Mid-America Classic Next Up For The Redbirds

THE FACTS
Date: Sept. 8, 2018
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Site: Normal, Ill.
Stadium: Hancock Stadium
Capactiy: 13,391
Series: ILS leads 55-42-9
Streak: ISU, W1
Last: ILS won 44-13 on Sept. 16, 2017
Watch: NBC Sports Chicago Plus / ESPN+
Listen: WJBC AM 1230 / 93.7 FM

THE GAME
One of the oldest rivalries in FCS football resumes Saturday, as No. 19 Illinois State hosts in-state foe Eastern Illinois in the 107th playing of the Mid-America Classic. The Redbirds head in coming off a 46-0 shutout win over Saint Xavier, while the Panthers come in at 0-1 after dropping a 55-20 decision to SEC opponent Arkansas last week. Today's game has also officially been designated as an Illinois Bicentennial Event by the State of Illinois.

THE SERIES
The Redbirds and the Panthers continue their long-time rivalry, with ISU leading the all-time series 55-42-9. The two teams have split the previous two contests, with each squad winning on the road, however the Redbirds have won three out of the last four games overall. Since taking over in 2009, ISU is 5-4 against EIU under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack, who spent time early in his career as an assistant coach in Charleston working for legendary head coach Bob Spoo.

THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 10th season as the head coach at Illinois State (69-40). Spack led the Redbirds to three-straight FCS playoff appearances from 2014-16 and guided the Redbirds to back-to-back shares of the MVFC title in 2014-15.

Eastern Illinois: Kim Dameron (Arkansas, 1983) is in his fifth season as the Eastern Illinois head coach (24-23). EIU was 6-5 overall last season and posted their third straight winning season, marking the first time since 2005-07 that EIU has accomplished that feat.

THE @REDBIRDFB PROGRAM

• 7 FCS playoff appearances (1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016)
•  5-time FCS quarterfinalists (1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015)
• 2-time FCS semifinalists (1999, 2014)
• The team is 44-11 at home under Spack's guidance
• ISU is 27-5 at Hancock Stadium since 2013
• The team tied a program-record cumulative GPA of 2.94 in the Spring 2017 semester

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT

• Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois, and has an enrollment of 7,415 students. The Panthers are members of the Ohio Valley Conference.
• The Panthers finished the 2017 season with a 6-5 overall record, including a 5-3 mark in OVC play. They return 32 letterwinners and 11 starters from that squad in 2018.
• Eastern Illinois was selected to finish fifth in the OVC preseason poll, behind predicted top finisher Jacksonville State,  Austin Peay, UT Martin and Tennessee State.
• Alexander Hollins was named the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week, after scoring all three of the Panthers touchdowns in the season-opening loss at SEC member Arkansas.  Hollins posted career highs of nine catches and 127 yards, while hauling in three touchdowns in a game for the second time in his EIU career.
• Arkansas took advantage of four EIU turnovers inside the Panthers' own 35 yard line in the first half to come away with the 55-20 victory. 

LAST TIME VS. THE PANTHERS (9/16/2017)
Holding the Panthers to a mere 14 total rushing yards on O'Brien Field, No. 14 Illinois State defeated Eastern Illinois, 44-13, in the 106th meeting of the Mid-America Classic to take home the trophy. The Redbird defense racked up six sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss in the victory and held EIU to just seven first downs and 117 yards of total offense. The 31-point margin of victory was the Redbirds' largest in the series since 1992, when ISU defeated EIU 48-7 at Hancock Stadium.

10 FOR 10
Ten seasons, ten wins in home openers for the Redbirds under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack. Thanks to a 46-0 shutout win over Saint Xavier, Illinois State has now picked up a victory in the home opener for 10-straight years dating back to Spack's first career win, a 38-7 win over Austin Peay in the 2009 home opener. The home dominance is not a new trend for the Redbirds, who are a combined 44-11 at home during Spack's tenure and 27-5 at Hancock Stadium since the renovation of the facility in 2013.

