Redbirds and Salukis Square Off in Pivotal MVFC Matchup

SETTING THE SCENE
Date: October 5, 2024
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Site: Carbondale, Ill.
Stadium: Saluki Stadium
Capacity: 15,000
Series: Southern Illinois leads 43-38-3
Last: SIU won 19-14 (Oct. 1, 2022)
Watch/Stream: ESPN+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 93.7 FM / The Varsity Network

THE GAME
Another in-state rivalry renews on Saturday, as No. 18 Illinois State (3-2, 0-1 MVFC) heads to Carbondale, Illinois, to take on No. 19 Southern Illinois (2-3, 0-1 MVFC) in a key matchup between a pair of ranked squads looking to keep pace in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

THE SERIES
Illinois State and Southern Illinois will meet for the 85th time in the series between the two schools, which dates back to 1929. SIU has won the previous two matchups in 2021 and 2022, with the two teams not facing off last year in 2023. The Redbirds are 3-4 against the Salukis in Carbondale under the leadership of Brock Spack, who has a 6-7 record against SIU in his time with the Redbirds.

THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 16th season as the head coach at Illinois State (104-72). 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, 2008) is in his ninth season as the head coach at his alma mater Southern Illinois (46-51). The Salukis have advanced to the playoffs three times in the last four seasons, one of only four FCS programs to accomplish the feat, joining North Dakota State, South Dakota State and Montana.

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT

• Southern Illinois  University is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and has an enrollment of 11,790. The Salukis are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play their home games at Saluki Stadium (15,000).
• The Salukis are currently ranked No. 19 in the Stats FCS Top 25 and come in at No. 23 in AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and head into the game against the Redbirds with a 2-3 overall records and an 0-1 mark in the MVFC. 
• SIU has dropped its last two games, with a 38-21 loss to rival Southeast Missouri State two weeks ago and last week a 42-13 loss to South Dakota in the MVFC opener.
• No. 5-ranked South Dakota rolled up 549 yards of offense, including 302 on the ground, en route to the conference opening win over No. 17 SIU. South Dakota averaged nearly seven yards per carry in the win, with Travis Theis (147 yards) and Charles Pierre Jr. (124 yards) doing most of the damage. 
• The Salukis are without starting quarterback DJ Williams, who is sidelined after having surgery following the team's third game of the season. Hunter Simmons is now at the helm and is completing 57 percent of his passes, with 692 yards in the air with three touchdowns. Ben Bogle leads the way for the SIU defense, with 42 tackles on the year and a team-leading 5.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles-for-loss.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE SALUKIS (OCT. 1,  2022)
A late Illinois State comeback in the fourth quarter came up just short against No. 19 Southern Illinois, as the Redbirds had a shot at the endzone with under two minutes remaining but could not convert and the Salukis came away with the 19-14 victory. The Salukis held a 19-0 lead at halftime, but two touchdown passes from ISU quarterback Zack Annexstad brought the Redbirds back in the second half. Zeke Vandenburgh led the way for the Redbird defense, tying his career high with 14 tackles to go along with a sack and 3.5 TFLs against the Salukis.

FCS STATE TITLE ON THE LINE
One of Illinois State's preseason goals was to win the state title against the other three FCS schools from the Land of Lincoln on the schedule. This is the first time since 2022 that the Redbirds will play Eastern, Western and Southern Illinois in the same season and ISU is out to a good start to its quest to beat all three, with wins already against Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois in non-conference action. Now, it all comes down to the matchup against the Salukis, who the Redbirds have not defeated since 2019 which was also the last year that the Redbirds swept the other trio of FCS schools from Illinois.

REACHING THE 500 YARD PLATEAU
Three times in 2023, the Redbirds offense eclipsed 500 yards or more of total offense in a resurgent year on that side of the football. It took four games in 2024, but the Redbirds recorded their first 500-plus yard offensive performance of the season with 518 in their 31-7 win over in-state rival Eastern Illinois. It was the first time reaching the 500 yards plateau since Nov. 11, when ISU racked up 510 yards of total offense in a home finale win over Murray State, and the most since Sept. 23 of last season, when the Redbirds had 521 yards in a victory over Lindenwood. 

1-2 PUNCH
Last season, Daniel Sobkowicz was one of the best receivers in the Missouri Valley Football Conference last season but has been limited so far this season due to injury. However, the man who wears No. 2 on his jersey has returned from injury and bounced back in a big way, thanks to another dangerous option in the passing game who wears jersey No. 1 in Xavier Loyd. Sobkowicz's reputation precedes him, but defenses now need to pay attention to Loyd on the opposite side of the field which makes the Redbird offense much more dangerous. The dynamic duo combined for 168 yards receiving in the win against Eastern Illinois, with Sobkowicz leading the way with 93 yards on seven receptions with two touchdowns. Loyd also tallied seven grabs, as he finished with 75 yards and his second touchdown in as many weeks.

ALL IS WRIGHT
The loss of preseason All-American running back Mason King due to an injury in the season opener at Iowa left many Redbird fans worried about the production of ISU's rushing attack moving forward. However, after recording just 36 carries a year ago, some fans may have forgot that the man who led the Redbirds in rushing as a redshirt freshman in 2022 was still on the roster in Wenkers Wright. All he has done since taking over as the starter is rip off two 150-plus rushing yard performances and three-consecutive 100-plus yards efforts in three victories for the Redbirds. He now leads the team with 93.8 yards per game on the ground with three touchdowns and is averaging nearly 5.5 yards per carry.

TOMMY TIME
Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse had a near perfect performance in Illinois State's dominating 31-7 win over rival Eastern Illinois. The Geneva, Illinois, native completed 77 percent of his passes (17-for-22) and recorded season bests in passing yards and touchdowns in the victory over the Panthers. Rittenhouse threw for a season-high 228 yards and a career-best three touchdowns in the win, while also rushing for 47 yards, which included a long run of 30 yards. On the year, Rittenhouse is completing 66 percent of his passes and has thrown for 690 yards and six touchdowns while also rushing for three more.

GUEDET NAMED MVFC OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK
Offensive tackle JJ Guedet led the way for the Redbird offensive line in their dominant 31-7 win over rival Eastern Illinois in the 112th Mid-America Classic, and for his efforts was named the MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week. The Washington, Illinois, native anchored the offensive line unit that helped running back Wenkers Wright rush for 150 yards and a score on the ground for his third-consecutive 100-plus yard effort. The ISU offense also put up a season-best 518 yards of total offense against the Panthers, which featured a balanced attack of 253 yards on the ground and 273 yards through the air.

50 IS NIFTY
The Redbird scoring offense was one of the best in the MVFC and the country last season, with three 40-plus point performances while scoring 32.8 points per contest. However, ISU's 51 point performance in its home-opening win over Western Illinois on Saturday was its first in six seasons. The last time the Redbirds broke the 50-point plateau was on October 13, 2018, when they picked up a 51-3 win over in-state rival Southern Illinois on Homecoming at ISU. It marked the tenth time the Redbirds have scored 50 points or more in a game under the leadership of Brock Spack.