SETTING THE SCENE
Date: November 14, 2026
Time: 11 a.m. CT
Site: Youngstown, Ohio
Facility: Stambaugh Stadium
Capacity: 20,630
Series: YSU leads 17-16
Last: YSU won 40-35 (Oct. 18, 2025)
Watch/Stream: ESPN+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 98.9 FM WJEZ/ The Varsity Network
THE GAME
With just two games left in the regular season, every game counts that much more for No. 15/17 Illinois State as the Redbirds will look to pick up their eighth win of the season and bolster their playoff chances on Saturday when they travel to take on No. 3 Youngstown State and last year's Walter Payton Award winner Beau Brungard at the Ice Castle.
THE SERIES
Illinois State and Youngstown State will meet for the 34th time in program history, with YSU holding a one-game lead in the overall series at 17-16. The series has belonged to the Penguins of late, as they have won four out of the last five games overall including a 40-35 win over the Redbirds on Homecoming 2025. Head Coach Brock Spack is looking for just his third win all-time against the Penguins on the road, with the last road win coming in 2017 for the Redbirds.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 18th season as the head coach at Illinois State (130-82). Spack guided the Redbirds to back-to-back shares of the MVFC title in 2014-15 and a pair of FCS Championship game appearances (2014, 2025). He has led the ISU to seven playoff appearances overall and became the program's all-time wins leader in 2021.
Youngstown State: Doug Phillips (Toledo, 1991) is in his seventh season as the head coach at Youngstown State (39-37). Phillips has guided the program to the FCS Playoffs in two of the past three seasons. Only Phillips and his mentor, Jim Tressel, have led YSU to multiple FCS playoff berths in their tenures in Youngstown.
THE REDBIRD FOOTBALL PROGRAM
- 10 FCS playoff appearances (1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2024, 2025)
- 7-time FCS quarterfinalists (1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2025)
- 3-time FCS semifinalists (1999, 2014, 2025)
- 2-time FCS Championship game participant (2014, 2025)
- ISU is 17-2 against FCS opponents on the road the past three seasons
- The team is 74-28 in 18 seasons at home under Spack's guidance
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
- Youngstown State University is located in Youngstown, Ohio, and has an enrollment of 12,423 students. The Penguins are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play their home games at Stambaugh Stadium (20,630).
- The Penguins are currently ranked No. 3 in both national polls, after picking up a 62-35 win over Murray State last weekend to improve to 8-2 on the season and 6-1 in conference play. YSU has won six-straight games, with their last loss coming by just seven points to South Dakota State on the road which remains their lone conference loss.
- Last year's Walter Payton Award winner Beau Brungard looks to be on pace to take home the honor once again, as he is coming off another record-breaking performance last weekend against the Racers. Brungard set Youngstown State single-game records with 423 passing yards and 22 consecutive completions while completing 31 of 34 passes (91.2%), with four touchdowns.
- Brungard currently ranks No. 1 in the FCS in completion percentage (75.7), passing efficiency (181.5), total offense (349.4) and points responsible for (226) and also ranks No. 6 in passing touchdowns (26), No. 8 in passing yards (2,752) and No. 8 in rushing touchdowns (11).
- His favorite target, Lynn Wyche-El leads the team with 937 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on the year. He has recorded six 100-plus yard receiving performance, including four straight heading into the game against the Redbirds.
- On the defensive side, Cam Smith (62) and Roderick Owens Jr. (60) lead the way in the tackles department, with each also adding an interception to the ledger. Ebony Curry holds the team lead with 4.5 sacks, while Michael Wells paces the defense with 10 TFLs.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE PENGUINS (OCTOBER 18, 2025 )
In a matchup of Top 25 programs, it was No. 25 Youngstown State who got the better of No. 9 Illinois State on Homecoming by a score of 40-35 on Jay and Lori Bergman Field at Hancock Stadium. Wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz became just teh third receiver in school history to move over 3,000 career receiving yards and quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse set a career-high with his five touchdown passes, topping his previous best of four set thew week prior in a win at Murray State. YSU quarterback Beau Brungard amassed 528 yards of total offense (328 passing, 200 rushing) and accounted for five touchdowns in the victory for the Penguins.
