Redbirds Set For Homecoming Matchup With Indiana State

SETTING THE SCENE
Date: October 14, 2023
Time: 2 p.m. CT
Site: Normal, Illinois
Stadium: Hancock Stadium
Capacity: 13,391
Series: ILS leads 39-32-2
Last: ILS won at INS, 27-21 (Oct. 22, 2022)
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Stream: ESPN+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 93.7 FM / The Varsity Network

THE GAME
Illinois State (3-2, 1-1 MVFC) will continue its homestand this weekend against longtime foe Indiana State (0-5, 0-2 MVFC), as the Redbirds welcome the Sycamores to Hancock Stadium for a Homecoming matchup as both squads look to pick up wins after losses last weekend.

THE SERIES
Illinois State and Indiana State will meet for the 74th time in the series history, with the Redbirds leading 39-32-2. Illinois State has won two out of the last three meetings overall, including a 27-21 win over Indiana State last season in Terre Haute. The Sycamores won the last matchup between the two teams at Hancock Stadium, winning 15-10 in the 2021 season finale. Overall, the Redbirds are 9-4 against the Sycamores under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack.

THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 15th season as the head coach at Illinois State (98-67). 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.

Indiana State: Curt Mallory (Michigan, 1992) is in his seventh season as the Indiana State head coach (19-42). Mallory and his staff mounted the biggest turnaround in collegiate football in
2018, after leading the Sycamores to a 7-4 finish, a third-place finish in the Missouri Valley
Football Conference and a No. 22 national ranking after finishing 0-11 the year prior.

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT

• Indiana State University is located in Terre Haute, Indiana, and has an enrollment of 8,305. The Sycamores are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play their home games at Memorial Stadium (12,764).
• The Sycamores head into the game with an 0-5 overall record and a 0-2 mark in Missouri Valley Football Conference action. Two of those non-conference losses came at the hands of FBS foes in Indiana (41-7) and Ball State (45-7) in back-to-back weeks.
• Two weeks ago, the Sycamores lost a heartbreaker to Murray State in their league opener. Indiana State pulled the game back to within two points at the 3:15 mark in the fourth quarter at 30-28 as quarterback Cade Chambers connected on a three-yard fade route to Harry Van Dyne to bring the Indiana State sidelines back to life in the contest. However, a late drive with under two minutes to play stalled near midfield and the Racers picked up the win.
• The Sycamores gave UNI everything they wanted last week in Terre Haute, but their fourth quarter comeback ended with an interception in the red zone as they fell to 0-2 in league play at Memorial Stadium by a score of 27-20.
• Placekicker Jake Andjelic was named this week's Missouri Valley Football Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the Panthers. Andjelic was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts, as the redshirt freshman made his Indiana State debut on the field. He connected from both 30 and 41 yards in his first two attempts on the year.

WELCOME HOME REDBIRDS
The annual ISU Homecoming game is always a festive time and one that most Redbird fans mark their calendar with every year. This year, when the Redbirds welcome in the Sycamores for Homecoming, they will do so with a lot of recent success. Since ISU head coach Brock Spack took over the program, the Redbirds are 10-3 overall on the annual alumni reunion weekend. Since the stadium renovation in 2013, ISU is 7-2 with both of the losses coming to Top-25 ranked teams in No. 13 Youngstown State (2016) and last year to No. 3 North Dakota State. 

SISKOWIC TO JOIN ILLINOIS STATE'S BEST ON HOMECOMING
One of Illinois State's football's best will take his place amongst the University's all-time greats in October, as former All-American linebacker Cameron Siskowic will be inducted as part of the 2023 ISU Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame class during Homecoming festivities. Siskowic ended his career as a two-time All-American and was twice named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award in 2005 and 2006, which is awarded to the top defensive player in FCS football. The 2006 MVFC Defensive Player of the Year, Siskowic was a three-year starter for the Redbirds and was a two-time All-MVFC selection. As a senior in 2006, he led the team with 154 tackles which ranked him No. 2 nationally and led the MVFC in total tackles for the second-straight season.

