SETTING THE SCENE
Date: October 7, 2023
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Site: Normal, Illinois
Stadium: Hancock Stadium
Capacity: 13,391
Series: SDSU leads 6-5
Last: SDSU won 31-7 (Nov. 12, 2022)
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Stream: ESPN+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 93.7 FM / The Varsity Network
THE GAME
It will be a battle of ranked teams on Saturday night at Hancock Stadium, as the defending FCS national champion and No. 1 ranked South Dakota State Jackrabbits (4-0, 1-0 MVFC) travel to Normal to take on the No. 22 ranked Illinois State Redbirds (3-1, 1-0 MVFC) for a game under the lights at 6 p.m.
THE SERIES
Illinois State and South Dakota State will meet for the 12th time in the series history, with the Jackrabbits leading by a 6-5 mark. The teams have split the previous two meetings, both of which took place in Brookings, S.D. Overall, the Jacks have won three out of the last four meetings and ISU is 3-2 against SDSU at Hancock Stadium.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 15th season as the head coach at Illinois State (98-66). 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.
South Dakota State: Jimmy Rogers (South Dakota State, 2010) is in his first season as the South Dakota State head coach (4-0). Rogers was introduced as the 21st head football coach in South Dakota State history on Jan. 20, 2023, continuing his long association with Jackrabbit football that began as a student-athlete and has continued through the coaching ranks as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
THE REDBIRD FOOTBALL PROGRAM
- 8 FCS playoff appearances (1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019)
- 6-time FCS quarterfinalists (1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019)
- 2-time FCS semifinalists (1999, 2014)
- The team is 61-20 at home under Spack's guidance
- ISU is 44-14 at Hancock Stadium since 2013 renovation
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
- South Dakota State University is located in Brookings, South Dakota, and has an enrollment of 11,331. The Jackrabbits are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play their home games at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium (19,300).
- The Jackrabbits are the defending FCS national champions and are off to a 4-0 start to the season under first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers. SDSU is ranked No. 1 in both of the FCS top 25 polls this week heading into the game with the Redbirds.
- Last week, South Dakota State rolled to a 42-21 victory over No. 11 North Dakota in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for both teams at a sold-out Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. The victory for the Jackrabbits was their 18th consecutive dating back to last season.
- The Jacks offense was led by quarterback Mark Gronowski, who completed 13-of-22 passes for 167 yards, including three completions to Jaxon Janke for 51 yards and three to Zach Heins for 46 yards. Running back Isaiah Davis also had a stellar day, ending the afternoon with 132 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns.
- Standout lineman Mason McCormick was a big reason for that success, as he graded at 93 percent to earn MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors. The Jackrabbits rushed for 266 yards in the game for an average of 7.2 yards per carry and scored touchdowns on six of their first seven offensive possessions.Â
FLYING BACK INTO THE TOP 25
Despite not playing last weekend on a bye, the Illinois State football team has found itself back in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 Poll at No. 22 heading into week six of the regular season. The Redbirds are one of six MVFC teams ranked, joining South Dakota State (1), Southern Illinois (5), North Dakota State (8), North Dakota (15), South Dakota (21).
BREAKING THE STIGMA
This week, Illinois State Athletics kicks off Student Athlete Mental Health Week alongside Hilinski's Hope and 160+ other universities. Redbird Athletics is taking time to #BreakTheStigma by curating a collective week of action focused on eliminating stigma and increasing mental health resources for universities and colleges. Join us in telling the world that #MentalHealthMatters.
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.
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.
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.
COOL UNDER PRESSURE
A young and inexperienced Redbird defense headed into the season with a lot of question marks, however through four 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 20 sacks on the year and 36 tackles for loss. The Redbirds rank No. 1 in the FCS in team sacks per game (5.0) and No. 4 in team tackles for loss per game (9.0). ISU also ranks No. 2 in the FCS in rushing defense (58.0 yards per game) and No. 4 in scoring defense (12.2 points per game) and total defense (252.0 yards per game).
SPREADING THE WEALTH
To say the Redbird passing attack against Lindenwood was balanced would be an understatement. Redbird quarterbacks Zack Annexstad and Tommy Rittenhouse spread the football around, with six different receivers recording at least three receptions on the day. In addition, seven players had at least 20 yards receiving led by Daniel Sobkowicz's career-high 99 yards on five receptions that included a 62-yard touchdown reception from Annexstad.
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.
GRANDY IS DANDY
For his final year of eligibility, Cam Grandy transferred closer to home to play at Illinois State. Through four games, it looks like that decision has paid off as Grandy has become a top target for ISU quarterback Zack Annexstad in the passing attack. Against Eastern Illinois, Grandy caught five passes for a season-high 72 yards four catches for 53 yards in the win over Lindenwood. Those performances upped his season total to 205 yards receiving with a touchdown, as he ranks second on the team in receptions and yards. He's also been a key asset in a running attack that has scored 13 touchdowns and averages 196.8 yards per game on the ground.
FEAR AMIR
Linebacker Amir Abdullah has been a nightmare for opposing offenses through four games this season, and shined once again for the Redbird defense against Eastern Illinois. The junior from Chicago recorded seven tackles (five solo), 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss while also forcing a fumble for the Redbirds against the Panthers. Abdullah now leads the team with 5.5 sacks on the year and 7.0 tackles for loss. He currently ranks fourth in the FCS in sacks per game (1.4) and No. 9 in TFLs per game (1.8) while also ranking fourth in forced fumbles per contest (.50).
FINDING THE ENDZONE WITH REGULARITY
Transfer running back Mason Blakemore has made it a habit to find the endzone for the Redbirds through the first four games of the season. With his touchdown late in the game against Eastern Illinois, he extended his scoring streak to three games in a row. His touchdown against the Panthers was his fifth of the season, but it looked in doubt after he left the game with a shoulder injury. However, he returned to score from 12 yards out to give the Redbird a late lead.
THE STREAK CONTINUES
Redbird teams have been very successful in scoring on defense under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack. Thanks to the recovery of a bad snap in the end zone for a touchdown against Dayton, the Redbirds extended their streak to 15 seasons straight with at least one defensive score.