INTERCEPTIONS GALORE
The Illinois State defense prides itself on creating takeaways, so it should be very happy with its performance against Saint Xavier in the home opener. Not only did the Redbirds shut out the Cougars and hold them to -30 yards rushing, they also recorded three interceptions to go along with a fumble recovery in the contest. Ty DeForest, Luther Kirk and Mitchell Brees each recorded picks for ISU, which had not recorded three interceptions in a game since Oct. 29, 2016 when DraShane Glass, La'Darius Newbold and Willie Edwards each snagged INTs.

FOUR-HEADED MONSTER?
Heading into the season, much of the buzz surrounding the ISU offense centered on the dynamic running game and the three-headed monster of James Robinson, Markel Smith and Jordan Birch. However, after last Saturday's win over Saint Xavier that group may need to make room for a fourth monster in senior Nick Kielbasa. Each recorded a touchdown in the win over the Cougars, as ISU rushed for five scores on the ground and racked up 191 rushing yards. Kielbasa's score, a seven-yard hard-fought effort, was the final touchdown of the day for ISU and the first in the career of the former walk-on turned 2018 team captain.

DO I KNOW YOU?
Several new faces saw action for the first time last Saturday night against Saint Xavier, as six true freshmen played against the Cougars. Defensive backs Charles Woods, Mike Gardner, Iverson Brown and Luke Bennyhoff all got in on the action, as did wide receivers Austin Nagel and Taylor Grimes. In past years, this would have meant that each would have lost the opportunity to redshirt, however a new NCAA rule this season allows freshmen to play in up to four games and still maintain their redshirt status.

ONE GAME = ONE HONOR FOR DAVIS
Illinois State quarterback Brady Davis led the Redbirds to a 46-0 shutout win over Saint Xavier in his first game under center, and for his efforts was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week by the league office. The Columbus, Mississippi, native earned the starting quarterback role after a strong performance in fall training camp and did not disappoint. The transfer from Memphis finished the night 12-for-19 (63.2 percent) for 123 yards with a touchdown, while compiling an efficiency rating of 134.91. He tossed his first career touchdown pass at ISU late in the first quarter, when he found senior tight end Tylor Petkovich in the end zone for a 15-yard score to put ISU up 14-0 at the time. 

BIRDS FLYING HIGH IN NATIONAL POLLS
After heading into the season ranked No. 20 in one poll and No. 21 in the other, the Illinois State football team found itself at No. 19 in both the AFCA Coaches Poll and the STATS FCS Top 25 poll this week following its season-opening shutout win over Saint Xavier. Led by North Dakota State at No. 1, the MVFC has five teams ranked in the Top 25 this week. South Dakota State (3/3), Illinois State (19/19), UNI (21/18) and South Dakota (23/RV) also represent the league in the STATS and AFCA rankings, respectively.

PROTECTING THE NEST 
Opposing teams coming to Hancock Stadium have not felt very welcome, as Redbird teams led by head coach Brock Spack have not been very accommodating in the win column to visitors. ISU is a combined 44-11 at home during Spack's tenure and have gone 27-5 at Hancock Stadium since the renovation of the facility in 2013.

A WINNING TRADITION
The Redbirds' 6-5 overall record and a 4-4 mark in MVFC play in 2017 is the eighth .500 or better effort in the last nine seasons under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack, who began his tenure at ISU with 6-5 records in both 2009-10. That consistency of winning has not been seen at Illinois State since the 1940's, when the Redbirds posted seven winning seasons in eight years from 1943-50 under the guidance of coaches Howard Hancock and Edwin Struck. Overall, the Redbirds have amassed a 69-40 (.633) record under the leadership of Spack, the highest winning percentage of any football head coach with more than one season at the helm.

REDBIRDS IN THE PROS
ISU is well represented in the NFL, as six players were named to 53-man opening day rosters in 2018. Nearly 160 former FCS standouts made the cut, with Harvard at the top among FCS schools with nine players on NFL rosters. Delaware, Illinois State, James Madison and North Dakota State tied for second with six players each.

Here is a list of the former Redbirds on active NFL rosters or practice squads:
BJ Bello - Arizona Cardinals (practice squad)
Davontae Harris - Cincinnati Bengals
Shelby Harris - Denver Broncos
Mike Liedtke - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cameron Meredith - New Orleans Saints
James O'Shaughnessy - Jacksonville Jaguars
Nate Palmer - Tennessee Titans