SETTING THE SCENE
Date: September 18, 2021
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Site: Charleston, Illinois
Stadium: O'Brien Field
Capacity: 10,000
Series: ILS leads 57-42-9
Last: ILS won 21-3 (Sept. 14, 2019)
Stream: ESPN+
Listen: WJBC AM 1230 / 102.1 FM / 93.7 FM / The Varsity Network
THE GAME
After missing their annual rivalry game last year due to the pandemic, Illinois State (1-1) and Eastern Illinois (0-3) renew one of the longest rivalries in the FCS in Charleston with the playing of the 109th Mid-America Classic.
THE SERIES
The Redbirds and the Panthers will meet for the 109th time on the gridiron, with Illinois State holding a 57-42-9 advantage in the series which dates back to 1901. The two teams last met during the 2019 non-conference slate, with the Redbirds winning 21-3 in Charleston. The win was the third-straight for the Redbirds in the series, the third straight for the 'Birds in Charleston, and their fifth win in the last six games overall against the Panthers. Overall, ISU head coach Brock Spack is 7-4 against EIU, where he started his coaching career under the legendary Bob Spoo.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 13th season as the head coach at Illinois State (86-54). Spack guided the Redbirds to back-to-back shares of the MVFC title in 2014-15 and an appearance in the 2014 FCS Championship. He has led the ISU to eight playoff appearances overall and is two wins away from becoming the program's all-time wins leader.
Eastern Illinois: Adam Cushing (University of Chicago, 2002) is in his 3rd season as the head coach at Eastern Illinois (2-19). Prior to taking the head job at EIU, Cushing spent 15 years on the Northwestern coaching staff, with 13 seasons spent under the tutelage of head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
- Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois, and has an enrollment of 8,630 students. The Panthers are members of the Ohio Valley Conference and play their home games at O'Brien Field (10,000).
- The Panthers are off to an 0-3 start to the season, after dropping a Week Zero matchup at MVC foe Indiana State, falling to South Carolina on the road and at Dayton.
- EIU was limited to just five offensive plays in the third quarter last Saturday, as Dayton scored 17 points while holding the ball for most of the quarter. The 17 points scored by the Flyers was all the offense they would need as they held off the Panthers, 17-10.
- Punter Logen Neidhardt was named the Ohio Valley Conference Special Teams Player of the Week following the Panthers' loss at Dayton. Neidhardt helped the Panthers flip the field on several occasions in the game, as he averaged 52 yards per punt on six punt attempts in the game. He sailed a long punt of 72 yards, with one punt downed inside the 20-yard line, and three additional punts went for touchbacks. On the season, Neidhardt ranks 23rd in the FCS in punting average at 45.9 yards per punt.
- Jason Johnson was named a preseason first team All-OVC selection after earning first team All-OVC honors last season at linebacker. Johnson led the OVC in tackles per game last season finishing the year with 66 tackles. His 11 tackles per game ranked ninth in the FCS.
- Johnson was joined on the All-OVC preseason first team by kick returner Matt Judd. Last season, Judd he earned second-team honors at the position leading the OVC in kick return average at 24.8 yards per return. Judd also sees time at wide receiver hauling in eight passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in six games during the spring.
LAST TIME VS. THE PANTHERS (9/14/19)
No. 12 ranked Illinois State scored on its first drive of the game and never looked back, as the Redbirds retained possession of the Mid-America Classic trophy with a 21-3 victory at O'Brien Field over the Eastern Illinois Panthers in the 108th meeting between the two squads. Running back James Robinson finished the game with 146 yards rushing and tied his career high with three touchdown runs. In total, the Redbird defense tallied eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss against the Panthers and held them to just 197 yards of total offense.
SPACK TIES THE RECORD
Illinois State's season-opening win over Butler was a memorable one for head coach Brock Spack, who is now 86-54 in his career at ISU and is now tied with Edwin Struck for the most wins in program history. The win also pushed Spack's record in home openers to 12-1 at ISU and improved his non-conference record to 25-11 overall. He could break the tie this weekend with a victory at Eastern Illinois, where he started his collegiate coaching career.