HOMETOWN KID MAKES GOOD
Just when hometown product Mar'Quan Gary was starting to produce big for Illinois State, an injury derailed his momentum and once again the sophomore wideout needed a welcome back moment. That came in North Dakota, as Gary caught his second touchdown pass of the season and finished the game with career highs in receptions (6) and yards (101) in his first game back from a leg injury. Gary is one of five Illinois State wide receivers to record over 200 yards receiving on the season and is one of four to have multiple touchdown receptions on the year.
NO LOSS HERE
After missing time to start the season due to an injury sustained in training camp, Ethan Loss has returned to the Redbird lineup and has been a big force of late. Against Indiana State, he caught a season-high five passes for 58 yards and then followed that up with two big catches in the win over Murray State. His first catch of the day went for 67 yards and his second was a 50-yard touchdown catch from Beckham Pellant on a flea flicker. Â Loss now has over 200 yards on the season and figures to be a big factor in the passing game down the stretch for ISU.
RICO MAKES GOOD
Given an opportunity for more playing time due to injury, sophomore Rico Clay came up big for the Redbirds in their win over Murray State. Not only did he record a pair of tackles, but he also picked off the first pass of his career for the Redbirds, one of two on the day.Â
KEY TAKES IT TO THE HOUSE
All week cornerback Key Crowell had been studying tape of a particular pass play from Indiana State and worked in practice several times on how to defend it. Against the Sycamores, he recognized that formation and jumped the pass route to intercept a pass and return it 48 yards for a pick six against the Trees. It was his first interception as a Redbird, and was the second INT return for touchdown by the Redbirds this season (Jack Oliver at NIU was the other). That interception was one of three takeaways in the game for ISU in a 17-10 win over Indiana State.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
The Redbird offense has been potent so far in 2026, ranking fifth in the Valley and No. 25 in the country in scoring offense with 33.7 points per game. However, the Redbirds have put themselves in playoff contention once again thanks to dominant effort on defense, as the team ranks No. 16 in the country and No. 2 in the MVFC with just 310.6 yards allowed per game. ISU comes in at No. 13 in the country and No. 2 in the Valley with 19.3 points allowed per contest, and has been particularly strong in the red zone defense, ranking first in the league and No. 2 in the FCS (.625), and against the run ranking second in the league and No. 10 in the FCS with just 107.5 yards allowed per game on the ground.Â
CONVERTING WHEN IT COUNTS
The Illinois State offense is one of the top in the country this season, and a lot of that has to due with the team's ability to keep drives going. ISU currently ranks No. 2 in the FCS in third-down conversion percentage (.504) and No. 26 in fourth-down conversion percentage (.632) on the year. The team has posted 24 drives on the year of 10 plays or more, with a long of 17 plays at UNI, and posted three drives of over seven minutes in time of possession on the year that led to points for the Redbirds.
NIEKAMP MOVES UP THE RECORD BOOKS
Tye Niekamp will go down as one of the most decorated players in program history following his senior season in 2026, and he eclipsed a big milestone after his performance against Indiana State. The middle linebacker tallied 12 tackles and now has 407 career tackles, making him just the just the fifth player in program history to record 400 or more tackles in his career, joining Chris Stevens (443), Wilbert Brown (470), Galen Scott (579) and Boomer Grigsby (580). He was also credited with at TFL against the Sycamores, which puts him in a tie with former teammate Zeke Vandenburgh (43.5) for fourth on the career list. He now sits at 421 career tackles and 47 TFLs, which puts him at No. 2 all-time on the record books behind John Kropke (54).