BLAKEMORE IS BACK
After a blazing start to his first season in a Redbird uniform, a shoulder injury suffered in the Eastern Illinois game kept running back Mason Blakemore out of the Lindenwood game. However, thanks to a bye week last week and more time to heal up, Blakemore was back for the game against the No. 1 ranked Jackrabbits. Getting the start in the backfield, the transfer from Northern Illinois ran well early and finally found the big-play he had been waiting for when he broke off tackle for a 37-yard touchdown run. He finished the game with 57 yards on six carries, and upped his team-leading total to six rushing touchdowns on the season. 

MR. EFFICIENT
A new offensive attack for Illinois State is certainly paying dividends for quarterback Zack Annexstad, who is completing passes at a record rate for the Redbirds. His performance against South Dakota State was particularly eye-opening, as he completed 26-of-33 pass attempts (78.7 percent) for 162 yards with a touchdown. That performance upped his season completion percentage to 71.5 percent, which would rank first in school history if it holds and currently ranks him No. 7 in all of FCS football. His passing efficiency rating is also 139.3, and with one more touchdown pass he will tie his total from a year ago.

COOL UNDER PRESSURE
A young and inexperienced Redbird defense headed into the season with a lot of question marks, however through five games they have not been the ones feeling the pressure: opposing quarterbacks and ball carriers have. Against Eastern Illinois, ISU racked up eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss and also picked up a pair of interceptions while forcing two fumbles with one recovery. All of that pressure finds them high in national rankings again this week, as the team now has 21 sacks on the year and 39 tackles for loss. The Redbirds rank No. 2 in the FCS in team sacks per game (4.2) and No. 8 in team tackles for loss per game (7.8). ISU also ranks No. 11 in scoring defense (17.8 points per game) and No. 21 in total defense (311.0 yards per game).

DAN THE MAN
Heading into the year, wideout Daniel Sobkowicz was the one proven commodity for the Redbird receiving corps and a trusted target for quarterback Zack Annexstad. A lot of work in the offseason with Annexstad and in the weight room seems to be paying big dividends for the former walk on, as he has cemented himself as a No. 1 receiver. Against South Dakota State, Sobkowicz shined with six grabs for 70 yards including a 7-yard touchdown grab from Annexstad and he also threw a touchdown pass to his quarterback. With those numbers, Sobkowicz now has 425 yards on the year through five games surpassing his total of 377 from a year ago and his three touchdown receptions tie his mark from last season.

NEXT MAN UP
True freshman running back Josh Robinson made the most of his opportunity to carry the ball against Lindenwood. The Bolingbrook, Illinois, native got his because of injuries for the Redbirds at the running back spot to Mason Blakemore and Wenkers Wright and did not disappoint, as he ran for team-best 84 yards on eight carries with his first career touchdown. Robinson averaged 10.5 yards per rush against the Lions, with his long run of 37 yards setting up a 2-yard touchdown run by Zack Annexstad in the fourth quarter.

ANNEXSTAD BOUNCES BACK
Coming off a tough performance in a loss to Eastern Illinois the week before, quarterback Zack Annexstad was in full control of the Redbird offense from the get-go in ISU' 48-17 win over Lindenwood. The Norseland, Minnesota, native had the best game of his career as a Redbird since transferring from Minnesota prior to the 2022 season, throwing for a career-best 288 yards and accounting for three touchdowns in the win over the Lions. Annexstad completed 78.7 percent of his passes (26-of-33) with two scores and added a touchdown on the ground. His big strike of the day came on a 62-yard touchdown connection to Dan Sobkowicz in the second quarter.

FITTING FOR FAMILY WEEKEND
It was Family Weekend at Illinois State, so it was only fitting that a legacy Redbird scored the first touchdown of his career with his family and friends in the stands. Redshirt freshman tight end Max Ziebarth capped off the scoring on the day with a 7-yard touchdown reception, the first of his young career, from quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse to bring the score to its final at 48-17. Max's father, Andy, was a three-time All-MVFC offensive lineman for the Redbirds in the mid 1990's and was there to watch his son shine in front of a sellout crowd at his old stomping grounds.

MUELLER RETURNS TO FORM
It's been a long road back for junior running back Cole Mueller, who missed the majority of the 2022 season due to an injury suffered in the season opener at Wisconsin. After a long road to recovery and some early season struggles in 2023, Mueller admitted he had been in a funk but felt he broke out with a strong performance against Lindenwood. Mueller carried the ball 18 times for 64 yards and scored twice on the ground for the Redbirds, who ran for four touchdowns on the day and over 200 yards on the ground in a dominant win over the Lions.