BOHLKEN WITH THE BOOT
Senior punter JT Bohlken was one of the Redbirds' biggest weapons at Western Michigan, as he consistently flipped the field and kept the Broncos at bay with his right leg. Bohlken averaged nearly 50 yards per punt (49.8) and had six punts over 50 yards. His first of the night was his longest at 64 yards and his shortest punt of the night of 32 yards pinned the Broncos inside their own 5-yard line, one of two attempts that pinned the Broncos deep in their own end. Bohlken is now averaging 48.3 yards per punt on the season on 10 attempts with six punts over 50 yards. His 48.3 average currently ranks No. 4 in the FCS and No. 2 in the MVFC.
FORCING FUMBLES
The Redbird defense had to come up with big plays at Western Michigan, and two of the biggest of the night came on big hits that caused turnovers by the Broncos. The first came in the second quarter when WMU was driving deep in ISU territory, when Jude Okolo popped the ball loose and fellow defensive lineman Josh Dinga came up with the football at the ISU 4-yard line to stamp out a potential score. Then, late in the fourth quarter linebacker Jeremiah Jordan made a big stop and popped the ball loose and nose tackle Michael Gomez came away with the football for the second turnover of the night for the Redbirds.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT
Braden Price was all over the field for the Redbirds in their win over Butler in the season opener. The Wheeling, West Virginia, native recorded a pair of interceptions and tied for the team lead with seven tackles against the Bulldogs. The interceptions were the first two for Price in his time as a Redbird and he was also credited with a sack in the contest. His second interception of the night came in the endzone as the Bulldogs were threatening and on the next play from scrimmage after the touchback, Cole Mueller ripped off an 80-yard touchdown run.
GROUND AND POUND
A strong rushing attack is nothing new to Redbird teams, however it looked a bit different against the Butler Bulldogs. Instead of relying heavily on one back the likes of Coprich or Robinson, the Redbirds shared the football and racked up nearly 300 yards on the ground with five rushing scores. Cole Mueller, who missed all of last year due to an Achilles injury, led the way with 111 yards and two rushing touchdowns and Kevin Brown rushed for a career-high 81 yards. Sophomore Nigel White scored the game's first touchdown for ISU and even quarterback Bryce Jefferson got in on the act with a pair of rushing scores.
JEFFERSON DOES IT ALL
A strong fall camp for quarterback Bryce Jefferson gave everyone inside the Redbird football program reason for excitement headed into the season. Based off his performance in the season opener, it appears fans will be pleased to watch the Redbird signal-caller all season long. Jefferson accounted for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) in Illinois State's season-opening 49-7 win over Butler Saturday night, as the Redbird offense racked up 491 yards of total offense against the Bulldogs. Jefferson threw for 193 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown strike to Austin Nagel, and rushed for 37 yards on the ground with scores of 5 and 14 yards, respectively.
SUCCESS IN HOME OPENERS
The Redbirds have been very good at home under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack, especially in the home opener each season. After the team's 49-7 win over Butler in the 2021 home opener, ISU is now 12-1 in the first game of the season at Hancock Stadium.
LOTS OF FAMILIAR FACES
Fans who got to see the Redbirds in person last spring will notice a lot of familiar faces and names on the field Saturday night in the home opener against Butler. ISU returns 58 letterwinners and 19 starters (10 offense, nine defense) from the spring squad that went 1-3. Many of those faces got into the action against Butler, as 10 different players caught passes in the contest and 31 players were credited with at least one tackle in the final stats.
REDBIRDS IN THE PROS
As the NFL readies to open its season this weekend, several Redbirds will be representing the program as part of professional rosters. Four Redbirds made 53-man rosters including James Robinson and James O'Shaughnessy in Jacksonville, Davontae Harris in San Francisco and Shelby Harris in Denver. Joining Harris in Denver is recent All-American offensive tackle Drew Himmelman, who earned a spot on the Broncos' practice squad.
HANG YOUR HAT ON DEFENSE
The 2021 squad will feature a defense that was one of the best in the MVFC and in the country in several categories last spring. The Redbirds ranked No. 4 in the FCS in pass efficiency defense (97.91), No. 7 in 3rd down conversion percentage defense (.288), and No. 10 in total defense. ISU was also No. 12 in the country in rushing defense (95.00), which also led the league. With nine starters returning on defense for the Redbirds this fall, one should expect that the defense will once again be something fans can count on each and every week.
