Redbirds Play Host To North Dakota State Saturday on Homecoming

SETTING THE SCENE
Date: September 28, 2024
Time: 2 p.m. CT
Site: Normal, Illinois
Stadium: Hancock Stadium
Capacity: 12,440
Series: North Dakota State leads 14-2
Last: NDSU won 24-7 (Oct. 29, 2022)
Watch/Stream: ESPN+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 93.7 FM / The Varsity Network

THE GAME
In 2014, Illinois State and North Dakota State played in one of the most memorable FCS Championship games in history to end the season in Frisco, Texas. Ten years later, the No. 15 ranked Redbirds (3-1) will host the No. 2 ranked Bison (3-1) in a pivotal FCS Top 25 matchup as part of Homecoming celebrations at ISU.

THE SERIES
Illinois State and the Bison will meet for the 17th time in the series between the two schools, which dates back to 2007. NDSU has won 12 straight games against ISU, with the last win coming by 17 points in Fargo, North Dakota, in 2022. Illinois State's only two wins in the series came in back-to-back years in 2009-10, when 2024 ISU Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame inductee Matt Brown led the Redbirds to victory.

THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 16th season as the head coach at Illinois State (104-71). 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.

North Dakota State: Tim Polasek (Concordia, 2002) is in his first season as the head coach at North Dakota State (3-1), after being named the 32nd head football coach in program history  on Dec. 17, 2023.  He was part of the NDSU staff under head coach Craig Bohl from 2006 to 2012  and returned to North Dakota State in 2014 and spent three seasons as the offensive coordinator and running backs coach under Chris Klieman.

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 65-22 at home under Spack's guidance
• ISU is 48-16 at Hancock Stadium since 2013 renovation

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT

• North Dakota State University is located in Fargo, North Dakota, and has an enrollment of 11,952. The Bison are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play their home games at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (19,000).
• The Bison are currently ranked No. 2 in both of the FCS national polls, behind only rival and defending national champion South Dakota State with a 3-1 overall record. Their lone loss came in the season opener at FBS Colorado by just five points, 31-26, in Boulder, Colorado. They have since rolled off three-straight wins against Tennessee State, East Tennessee State and last week over Towson.
• Running back CharMar Brown rushed for a career-high 126 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bison to the  41-24 homecoming win over the Tigers and Cam Miller finished 17 of 19 for 219 yards with a touchdown for the Bison.
• Brown and Jackson Williams both earned MVFC player of the week for their performances in the win over victory over Towson. Brown was named the Newcomer of the Week, while Williams was named Special Teams Player of the Week after a game-high 169 all-purpose yards, including a 67 yard punt return for a touchdown.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE BISON (OCT. 29,  2022)
The Illinois State offense got off to a good start in the first quarter against No. 4 North Dakota State and took an early lead, however the Bison scored 24 unanswered points to come away with a 24-7 victory over the Redbirds at the Fargodome. The Redbirds struck first on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Zack Annexstad to Daniel Sobkowicz on a back shoulder throw to the back of the endzone that made it 7-0 with 3:24 left in the first quarter.

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 yards 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. The attack against the Panthers was as balanced as one would like, with 253 yards on the ground and 273 through the air for the Redbirds.

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 111.3 yards per game on the ground with two touchdowns and is averaging nearly six 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.