No. 9/10 Redbirds Return To Kentucky For Conference Game Against The Racers

SETTING THE SCENE
Date: October 11, 2025
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Site: Murray, Kentucky
Stadium: Roy Stewart Stadium
Capacity: 16,800
Series: Illinois State leads 7-1
Last: ILS won 40-32 (Oct. 19, 2024)
Watch/Stream: ESPN+ 
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 
98.9 FM WJEZ / The Varsity Network

THE GAME
Following a tough conference opener against the No. 1 ranked team in the country at home last weekend, No. 9/10 Illinois State will hit the road this weekend as Missouri Valley Conference play continues. The Redbirds (3-2, 0-1 MVFC) will travel to Kentucky to take on the Murray State Racers (0-5, 0-1 MVFC) as both teams look for their first league wins of the year.

THE SERIES
Illinois State and Murray State will meet for the ninth time in program history, with the Redbirds leading the all-time series 7-1. Murray State won the initial match up between the two teams in 2001 in Murray, but the Redbirds have won the last seven games in a row in the series since that time. Overall, the Redbirds are 3-1 against the Racers in Kentucky and they are 2-0 against Murray State since they joined the MVFC.

THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 17th season as the head coach at Illinois State (114-76). 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 six playoff appearances overall and became the program's all-time wins leader in 2021.

Murray State: Jody Wright (Jacksonville State, 2005) is in his second season as the head coach at Murray State (1-16). Wright's resume is varied in the coaching profession, highlighted by two stints under legendary head coach Nick Saban and working with other major names in the coaching profession including Shane Beamer, Lane Kiffin, Billy Napier, Kirby Smart, Sylvester Croom, Bill Clark, and Joe Judge, among others.

THE REDBIRD FOOTBALL PROGRAM

• 9 FCS playoff appearances (1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2024)
• 6-time FCS quarterfinalists (1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019)
• 2-time FCS semifinalists (1999, 2014)
• 1-time FCS Championship game qualifier (2014)
• The team is 69-25 at home under Spack's guidance
• ISU is 52-19 at Hancock Stadium since 2013 renovation

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT

• Murray State University is located in Murray, Kentucky, and has an enrollment of 8,097. The Racers are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) and play their home games at Roy Stewart Stadium (16,800).
• The Racers are winless on the season at 0-5, and dropped their MVFC opener last week at South Dakota by a score of 49-24. Quarterback Jim Ogle was 16-of-30 for 183 yards passing with one touchdown and no interceptions, while former Redbird JK Carter became the first Racer in 12 years to catch a touchdown pass, and throw for a TD in the same game.
• Safety Dylan Rowsey ranks second in the conference in tackles with 69 on the year and has 37 more stops than the next closest Murray State defender Klayton Ingram with 32.

LAST TIME AGAINST MURRAY STATE (OCT. 19, 2024)
The Redbirds gutted out a crucial bounce-back effort on the road at Murray State on Homecoming at Roy Stewart Stadium, holding off the Racers for a 40-32 victory. Redbird quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse shined in the victory, tallying 475 yards of total offense while accounting for three touchdowns against the Racers. Rittenhouse threw for a career-high 347 yards with a touchdown and ran for a career-best 128 yards and two scores to lead the Redbird offense. Illinois State's 633 yards of total offense were the fifth highest total in school history, just moving past the 632 yards recorded at Northern Iowa on October 10, 1998.

INTERESTING WAY TO START
It had been over seven years since Illinois State had recorded a safety until the team's game against North Dakota State, in which it happened on NDSU's first play from scrimmage. After the Redbirds were forced to punt on their first drive of the game and it was then downed at the NDSU 1 yard line, the Bison lined up to run their first play which was blown up by Tye Niekamp who rushed through the line to tackle the ball carrier in the endzone for two points. The last time ISU recorded a safety was in 2018 at home against Saint Xavier.

