Indiana State Football Weekly Release
Missouri Valley Football Conference Weekly Release
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Setting The Stage
Indiana State continues year two of the Trent Miles Era on Saturday, Sept. 19, as the Sycamores open their 24th sesason as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference on the road at No. 18 South Dakota State. Saturday game is set for a 7 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium (15,000). The game will be carried live on ESPN Radio (1130 & 1300 AM), with Brian Fritz and Vaso Michels calling the action for the Nelligan Sports Marketing Radio Network. Action can be heard live worldwide on ESPNSportsRadio.com, and live stats are available at GoSycamores.com. The game can be seen live on a pay-per-view basis on GoSycamores.com as well, with the cost being $6.95.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State is led by head coach Trent Miles, a 1987 ISU graduate and Terre Haute native. Miles made his head coaching debut last season against Eastern Michigan and carries a record of 0-15 into Saturday's game against South Dakota State. Miles previously spent three seasons (2005-07) as the running backs coach at Washington and three years at Notre Dame (2002-04) with the wide receivers. He is 0-1 against the Jackrabbits and 0-8 against meers of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. He dropped his only other MVFC opener last season in a 57-6 loss to Illinois State.mb
The South Dakota State Head Coach
South Dakota State is led by 12th-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, who is 76-56 as a college head coach. Stiegelmeier is 1-0 against the Sycamores, winning the initial meeting between the two programs last season by a 49-9 count. He is 6-2 in MVFC contests.
Scouting South Dakota State
South Dakota State is a member of the NCAA FCS Subdivision and competes in the MVFC. Saturday's game against ISU marks SDSU's second game of the season, as it downed Georgia Southern last week, 44-6. The Jackrabbits are ranked 18th nationally by The Sports Network and are No. 21 in the FCS Coaches' Poll. They are led by tailback Kyle Minett, who rushed for 128 yards on 22 attempts last week versus GSU, while quarterback Ryan Crawford was 15-of-21 passing for 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
A Little History
This marks the 105th season of football at Indiana State, dating back to 1896. The University did not field teams from 1899 to 1900, 1908 or from 1910 to 1919. ISU owns an all-time record of 338-458-22 and is competing for the 24th consecutive season as a member of the MVFC.
For Valley Openers
Indiana State's 24th season as a member of the MVFC begins on Saturday when the Sycamores travel to South Dakota State for a 7 p.m. kickoff. It is the first time ISU has opened MVFC play at South Dakota State since they joined the league prior to last season. ISU is 6-17 in league lidlifting contests, including 1-10 all-time when opening league play on the road. The only time the Sycamores earned a league opening victory on the road was a 10-7 victory at Western Illinois on October 5, 1996. The last time ISU opened MVFC play with a 1-0 record came on Oct. 2, 2004 when the Sycamores took a 41-38 double overtime victory over Illinois State at Memorial Stadium.
What's Transpired
Indiana State opened the season with a 26-20 overtime loss against Quincy at Memorial Stadium. The game drew regional attention, as 7,216 fans were in attendance. The Sycamores bounced out to a quick 17-0 lead in the first quarter against the Hawks - ISU's largest lead over an opponent since 2004 -- but Quincy came back to knot the score at 20 with 43 seconds left in regulation. Darrius Gates paced the Sycamores with 102 yards on the ground and also threw a 75-yard touchdown pass as the offense showed spark early in the game.
ISU enjoyed its closest game against a member of the NCAA Division I FBS Subdivision since 2003 with a 30-10 loss at Louisville. Santino Davis recorded a pair of interceptions in falling to the BIG EAST opponent.
The Sycamores were shut out in their third contest of the season against Eastern Illinois by a 31-0 count. It marked the first time ISU was shut out by the Panthers since 1962 and their 95 yards of total offense was the Sycamores' lowest total since the 2003 campaign.
We Are Mostly...Young
Of the 85 players on the current Indiana State roster, a total of 65 student-athletes are underclassmen -- or just over 76 percent. There are 38 true or redshirt freshmen on the roster currently. A total of 19 players have seen their first collegiate action over the Sycamores' first three games, including a total of 18 true or redshirt freshmen.
Against The Nation's Top 25
South Dakota State enters Saturday's game with a No. 18 national ranking. The Sycamores are 8-67 all-time against FCS nationally-ranked opponents, including a mark of 6-48 against league members that are nationally ranked. Indiana State's last victory over a nationally-ranked opponent came on Oct. 23, 1999 when the Sycamores secured a 39-36 victory over No. 19 Western Illinois.
Few Seniors
Indiana State has just nine players on its roster who are seniors. Of those, Mike Woods and Elliott Thomas are fifth-year seniors, while Donye McCleskey, Jeramie Gray, Jerry Calvert, Dan Millington, Pat Burke, Bill McGrath and Nate Brown are in their fourth year. Indiana State is tied with South Carolina and Duke for the second fewest seniors in the nation. Boise State has the fewest in Division I with four.
Working Overtime
The Sycamores have played in 11 overtime contests since the rule was established for regular season games in the NCAA FCS Subdivision in 1996. The Sycamores are 6-5 in games that have used an extra period, including a 33-30 overtime win over Eastern Illinois in 2004.
Sycamores vs. the Missouri Valley Football Conference
Indiana State is in its 24th season as a member of the MVFC. ISU's first season as a league member came in 1986 when it went 1-5 through a six-game league schedule. The Sycamores are 39-106 in MVFC contests and have lost each of their last 17 league matchups. ISU's last victory over a member of the league came on Oct. 21, 2006 against Missouri State (28-22). The Sycamores' last road victory over a MVFC opponent came on Nov. 9, 2002 at Southern Illinois, a 21-14 ISU victory.
Tough Sledding
The Sycamores mustered just 95 yards of total offense in a 31-0 loss to Eastern Illinois in the third game of the 2009 campaign. It marked the first time since the 2003 season that Indiana State was not able to top the 100-yard mark in total offense. ISU last recorded less than 100 yards of total offense on Nov. 1, 2003 when they were only able to record 48 yards of total offense at Missouri State.
Davis Does It
Junior linebacker Santino Davis thwarted a pair of Louisville drives in the road opener against the Cardinals by hauling in a pair of interceptions off the arm of Louisville's Justin Burke. Davis' second pick came late in the first half with the Cardinals threatening to score before the half, but Davis pulled in a pass over the middle to keep the Sycamores within striking distance of U of L, 17-7. His first interception came off a tipped ball late in the first quarter, which set up an Indiana State touchdown and gave the Sycamores a 7-3 advantage over the Cardinals that they enjoyed until deep in the second stanza. Davis' two interceptions against Louisville are the most in a single game for the Sycamores against an NCAA FBS opponent and the most by a Sycamore in any contest since 1979.
Flood Gates Open
Junior tailback Darrius Gates opened the season against Quincy by rushing for a team-best 102 yards on 11 carries. He closed out the 2008 campaign against Missouri State by rushing for 237 yards on 29 attempts en route to being named the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week. His performance in the season finale of 2008 against the Bears coupled with the effort versus the Hawks, makes Gates the first Sycamore to record back-to-back 100-yard single-game rushing performances since Jake Shields accomplished the feat in the first two games of 2003 (127 at Ball State; 213 vs. Florida International). To add to his success on the ground, Gates also completed a 75-yard TD pass to Bryant Kent in the first quarter against Quincy, which was the second pass completion of his career (both have gone for touchdowns).
Up Next ...
Indiana State returns home to take on MVFC foe Youngstown State on Saturday, September 26. Kick-off is set for 12:05 p.m. (ET).
