NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State football players and coaches had a lot to cheer about Sunday morning inside the Aaron Leetch Club at Hancock Stadium, as the Redbirds were selected as to participate in the 24-team FCS Playoff field as the No. 12 overall seed and will have a first-round road matchup at Southeast Missouri State on Nov. 30 at 11 a.m. CT.
The Redbirds (9-3, 6-2 MVFC) will be making their ninth appearance in the FCS playoffs (1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019) and sixth under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack. ISU, which was ranked No. 13 in the final regular-season poll released Sunday by Stats Perform, is 10-8 all-time in playoff games and will be making its first appearance in the FCS playoffs since 2019. Â During that 2019 run to the FCS Quarterfinals, the Redbirds also began that run with a road contest at SEMO.
Illinois State finished the regular season on a five-game winning streak and as winners of six of its last seven contests. After falling to FBS foe Iowa in the season opener, the Redbirds won five-straight FCS road games making them one of five FCS teams with five or more road wins this year: Montana State (6), ISU, Richmond, UC-Davis and Drake. The nine-win season for ISU is the fifth for the Redbirds under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack and the seventh in school history. Spack is 7-5 in the playoffs as the head coach, including the team's magical run to the FCS National Championship game against North Dakota State in 2014.Â
Tickets are available in advance through the SEMO ticket office website. Redbird fan sections are 108 and 109. Fans can purchase seating in these sections online in advance for $25 for adults and $16 for youth (ages 2-14). If fans prefer to call in to the SEMO ticket office or to purchase in-person, tickets are $30 for adults.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
Â