CLIMBING THE RANKS
With his 75 yards receiving against North Dakota State, wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz now has 2,822 receiving yards in his stellar career at Illinois State. That puts him in fourth place overall on the ISU career receiving yards list, and he is just 49 yards away from tying Anthony Warrum (2,871) for third place on the all-time list. He also ranks second in career receptions (209) behind Tyrone Walker (250) and is fourth in career touchdown receptions (28) behind Laurent Robinson (29) in third place. Sobkowicz has been on a roll of late, Recording 401 yards and six touchdown over the past four contests and has caught a touchdown in each of the last four.

A GAME FOR THE AGES
The game between No. 4 Illinois State and visiting North Alabama had a little bit of everything, including a pair of hour-plus long weather delays, turnovers, missed kicks and missed opportunities by both teams. However, it was the Redbirds who came up big in the second overtime period to come away with a two-point victory over the Lions. In total, the game lasted over six hours and had a pair of one hour and 14 minute lightning delays. ISU had all the momentum with a 17-0 lead before the first delay, but it switched after the break as UNA cut it to three in the third quarter and then tied the game with 33 seconds left before missing the extra point that sent the game into overtime.

4 FOR 4 FOR NKUBA
Transfer defensive back Shadwel Nkuba II came to Illinois State to make an impact on the defensive side of the ball, and through four contests he certainly did that. Nkuba II recorded an interception in each of the first four games of the season and he currently ranks No. 2 in the country in interceptions per game (.80) and is tied for the national lead with the four picks. He has tied the interception high of four by Tye Niekamp from all of last season and is on pace to break the school single-season record on nine set by Doug Simper in 1974. His performance and interception against UNA also earned him MVFC Newcomer of the Week honors.

MAILANDER DELIVERING FOR THE BIRDS
Following the transfer of Xavier Loyd to Missouri, the Redbirds were needing a receiver to step up and fill the void left by the veteran wideout. Redshirt freshman Luke Mailander has made the most out of that opportunity, as he ranks second for the Redbirds with 315 yards on 17 receptions through the first five games of the year. He has also caught touchdowns in three of the last four games to give him three on the year and ranks No. 33 in the country in yards per reception (18.5).

THE TROPHY STAYS WHERE IT BELONGS
For the fourth-straight season and the fifth time in the last six seasons, the Mid-America Classic Trophy came home with the Redbirds after they defeated longtime rivals Eastern Illinois by a score of 42-30 in the 113th Mid-America Classic. Eastern Illinois was with a touchdown of visiting Illinois State in the fourth quarter, however the Redbirds pulled away late with two touchdowns in the final six minutes to defeat the Panthers. The Redbirds have now won seven of the last eight meetings against the Panthers, and nine out of the last 11 games overall.

ALL IS WRIGHT
Stopping running back Wenkers Wright proved to be difficult for Eastern Illinois in the 113th Mid-America Classic, as the senior took over the game to lift the Redbirds to a victory. Wright set a career high with three rushing touchdowns against the Panthers as he finished with 94 yards on 14 carries. Wright had touchdown runs of 2, 18 and 16 yards respectively as the powered the Redbirds to another rivalry win. Wright leads the Redbirds with 362 yards and five touchdowns on the ground this season.

THE STREAK CONTINUES
Redbird teams have been very successful scoring on defense under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack. Thanks to a 27-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the home opening win over Morehead State by Cam Wilson, the Redbirds extended their streak to 17 straight seasons with at least one defensive score. 

FINDING THE END ZONE FOR THE FIRST TIME
As can happen early in the season, newcomers to a football team can record a lot of "firsts" in a Redbird uniform. In the team's home opening win over Morehead State, several Redbirds scored their first touchdowns in the victory over the Eagles. Wide receiver Luke Mailander found the end zone for the first time in his career, when he connected on a 32-yard touchdown with Tommy Rittenhouse late in the third quarter. Later in the fourth quarter, transfer tight end Nick True caught his first pass as a Redbird and ran it in for a 3-yard touchdown. Not to be outdone, defensive back Cam Wilson scored the first touchdown of his career at ISU, as he returned a fumble 27 yards for a defensive score. In addition, quarterback Beckham Pellant tossed the first touchdown pass of his young career, finding Daniel Sobkowicz for a 25-yard TD in the second quarter.