SETTING THE SCENE
Date: September 23, 2023
Time: Noon CT
Site: Normal, Illinois
Stadium: Hancock Stadium
Capacity: 13,391
Series: First Meeting
Stream: ESPN+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 93.7 FM / The Varsity Network
THE GAME
For the second-straight week, Illinois State (2-1) will square off against an opponent from the newly-formed Big South-OVC Football Association when the Redbirds host the Lindenwood Lions (2-1) at Hancock Stadium on Saturday as part of Family Weekend at ISU.
THE SERIES
Illinois State and Lindenwood will meet for the first time on the gridiron on Saturday. Despite having not faced the Lions previously, there will be some familiarity with a member of the Lindenwood coaching staff as their offensive line coach Denver Johnson returns to Hancock Stadium, where he served as the Redbirds' head coach (48-54) from 2000-2008.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 15th season as the head coach at Illinois State (97-66). 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.
Lindenwood: Jed Stugart (Azusa Pacific, 1995) is in his seventh season as the Lindenwood football head coach (35-25) and 17th as a collegiate head coach (126-49). In its first NCAA Division I season in 2022, Stugart guided the Lions to a 7-3 record. In 2021, Stugart was named GLVC Coach of the Year as the Lions won their second-consecutive GLVC Championship.
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
- Lindenwood University is located in St. Charles, Missouri, and has an enrollment of 7,000. The Lions are members of the Big South-OVC Football Association and play their home games at Hunter Stadium (6,000).
- The Lions are off to a 2-1 start to the season, after being picked to finish seventh in the Big South-OVC preseason poll just behind. In addition, five individuals from the squad were recognized as players to watch.
- Last week, Western Illinois took a 31-14 advantage over Lindenwood into halftime in Macomb but the Lions outscored the Leathernecks 29-9 in the second half to come away with a 43-40 victory in non-conference play.
- Jeff Caldwell and Devon Edwards earned conference weekly honors for their performances against the Leathernecks, with Caldwell being named Offensive Player of the Week and Edwards earning Defensive Player of the Week honors. Caldwell hauled in five passes for a career-high 185 yards and four touchdowns, which tied a program record for most receiving touchdowns in a game. Edwards led the team in tackles with 14 and had 2.0 tackles for loss in the game.
- Quarterback Cole Dugger was also stellar for the Lions in the win over the Leathernecks, going 16-for-22 with 270 yards passing and five touchdowns while also rushing for 57 rushing yards. He leads the way for the Lindenwood offense on the year, completing 56 percent of his passes for 655 yards with 10 total touchdowns on the year.
REDBIRDS SET TO TACKLE DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY
Coach Spack and his staff are among the thousands of coaches joining forces to support the Coach To Cure MD program over the next several weeks. The coaches are wearing patches on their sleeves to raise awareness and funding for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Help us #TackleDuchenne by texting CURE to 501501 to donate $25 or visit CoachToCureMD.org to make a donation. For more information contact CoachToCureMD@ParentProjectMD.org.
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 three games of the season. With his touchdown late in the game against Eastern Illinois, he has now scored a touchdown in each of the first three games of the season. His touchdown against the Panthers was his fifth of the season, but it looked in doubt after he left the game earlier with a shoulder injury. However, he would return and score from 12 yards out to give the Redbirds the lead at the time.
COOL UNDER PRESSURE
A young and inexperienced Redbird defense headed into the season with a lot of question marks, however through three 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 in national rankings this week, as the team now has 18 sacks on the year and 34 tackles for loss through three games. The Redbirds rank No. 1 in all of Division I football and in the FCS team sacks per game (6.0) and No. 1 in team tackles for loss per game (11.0). ISU also ranked No. 2 in the FCS in rushing defense (36.7 yards per game) and No. 3 in scoring defense (10.7 points per game) and total defense (229.3 yards per game).
GRANDY IS DANDY
For his final year of eligibility, Cam Grandy transferred closer to home to play at Illinois State. Through three 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 to up his season total to 152 yards receiving through three games with a touchdown. He's also been a key asset in a running attack that has scored nine touchdowns on the ground through three contests.
FEAR AMIR
Linebacker Amir Abdullah has been a nightmare for opposing offenses through three games this season, as he 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 second in the FCS in TFLs per game (2.3) and No. 3 in sacks per game (1.83) while also ranking sixth in forced fumbles per contest (.67).
