Setting The Stage
The Indiana State Sycamores continue year two of the Trent Miles Era on Saturday, Sept. 26, as the Sycamores return to Memorial Stadium to face off against Youngstown State. Saturday afternoon's game is set for a 12:05 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Memorial Stadium (12,400). The game will be carried live on WFXW (Fox 38) with Jason Pensky and Ernie Thompson calling the action, as well as ESPN Radio (1130 & 1300 AM), with Brian Fritz and Dave Sabaini 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 0-16 into Saturday's game. Miles previously spent three seasons (2005-07) as the running backs coach at Washington and three years at Notre Dame (2002-04) as the wide receivers coach. Miles is 0-1 against the Penguins, and is 0-9 against members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
The Youngstown State Head Coach
Youngstown State is led by ninth-year head coach Jon Heacock, who is 56-40 at the Youngstown, Ohio school. Heacock is a 8-0 against Indiana State as a head coach, including a mark of 4-0 at Memorial Stadium.
Scouting Youngstown State
Youngstown State is a member of the NCAA FCS Subdivision and competes in the MVFC. The Penguins are 2-1 on the season, having won each of their last two contests. YSU opened the year with a loss at Pittsburgh and then came back with a home victory over Austin Peay, then a road triumph over Northeastern. Quarterback Brandon Summers leads YSU with a 44-of-70 passing mark and 504 yards with five 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 338-459-22 and is competing for the 24th consecutive season as a member of the MVFC.
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.
Indiana State battled tough at No. 18 South Dakota State in the first half, but it wasn't enough, as the Jackrabbits took it to the Sycamores late in the second quarter en route to a 41-0 win over ISU. ISU trailed just 3-0 in the waning moments of the first half, but a blocked punt and a touchdown with less than a minute remaining helped SDSU to the game's momentum and the eventual victory. Senior Donye McCleskey recorded a season-best 15 tackles in defeat, plus his first interception of the season. ISU was shutout in back-to-back games for the first time since the 1999 season.
DEFENSE...DEFENSE
The Indiana State defense continues to shine, led by Donye McCleskey, who led the team with a season-best 15 tackles against South Dakota State, including one for a loss. McCleskey also recorded his third career interception against the Jackrabbits. Sophomore CJ Cook was impressive as well in his return from injury, as he posted 12 total tackles and a pair of pass breakups at SDSU. Of the 10 ISU defenders who posted multiple tackles against SDSU, seven are sophomore or younger. McCleskey has 24 total tackles this season, which gives him 197 for his career, needing 103 more stops this season to become the 13th member of ISU's 300 career tackle club. McCleskey's 9.75 tackles per game average ranks second-best in the league and 42nd nationally.
For Openers
Indiana State dropped its MVFC opener with a 41-0 decision at South Dakota State. It marked the fifth consecutive loss for the Sycamores in a league opener and gave ISU a 1-11 mark all-time in MVFC openers on the road. The Sycamores last won a MVFC opener on the road in 1996 at Western Illinois.
Time To Get The Engines Going
The Sycamores were shutout for the second consecutive week when ISU fell 41-0 at South Dakota State after dropping a 31-0 decision in the previous game to Eastern Illinois. It marked the first time that Indiana State has been shutout in consecutive weeks since falling at Iowa State and Oklahoma State to open the 1999 campaign. ISU responded with 24 points after the back-to-back shutouts in 1999 against Eastern Kentucky. The Sycamores also were shutout at Missouri State and Georgia State in back-to-back games in 1987 and responded with 14 points against Eastern Illinois this following week. The school record for most times being shutout in consecutive games in six from the final game of 1902 until the season opener of 1907. Additionally, ISU's 95 yards of total offense against the Panthers coupled with its 90 yards of offense against the Jackrabbits is the first time the Sycamores have failed to reach the 100 yards of total offense mark in consecutive games in the history of the program.
Return To Sender
Indiana State has been solid in special teams, as the punt return squad ranks 23rd nationally with an 11.86 yards-per-return average. That mark is good enough for second in the MVFC, behind Northern Iowa, which averages 14 yards per kick. Bryant Kent leads ISU in punt returns with a 6.4 average, which is third in the MVFC and tied for 33rd nationally. Individually, Darrius Gates is averaging 31.33 yards per kickoff return which is second in the league and eighth-best nationally. As a team, the Sycamores average 21.24 yards per kick return, which is 49th nationally and in a league which boasts some of the best special teams in all of the FCS Subdivision, is sixth in the MVFC.
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 student-athletes have seen their first collegiate action this season, including 18 true or redshirt freshmen.
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 39-107 in MVFC contests and have lost each of their last 18 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.
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 hits the road to take on No. 3 Northern Iowa on Saturday, Oct. 3 at the UNI Dome. Kickoff is slated for 5:05 p.m. (ET) and can be heard live on ESPNSportsRadio.com.
