No. 21 Redbirds Continue Road Trip At North Alabama

SETTING THE SCENE
Date: September 7, 2024
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Site: Florence, Alabama
Stadium: Braly Municipal Stadium
Capacity: 14,215
Series: First Meeting
Last: N/A
Watch/Stream: ESPN+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 93.7 FM / The Varsity Network

THE GAME
Coming off its opener at No. 25 Iowa, No. 21/22 ranked Illinois State (0-1) begins the FCS portion of its schedule on Saturday when the Redbirds travel to Florence, Alabama, for a non-conference match up against the North Alabama Lions (0-2) in the first match up ever between the two programs.

THE SERIES
Illinois State and North Alabama will meet for the first time on the gridiron on Saturday. Although the two teams have not squared off previously, the Redbirds have played against five other teams from the recently formed United Athletic Football Conference and hold a 7-4 overall record against those programs.

THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 16th season as the head coach at Illinois State (101-71). 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 Alabama: Brent Dearmon (Bethel, 2008) is in his second season as the head coach at North Alabama (3-10). In his first season at UNA, the Lions showed growth with a 3-8 record against the second-hardest schedule in FCS football. Prior to UNA, Dearmon was head coach at Bethel and served as offensive coordinator at Arkansas Tech, Kansas, Middle Tennessee State and Florida Atlantic.

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 63-22 at home under Spack's guidance
* ISU is 46-16 at Hancock Stadium since 2013 renovation

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
* The University of North Alabama  is located in Florence, Alabama, and has an enrollment of 10,600. The Lions are members of the United Athletic Football Conference and play their home games at Braly Municipal Stadium (14,215).
* North Alabama made the jump from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I in 2018 and went through a four year transition period. UNA now enters its third season as a full-fledged member of FCS and the Lions are eligible to compete for both the United Athletic Conference championship and a berth in the FCS Playoffs.
* The Lions are off to an 0-2 start to the 2024 campaign, after suffering losses to FCS foe Southeast Missouri State in Week 0 and to FBS foe Memphis last week on the road.
* In the opener against SEMO, the Lions took a 15-13 lead at halftime and at one point led 15-7 in the second quarter, but the RedHawks went on to score 30 unanswered points and put the game away in the final five minutes by a final of 37-15.
* The Lions had a 100-yard rushing game from Jayvian "Juice" Allen, who became the seventh 100-yard rusher in FCS Kickoff history and the first UNA 100-yard rusher in a season opener since Terence Humphrey in 2019.

FIRST MEETING WITH NORTH ALABAMA (SEPT. 7,  2024)
The Redbirds and the Lions will square off first the first time on Saturday, with ISU heading to Florence, Alabama, to take on UNA. Despite it being the first meeting between the two programs, it is not the first for the Redbirds against a member of the newly former United Athletic Football Conference. ISU is a combined 7-4 against current members of the UAC, having played Austin Peay the most and holding a 3-0 record in that series. The Redbirds have also played Central Arkansas three times, with the Redbirds holding a 2-1 advantage with the most recent win coming in the second round of the 2019 FCS playoffs.

13 REDBIRDS EARN PRESEASON HONORS
The Missouri Valley Football Conference announced a total of 13 Illinois State Redbirds were named to the preseason All-Conference team and Illinois State was selected sixth in the preseason poll voted on by league coaches, media, and sports information directors. Running back Mason King, wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz, offensive lineman Hunter Zambrano and linebacker Amir Abdullah were each named First-Team selections, while defensive lineman Jake Anderson, linebacker Tye Niekamp and safety Keondre Jackson were named to the Second Team. Wide receiver Eddie Kasper, fullback/tight end Scotty Presson Jr., defensive lineman Jake Siegal, linebackers Lavoise-Deontae McCoy and Jalan Gaines and defensive back Mark Cannon Jr. rounded out the Redbird honorees as Honorable Mention team members.

FOUR REDBIRDS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Illinois State football standouts Amir Abdullah and Mason King were recognized as two of the top returning players in the Football Championship Subdivision, as the duo was named to the 2024 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team by the organization. Abdullah was picked as a First-Team selection in the annual preseason list, while King was tabbed a Third-Team selection. They are among 24 Missouri Valley Football Conference players named as part of this year's team. They also joined teammates Daniel Sobkowicz and Hunter Zambrano on Phil Steele's annual FCS Preseason All-America team.

LOTS OF FAMILIAR FACES
Fans who got to see the Redbirds in person last fall will notice a lot of familiar faces and names on the field Saturday in the season opener at Iowa. ISU returns 54 letterwinners and 17 starters (8 offense, 9 defense) from last year's team. Many of those players saw significant action last season and with a full offseason in the weight room and work put in during spring and fall camp, this roster is expected to outperform the heartbreaking 6-5 record from last season.

O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Voted on by the team at the conclusion of fall camp, the Redbirds selected senior safety Keondre Jackson, junior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse and junior placekicker Ian Wagner as their captains for the 2024 season. They will be joined at midfield by selected seniors voted on each week by the coaching staff as game captains.

