SETTING THE SCENE
Date: October 1, 2022
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Site: Normal, Illinois
Stadium: Hancock Stadium
Capacity: 13,391
Series: SIU leads 42-38-3
Last: SIU won 35-17 (Sept. 25, 2021)
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Stream: ESPN+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 93.7 FM / The Varsity Network
THE GAME
With the non-conference portion of the schedule in the rearview for Illinois State, the focus now turns to the ever challenging Missouri Valley Conference slate for the Redbirds (2-1, 0-0 MVFC) who welcome in No. 19 Southern Illinois (2-2, 1-0 MVFC) to Hancock Stadium for a Family Weekend contest.
THE SERIES
Illinois State and Southern Illinois will meet for the 84th time on the gridiron. SIU leads the all-time series over ISU by a margin of 42-38-3, which dates back to 1929. The Redbirds have won five out of the last seven games overall in the series and have won three straight against the Salukis at Hancock Stadium. ISU head coach Brock Spack is an even 6-6 against the Salukis in his time with the Redbirds.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 14th season as the head coach at Illinois State (91-61). Spack guided the Redbirds to back-to-back shares of the MVFC title in 2014-15 and an appearance in the 2014 FCS Championship game. He has led the ISU to five playoff appearances overall and became the program's all-time wins leader in 2021.
Southern Illinois: Nick Hill (Southern Illinois, 2007) is in his seventh season as the head coach at Southern Illinois (33-39). Hill has helped turn around his alma mater since taking the helm as head coach in 2017, as the Salukis are one of only five programs at the FCS level to advance to the round of 16 of the FCS Playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
- Southern Illinois University is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and has an enrollment of 11,107. The Salukis are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play their home games at Saluki Stadium (15,000).
- The Salukis are 2-2 on the year, bouncing back from losses in their first two games to Incarnate Word and Southeast Missouri with wins the past two weekends over Big Ten foe Northwestern and North Dakota in their MVFC opener last week.
- Quarterback Nic Baker threw four touchdown passes in last week's 34-17 win over North Dakota. A week after their stunning upset of Northwestern, the Salukis never trailed in the game against the No. 19-ranked Fighting Hawks and outgained them by a margin of 458-271.
- Wideout Avante Cox has been Baker's favorite target on the year, with 21 receptions for 241 yards with three receiving touchdowns.Â
- David Miller leads the way for the Salukis defense, with two sacks and five TFLs through four games. His 18 tackles rank third on the team, behind PJ Jules (23) and Antonio Fletcher (21).
LAST TIME VS. SALUKIS (9/25/2021)
 Illinois State battled tough against No. 7 Southern Illinois, but ultimately the Salukis' offense proved to be too much in the second half and the Redbirds fell 35-17 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference season opener. The Redbirds held a 17-0 lead early in the third quarter after a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jackson Waring, but the Salukis ripped off 35 unanswered points to come away with the victory in Carbondale.
BOOMER GETS THE CALL TO THE HALL
Illinois State football legend Boomer Grigsby has earned a spot among college football's all-time greats, as the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced that he will be a member of the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class. Grigsby is one of 18 First Team All-America players and three standout coaches in the 2022 Class and will be honored at his On Campus Salute between quarters 1 and 2 against the Salukis. The first Illinois State football player to be selected for the College Football Hall of Fame, Grigsby was a three-time First-Team All-American (2002-04) and is the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) career leader in total (550) and solo (325) tackles. He was a three-time Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year, making him the only player in league history to accomplish the feat, and was also a three-time finalist in the Buck Buchanan Award voting as the nation's top FCS defensive player. He is the only player in the history of the award to finish in the top-three for three-consecutive years. The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
FINDING THE ENDZONE
The Redbird receiving crew came into the season with a lot of question marks and several young players who had not seen a lot of action. Through three games, several of those young receivers have stepped up in big ways, including a pair in the win over Eastern Illinois. Sophomores J'Kalon Carter and Daniel Sobkowicz each recorded their first career touchdowns in the victory over the Panthers and led the team as the top two receivers in the contest. Carter led the Redbirds with four catches for 56 yards, and Sobkowicz had three grabs for 49 yards, both of which were career highs.
TURNING TAKEAWAYS INTO POINTS
The swarming Redbird defense didn't need much help from the ISU offense in defeating Eastern Illinois. The defense forced five turnovers, which it turned into 21 points in the victory over the Panthers. 14 of those 21 points came on a pair of interception returns for touchdowns by Jeff Bowens and Deandre Lamont, and the other seven came after a recovered punt by Matthew Wedig resulted in a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Zack Annexstad late in the third quarter. ISU nearly had another defensive touchdown on a long fumble return by Lavoise-Deontae McCoy, but the fumble call was reversed, and the points were taken of the board.
VANDENBURGH, ANNEXSTAD HONORED BY MVFC
Illinois State linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh and quarterback Zack Annexstad helped lead the Redbirds to a big 35-7 win over longtime rival Eastern Illinois in the 110th meeting of the Mid-America Classic. For their efforts, each came away with Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week honors. Vandenburgh took home MVFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week and for the third time in his career, while Annexstad earned the first MVFC Newcomer of the Week honor in his time at Illinois State. Vandenburgh's final line was extremely balanced against EIU, as he led the team with eight tackles, added a sack, three tackles-for-loss, recovered a fumble, had a pass breakup that led to an interception for a touchdown and was credited with two quarterback hurries. Annexstad accounted for three touchdowns for the Redbirds against the Panthers as he threw a pair of touchdown passes and rushed for another in the victory over EIU.
THE STREAK CONTINUES
Redbird teams have been very successful in scoring on defense under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack. Thanks to a pair of pick six returns against Eastern Illinois, the Redbirds extended their streak to 14 seasons straight with at least one defensive score. Of note, linebacker Kenton Wilhoit had an INT return for a touchdown in the 2021 spring and fall seasons and could extend his own streak with another in 2022.
HITTING ANOTHER GEAR
Redbird safety Dillon Gearhart was in the face of Valparaiso quarterback Mason Kaplan all night and was a big reason for the Redbirds holding on for a close victory. Gearhart recorded a career-high six tackles, had two sacks, 3.0 TFLs and recorded an interception as well. His performance aided in the Redbirds recording six tackles and three interceptions in the contest, which came down to the last snap until it was decided.
THE WRIGHT STUFF
When Redbird starting running back Cole Mueller was lost to injury early in the Wisconsin game, the rest of the ISU running back room knew it would need to step up to fill the void of the team's leading rusher from a year ago. Redshirt freshman Wenkers Wright got the message and took the lead against Valparaiso, as he recorded the first 100-plus yard rushing effort of his career in the victory over the Beacons. After a slow start with only 16 yards in the first half, Wright rallied for 85 yards in the final two quarters of the game to finish with 101 yards on 21 carries. Those crucial yards helped the Redbirds chew up clock and hold on for a big win in the home opener.
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