team's 409 rushing yards against the Salukis. It marked the second time in as many seasons that each rushed for over 100 yards in the same contest and the 409 yards gained on the ground were the fifth-most in a game for a Redbird team in school history.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
For the second time this season, Redbird quarterback Brady Davis tossed four touchdown passes as ISU rolled to its win over Southern Illinois. Davis also made sure to spread the wealth around to his receivers, as four different pass catchers hauled in scores on the afternoon. Andrew Edgar was the first recipient, as he hauled in his second score of the year on a 10-yard pass in the second quarter. Just two minutes later, Davis found tight end Robert Gillum in the end zone for a three-yard touchdown, also his second of the year. Braxton Haley capped off the explosive second quarter with his first touchdown reception at ISU, a four-yard score just before half. Mr. Reliable Spencer Schnell was the final beneficiary of Davis' generosity on the day, as he hauled in a 16-yard grab for his fifth score of the season. Overall, seven different ISU players have caught a touchdown this season.
STATE CHAMPIONS
Each year, one of the goals set forth by the Redbird seniors is to win the 'state championship' by defeating in-state rivals Eastern Illinois, Southern Illinois and Western Illinois. It's a task that has proved elusive, having not accomplished the feat since 2015. However, ISU made it look easy in 2018 by outscoring their in-state rivals 132-29 in the victories over the Panthers, Salukis and Leathernecks. The home victories have also helped the Redbirds improve to 30-5 overall at Hancock Stadium since 2013 when the facility renovation was completed.
DAVIS DOES IT AGAIN
For the third time this season, Illinois State junior quarterback Brady Davis was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week following his performance in the 51-3 win over Southern Illinois. Davis previously earned MVFC Newcomer of the Week honors after strong efforts in back-to-back wins over Saint Xavier and Eastern Illinois. The transfer from Memphis tied a career-best with four touchdown passes, matching his high set earlier in the season in a win over Eastern Illinois, and he now has 14 on the season with just one interception. The Columbus, Mississippi, native also picked up several first downs on the ground, with a long run of 25 yards in the contest.
REDBIRDS RANK AMONG THE BEST
Illinois State ranks No. 7 in the most recent AFCA Coaches' Poll and No. 8 in the STATS FCS Top 25 Poll and sits near the top of the FCS in several categories. ISU boasts the fifth-best scoring defense in the country (12.0 points per game) and is third in team pass efficiency defense (94.10). The Redbirds also rank sixth in 3rd down conversion percentage defense (.269) and turnover margin (1.50), with the second-fewest turnovers lost in the FCS.
CAPTAIN KIRK
After sitting out the entire 2017 season, junior safety Luther Kirk returned to the team looking to make an impact in the Redbird secondary in 2018. His actions in the offseason led to his teammates voting him a team captain and his performance through six games in 2018 has shown just how much he was missed. In a big win over Western Illinois, Kirk put the game away with a crucial pick six that he returned 39 yards for a touchdown with 4:28 left to put the Redbirds up by ten points at 26-16. The interception was his second in as many weeks and his team-leading third of the season. He has also set a career-best with 25 tackles on the season, as he and the rest of the Redbird defense have already tied the 2017 team interception total through six contests.
THE FIRST AXIOM OF WINNING
ISU head coach Brock Spack tells his team often that "the first axiom of winning is not beating yourself." Turning the football over is the easiest way to kill a game's momentum and send your team into a spiral in the loss column. So far, the Redbirds have heeded that warning and only turned the ball over twice in 2018, while forcing 11 takeaways on defense for a +9 mark in the turnover column. ISU has a +1.50 turnover margin, which ranks No. 6 in the FCS, and is No. 2 in the country in turnovers lost, behind North Carolina Central.
HERE'S TO YOU MR. ROBINSON
Heading into 2018, James Robinson was on many pre-season lists and was expected to be one of the better backs in the FCS. Through six games, he is proving that he deserves that attention. The junior from Rockford, Illinois, ranks in the top 15 in the FCS in seven different offensive categories and is No. 4 overall with his nine rushing touchdowns. He also ranks No. 6 in the FCS in total touchdowns (10), rushing yards (783), yards per game (130.5) and scoring (10.0). Robinson has run for over 100 yards in four of the last five contests and scored multiple touchdowns in three contests, including a career-best tying three touchdowns in the win over Western Illinois. Thanks to his 202 yard performance against Southern Illinois, Robinson also became the 12th player in school history to rush for over 2,000 career yards and the first to run for over 200 yards in a game since Marshaun Coprich in 2015.
