Setting The Stage
The Indiana State Sycamores open their 104th season of intercollegiate football, dating back to 1896, and the 2008 season on the road versus the Eastern Michigan Eagles Thursday, August 28 on The Crock 92.7 FM. The university did not field teams from 1899-1900; 1908 or from 1910-1919. ISU owns an all-time record of 338 wins, 443 losses and 22 on the gridiron. Indiana State is competing for the 24th consecutive season as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (formerly the Gateway Football Conference). This is the third time in the last five seasons that Indiana State has opened the season on Thursday night.
An Indiana State Win Over Eastern Michigan Would ...
* Snap the Sycamores' 14-game losing streak, dating back to a 28-22 Homecoming victory over Missouri Valley Football Conference rival Missouri State in 2006.
* Be The Sycamores' first victory over an NCAA FBS school since they downed the Eagles by a score of 21-14 for the first victory of the 2001 campaign.
* Give Indiana State a two-game winning streak in the all-time series versus Eastern Michigan.
* Would give the Sycamores its first season opening victory since the 1996 campaign. It would also give Indiana State its first season opening victory on the road since a 13-10 victory at Drake in 1980.
* Give Trent Miles his first collegiate head coaching victory in his first game as a head coach. The last Indiana State head coach to win his collegiate coaching debut was Dennis Raetz, whose Sycamore team downed Drake by a score of 13-10 to open the 1980 campaign.
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 is making his debut as a collegiate head football coach on Thursday night at Eastern Michigan.
The Eastern Michigan Head Coach
Eastern Michigan is led by fifth-year head coach Jeff Genyk, who is 13-33 as a collegiate head coach at the helm of the Eagles.
The Eastern Michigan Series
Eastern Michigan holds a 9-3 advantage in the all-time series against Indiana State, which dates back to a 34-14 Eagle victory in 1934. EMU is 4-1 against Indiana State at home, but that total includes a 21-14 Sycamore victory in 2001, the last time these two teams locked horns on the gridiron. That game, on Sept. 21, 2001 was the first for either team following the tragic events of September 11 just 10 days earlier in New York, N.Y., Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Penn.
Eastern Michigan Scouting Report
Eastern Michigan is a member of the Mid-American Conference, Western Division. The Eagles play their home contests at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Mich. Eastern Michigan was picked to finish fifth in the MAC West by the MAC News Media Association. The Eagles return 38 lettermen, including seven starters to an offense that scored 290 points last season. EMU returns even more experience on the other side of the ball as 19 lettermen, including eight starters return on defense. Eastern Michigan is looking for its first victory over a Missouri Valley Football Conference school since downing Western Illinois by a 16-14 tally in 1993.
Whats Transpired
Indiana State is opening the season on Thursday night at Eastern Michigan. The Sycamores are led by first-year head coach Trent Miles. The Sycamores welcomed nearly 50 newcomers to the program late this summer as they look to break a 14-game losing streak and overcome a 1-32 record over the past three seasons.
For Openers
The Sycamores are 42-43-7 in season openers. Indiana State has dropped each lid-lifting contest since the 1996 campaign, when the Sycamores kicked off the year with a 48-0 victory over Mars Hill.
Sycamores Versus The Mid-American Conference
Indiana State is 36-68-1 against members of the Mid-American Conference. The Sycamores' last victory over a member of the MAC came in 2001 against Eastern Michigan, a 21-14 triumph.
The Last Time Against Eastern Michigan
Playing for the first time in 13 days, an aggressive Indiana State football team defeated Eastern Michigan, 21-14. The win at Eastern Michigan represented the Sycamores first win over a FBS opponent since the Sycamores defeated Cincinnati, 40-16 in the 10th game of the 1987 campaign.
Junior quarterback Julian Reese ran for two touchdowns and threw for another in only his second career start. He was 9-of-17 for 101 yards and ran for 81 yards on 21 rushes.
With the game tied at 14 early in the fourth quarter and Indiana State (1-2) driving at the Eagles 30, Reese escaped a heavy pass rush to scramble for 17 yards on third down to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, Reese took a quarterback draw up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown that put the Sycamores ahead for good.
Indiana State took control early when Reese scrambled for 23 yards and passed for 66 more while engineering two scoring drives in the first half.
Neither team moved the ball consistently in the second half, except for Reese's clinching touchdown run and a final push by Eastern Michigan. With two minutes remaining in the game, the Eagles had one last chance to tie, but they failed to convert on fourth down at the Sycamores 14.
Preseason Predictions
The Indiana State football team has been picked to finish ninth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference as announced this morning (July 22) by the league office. The preseason poll is voted upon by Valley Football head coaches, sports information directors and a media panel. Senior offensive lineman Jack Byrne was an honorable mention selection on the preseason all-conference squad as the Sycamores' lone honoree. League newcomer North Dakota State was predicted to win the league while Northern Iowa was second in the annual poll, despite receiving the most first place votes of any other team. The poll was rounded out by Youngstown State, Western Illinois, Southern Illinois, South Dakota State, Missouri State, Illinois State and the Sycamores.
Up Next
Indiana State takes a week off before travelling to Charleston, Ill., to open FCS play on Saturday, September 13 against the Eastern Illinois Panthers. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) and can be heard live on The Crock 92.7 FM. Eastern Illinois holds a 41-37 lead in the all-time series.