BIG DAY FOR BECKHAM
After playing well in the first two games of the season for Illinois State, quarterback Beckham Pellant was limited in games 3-6 as the Redbird offense continued to find a rhythm. However, in game 7 at Southern Illinois, it was once again Pellant's time to take the reigns as he started the game against the Salukis and proceeded to lead the team to their first conference win with a 35-14 defeat of the Dawgs. Pellant set career highs in completions (16), attempts (25), passing yards (191) and tied his career best with two touchdown passes in the contest against the Salukis, while also running for the first touchdown of his career in the contest.
COMPASS CHAMPS
It was a rare year for the Redbirds, with the four Illinois directional schools all on the schedule in the same campaign. The last time that happened was in 2019, as the Redbirds went 3-1 against NIU, WIU, EIU and SIU with the lone loss coming at NIU. However, the 2026 slate saw the Redbirds go 4-0 against their in-state directional counterparts with the final win coming at SIU by a final score of 35-14. It marked the first time since 1940 that the Redbirds picked up wins against the four schools in the same season.
HERRERA COMES UP BIGÂ
Just seven games into his career at Illinois State following a transfer from Eastern Illinois, tight end Alex Herrera is already making an immediate impact for the Redbirds. Herrera caught his first touchdown in a Redbird uniform in the road win in Week 2 at Western Illinois, and then followed that up with the biggest catch of his ISU career to date in the road win at Northern Illinois. Down 24-21 with under two minutes to play, Herrera caught a pass in the flat and rumbled his way 16 yards into the end zone for what woudl be the winning score in an FBS win over the Huskies. He also added a TD catch against his former team Eastern Illinois in Week 4 and one in Week 5 at UNI to give him four in as many games for the Redbirds.
THE TROPHY STAYS WHERE IT BELONGS
In what is usually a battle between Illinois State and Eastern Illinois in the annual Mid-America Classic, this year's matchup was lopsided in favor of the Redbirds as ISU held onto the trophy for the third-straight season and have now won eight of the last nine games overall against the Panthers. ISU won the game 49-13, which was the most points scored against EIU since 2012 when it scored 54 in a win at home, and the Redbird offense racked up 556 yards of total offense. The ISU defense was particulary stingy, allowing the Panthers just 66 yards on the ground while holding EIU to just 216 yards of total offense in the contest.
LORD GOES THE DISTANCE
Not only is junior wide receiver Dylan Lord one of the most explosive receivers in the FCS, but he is also proving to be a big threat returning punts for the Redbirds. Lord is averaging 28.3 yards per return and became the first Redbird to return a punt for a touchdown since 2015, when Anthony Warrum returned one for a score, in the win over EIU. Lord tallied a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown in the win, while also leading the team with 77 yards on six receptions. That performance earned him MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors
THE STREAK CONTINUES
Redbird teams have been very successful scoring on defense under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack. Thanks to a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown by Jack Oliver in the road win at NIU, the Redbirds extended their streak to 18 straight seasons with at least one defensive touchdown scored.
FEAR THE FCS
Illinois State is one of five FCS programs to record a win over an FBS foe so far this season, following their come-from-behind 28-24 road win at Northern Illinois. The win was the fourth for the Redbirds under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack and their first since 2018, when ISU earned a road win at Colorado State. The Redbirds also have FBS wins over Eastern Michigan (2012) and at Northwestern (2016) since 2009.
GAVRIC MAKING AN IMPACT
After redshirting as a true freshman last season, Stevan Gavric had the opportunity to learn from one of the best wide receivers in FCS football in Dan Sobkowicz and hone his skills alongside one of the best to ever do it at Illinois State. That experience seems to be paying off for Gavric early on in 2026, as he has recorded a touchdown in each of the first two wins for ISU. He caught the first of his career in the opener against St. Francis, and then followed that up with a 36-yard touchdown catch from Gage Roy in the road victory at Eastern Illinois. He's averaging 13.4 yards per catch on the year early on and has added another weapon to the passing game that already includes standouts like Dylan Lord.