REDBIRD TRIO NAMED TO POSTSEASON ALL-STAR WATCH LISTS
A talented trio of Illinois State football standouts have been named to the prestigious East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List, as offensive lineman Hunter Zambrano, linebacker Amir Adbullah and wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz were each recognized among some of the best draft-eligible players in the country. In addition, Zambrano was added to the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch list, as he looks to become just the second Redbird player in school history to play in the prestigious senior all-star game (Christian Uphoff - 2019).

SPACK HITS THE CENTURY MARK
Now in his 16th season at the helm of the Illinois State football program, Brock Spack has set nearly every coaching record in program history and hit another milestone against Missouri State in 2023. Already Illinois State's program wins record holder, Spack picked up the 100th win of his career in the Redbirds' thrilling 36-35 victory over the Bears. With an overall record of 101-70 (.591), Spack is just the fourth head coach in Missouri Valley Conference history with 100 wins at a member school. With one more league victory, Spack would also move into a tie for third in MVFC history for most wins by a MVFC head coach.

FIREPOWER ON OFFENSE
The once potent Redbird offense was back with a vengeance in 2023 and looks to continue that success this season. Last year, ISU ranked No. 12 in the FCS in scoring offense averaging 32.8 points per game and No. 10 in total offense. Eight starters return from that group, including preseason All-Americans Hunter Zambrano, Mason King and Daniel Sobkowicz. The team's top three receivers also return, with quarterbacks Tommy Rittenhouse and Jake Rubley having plenty of options to throw to in the passing game.

KING MEETS PAYTON
Senior running back Mason King has earned a spot on the preseason watch list for the 2024 Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football. Stats Perform selected King as part of the 35-player preseason watch list for the award named for legendary running back Walter Payton and affectionately known as the Heisman of the FCS. King was named the 2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Year and an All-MVFC First-Team selection at running back, after he led the team with 983 yards rushing, 14 rushing touchdowns and 84 points scored.

THIN MARGIN FOR ERROR
The 2023 Illinois State football season was marred by four heartbreaking losses that kept the Redbirds outside of the playoffs. Four of ISU's five losses on the season were by a combined eight points, with one-point losses to Eastern Illinois and North Dakota on the road and three-point losses to ranked teams in Youngstown State and UNI. Any one of those losses flipped in the opposite direction could have resulted in the Redbirds making the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

ABDULLAH IS BACK ON THE BUCHANAN
Senior linebacker Amir Abdullah has earned a spot on the preseason watch list for the 2024 Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented annually to the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football.  All 13 FCS conferences are represented on the watch list, which includes 10 past finalists like Abdullah, who will look to become the second Redbird to earn the honor following Zeke Vandenburgh's Buchanan Award win in 2022. Abdullah finished ninth in the voting for the 2023 Buck Buchanan Award and earned FCS All-America honors from Stats Perform, FCS Football Central, the Associated Press and Phil Steele in his first season with the Redbirds. The Chicago native was an All-MVFC First-Team and All-Newcomer Team selection at linebacker, after he ranked No. 6 in the FCS in sacks per game (0.86) and No. 26 nationally in tackles for loss per game (1.3). 

FEELING THE PRESSURE
The Illinois State defense ranked in the top 25 in the country in total defense in 2024 and much of that was due to the amount of success the Redbirds had getting to the quarterback and bringing down ballcarriers in the backfield. ISU ranked No. 3 in the country in team sacks per game at 3.27 per contest and was No. 16 in the country in tackles for loss per game at 7.0. A total of 27 of the team's 36 sacks return from last season, with All-American Amir Abdullah returning with 9.5 and Jalan Gaines bringing back 5.5. ISU also returns its seven top tacklers from last year and nine of its top 11 overall, with linebackers Abdullah, Tye Niekamp, Lavoise-Deontae McCoy and Gaines leading the way to keep the Redbird defense one of the best in the country.

THE STREAK CONTINUES
Redbird teams have been very successful in scoring on defense under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack. Thanks to a 30-yard pick six by Keondre Jackson in the victory over Indiana State in 2023, the Redbirds extended their streak to 15 straight seasons with at least one defensive score. 

BROWN TO JOIN ILLINOIS STATE'S BEST ON HOMECOMING
One of Illinois State's football's best will take his place amongst the University's all-time greats in September, as former quarterback Matt Brown will be inducted as part of the 2024 ISU Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame class during Homecoming festivities. Brown finished his career as the school leader in pass attempts (1,455), completions (927), passing yards (10,591), passing touchdowns (78), completion percentage (63.7), passing yards per game (230.2), total offense yards (10,952) and touchdowns responsible for (87). He also finished his career as the Missouri Valley Football Conference all-time leader in five different passing categories. A four-time All-MVFC selection at quarterback, Brown was the 2012 MVFC Offensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-MVFC selection after he started all 13 games at quarterback for the Redbirds and led the Redbirds to a thrilling FCS playoff win at Appalachian State. As a senior, Brown set seven school single-season records with pass attempts (439), completions (272), passing yards (3,370), passing touchdowns (27), completion percentage (65.0), total offense yards (3,522) and touchdowns responsible for (34).