Gameday
Stadium: Hanson Field (16,368)
Sycamore Radio: The Crock 92.7 FM
Play-By-Play: Brian Fritz
Analyst: Pete Emmert
Series Information:
Series Record: Western Illinois leads 19-12
Last Meeting: INS 7, WIU 19 (10/06/07)
Last ISU Win: INS 39, SIU 36 (3OT) (10/23/99)
Streak: Western Illinois has won eight straight
games and 10 out of the last 11 overall. ISU
last in Macomb by a score of 10-7 on Oct. 5, 1996.
Setting The Stage
Indiana State plays the second of two-straight conference road games today when they face off against No. 15 Western Illinois at Hanson Field. The Sycamores suffered a devastating loss to then No. 15 Southern Illinois last weekend by a score of 60-7 in Carbondale, Ill. The Leathernecks head into the game on a three-game winning streak, after defeating then ranked No. 6 North Dakota State 27-22 on the road to move them into a tie for first place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Last year, the Sycamores fought hard at home and only allowed the Leathernecks 19 points at Memorial Stadium, but running back Herb Donaldson rushed 34 times for 191 yards and a touchdown to help secure the win. WIU leads the all-time series between the schools 19-12, with the last ISU victory coming in a triple-overtime with on Oct. 23, 1999.
An Indiana State Win Over Western Illinois Would ...
* Snap the Sycamores' 20-game losing streak, dating back to a 28-22 Homecoming victory over Missouri Valley Football Conference rival Missouri State in 2006.
* Give Indiana State its first conference win since 2006, when the Sycamores defeated Missouri State, 28-22, on Homecoming in front of a big crowd at Memorial Stadium.
* Give Indiana State its first conference road win since 2002, when the team defeated Southern Illinois by a score of 21-14 at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale.
* Give Indiana State its first road win since 2004, when it defeated Eastern Illinois, 33-30, in overtime at O'Brien Stadium in Charleston.
* Give the Sycamores their first win over the Western since 1999, when they defeated the Leathernecks by a score of 39-36 in triple overtime at Memorial Stadium in Terre Haute.
* Give Trent Miles his first collegiate head coaching victory and first at ISU.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State is led by first-head head coach Trent Miles, a 1987 graduate of ISU as well as a native of Terre Haute, Ind. Miles made his debut as a collegiate head football coach on against Eastern Michigan and will be looking for his first victory at Indiana State. Prior to coming to ISU, Miles spent three seasons (2005-07) as the running backs coach at Washington under head coach Tyrone Willingham and three years at Notre Dame (2002-04) as the wide receivers coach.
The Western Illinois Head Coach
Western Illinois head coach Don Patterson is expected to be on the sidelines on Saturday, but will not assume coaching duties as he is currently recovering from seven weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments for tonsillar cancer. Acting in his absence is assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mark Hendrickson, who has served as acting head coach since July 14. Hendrickson is in his 26th year as Division I coach, including the last nine at Western Illinois under Patterson.
Western Illinois Scouting Report
Western Illinois (4-2, 2-1 MVFC) is currently the No. 15/17 ranked team in the country and is coming off a huge 27-22 win on the road over conference foe and then No. 6 ranked North Dakota State. WIU never trailed in its win over the NDSU, which snapped a 15-game home winning streak for the Bison. The Leathernecks are led on offense by senior running back Herb Donaldson, who currently leads the nation in scoring (15.0 ppg) and ranks second nationally in rushing (159.0 ypg). Last week against the Bison, Donaldson rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, recording the school record-tying 19th 100-yard game of his career. The Leathernecks are also strong on defense, led by sophomore linebacker Kyle Glazier who has recorded a team-high 44 tackles including 20 solo stops.
The Last Time Against Western Illinois
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? The Indiana State Sycamores displayed a much improved defensive look against No. 22 nationally-ranked Western Illinois, but the Leathernecks are ranked in the Top 15 nationally in five defensive categories themselves and pitched a gem of their own in downing ISU 19-7 in front of 2,411 fans at Memorial Stadium.
Going Long
When freshman quarterback Calvin Schmidtke connected with senior Ryan Patrick on a 48-yard touchdown pass at the end of the third quarter in Saturday's loss at No. 15 Southern Illinois, it turned out to a be a very memorable play. The touchdown pass was the first of Schmidtke's career at ISU and also marked the first touchdown of the season on the road for the Sycamores. In addition, it marked the team's first points scored in the third quarter all season and became the team's longest play from scrimmage through six games played.
Featuring The Fullback
Freshman fullback Brock Lough was featured heavily in Saturday's loss at No. 15 Southern Illinois, as he led the way on the ground for the Sycamores with 40 yards on seven tough carries. His average of 5.7 yards per carry is a career best for Lough and the 40 yards gained were also a new career high. In addition, his seven carries marked his most since he carried the ball 14 times for 34 yards against No. 20 Eastern Illinois.
I Want The Ball
You won't hear freshman Alex Sewall calling for the ball very often, but he certainly got his hands on the ball against No. 15 Southern Illinois on Saturday. Sewall force two fumbles on the day for the Sycamores to go along with seven solo tackles to lead the team. Sewall now leads the team with three forced fumbles on the season and he has also recovered a fumble in six games played.
Dynamic Duo
It's not quite Batman and Robin, but ISU linebackers Quinton Scott and Jayden Everett are quickly becoming a force in the middle of the defense for the Sycamores. Scott (53) and Everett (47) are the team's top two tacklers, respectively, and each have over three tackles for loss through the first six games of the season. In addition, both rank near the top in the conference as well with Scott's 8.8 tackles per game tied for fourth among all defenders in the league and Everett's 7.8 tackles per game are good enough for a tie for 13th place on teh list.
Young Guns
Of the 53 players that saw action for the Sycamores in the season opener at Eastern Michigan, a total of 34 of those players were seeing their first-ever collegiate action of any kind. ISU started five players on offense, one newcomer on defense, plus one more on special teams against the Eagles.
