Ace Hunt

GoSycamores.com

SETTING THE STAGE

Indiana State continues year three of the Trent Miles Era on Saturday, Oct. 23, with their lone October road contest at North Dakota State. Saturday's game is set for a 4:00 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Fargodome (18,700). The game will air live world-wide on Sycamore Vision with Scott Peters, Lee Timmerman, Kevin Keeney & Brian Shawn calling the action. The game will also be carried live on ESPN Radio (92.7 FM & 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 GoSycamores.com. ISU will also be running a live blog on GoSycamores.com and will be providing regular updates at facebook.com/Sycamores as well as twitter.com/IndStAthletics. Fans interested in watching the contest on Sycamore Vision may buy a pay-per-view subscription on GoSycamores.com.

THE NORTH DAKOTA STATE SERIES

North Dakota State and Indiana State are meeting for the third time with the Bison holding a 2-0 lead in the all-time series. ISU and NDSU previously met at the Fargodome in 2008 with North Dakota State pulling out a 34-7 victory.

THE COACHES

INDIANA STATE:  Trent Miles (Indiana State '87)

            - Overall: 5-24 (3rd Season)

            - at Indiana State: 5-24 (3rd Season)

            - vs. North Dakota State: 0-2

            - vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 3-16

NORTH DAKOTA STATE: Craig Bohl (Nebraska, '82)

            - Overall: 56-28 (8th Season)

            - at North Dakota State: 56-28 (8th Season)

            - vs. Indiana State: 2-0

            - vs. MVFC: 6-10

QUICK HITS

- Indiana State is looking to win its third consecutive league contest for the first time since 1996 when the Sycamores took down Western Illinois, Southern Illinois and Illinois State in succession.

- The Sycamores 4-2 start is its best since starting the 2004 season with a 4-2 record as well. ISU has not won as many as five games in a season since 2002 when the Trees finished with a 5-7 mark.

- The Sycamores are facing North Dakota State, who is ranked No. 24 this week in The FCS Coaches' Poll. A win over the Bison would give the Trees their first victory over a nationally-ranked foe since downing No. 19 Western Illinois in 1999. ISU is also looking for its first road victory since 2004 when they took down Eastern Illinois, 33-30 in overtime. The Sycamores have dropped each of their last 35 road contests.

An Indiana State Win Over North Dakota State Would ...

• Give Indiana State four consecutive victories for the first time since the 2004 season.
• Improve Indiana State's Missouri Valley Football Conference winning streak to three games, its longest since 1996.
• Give Indiana State its first ever victory over North Dakota State in three tries.
• Give Indiana State its first road win since downing Eastern Illinois in 2004, a span of 35 road contests.
• Give Indiana State a total of five victories for the season, its most since 2002.
• Improve ISU to 3-1 in MVFC play, tying the 2010 Trees with the 1995 & 1996 teams for the best start in league play.

The Indiana State Head Coach

Indiana State head coach Trent Miles (Indiana State, 1987) is 5-24 (.172) overall in his third season as a head coach, all with the Sycamores. He is 3-16 all-time in MVFC games, including a 3-7 mark at home and a 0-9 mark on the road. During his career, he is 5-10 in all home games, 0-14 on the road and 2-2 in games decided by three points or less. Miles is 0-2 all-time against North Dakota State, including a 0-1 record inside the Fargodome. With the Trees, Miles is 1-2 in overtime games, and 0-5 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Trent Miles' 30th game as Indiana State head coach.

The North Dakota State Head Coach

North Dakota State University head football coach Craig Bohl (Nebraska, 1982) is in his eighth season with a 56-28 record including a 8-7 record against nationally-ranked teams ... The Bison are 32-10 at home in the Fargodome since he's taken over ... North Dakota State went 3-8 in 2009 including a 2-6 MVFC record ... The Bison were 6-5 in 2008 with a 4-4 record in its first season in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Scouting The Bison

North Dakota State is in their third year as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Bison are currently 4-3 on the season and 1-3 in the league play. NDSU won in the waning moments at Youngstown State and have fallen at Northern Iowa, at Illinois State and at home to Western Illinois. The Bison also own a 6-3 victory in the season opener at Big 12 member Kansas.

A Little History

This marks the 106th 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 343-467-22 and is competing for the 25th consecutive season as a member of the MVFC.

What's Transpired

Indiana State won its season opener with a 57-7 decision over St. Joseph's (Ind.) on Sept. 4. The Sycamores scored the game's first 23 points against the Pumas en route to the 50 point victory. ISU was led by senior Darrius Gates who finished with 160 rushing yards while freshman Shakir Bell burst onto the scene with 133 yards on the ground in his Sycamore debut. ISU trailed just 12-7 at halftime at two-time defending BIG EAST Champion Cincinnati en route to falling 40-7. Ronnie Fouch found 11 different receivers as he finished 23-of-38 passing for 161 yards and a touchdown pass to Alex Jones. Indiana State dropped its Missouri Valley Football Conference opener at Western Illinois by the score of 40-7 on a sloppy track in Macomb, Ill. ISU was led by Brock Lough who compiled 38 muddy yards on the ground and scored the lone ISU touchdown of the contest with his 1-yard run in the third quarter. The Sycamores improved to 2-2 on the season with a convincing 56-22 victory over Quincy. Bell and Gates both eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark and Ronnie Fouch became the first Sycamore quarterback to go over the 200-yard passing mark and throw four touchdowns in a single-game since the 2006 season. The Sycamores kept up their winning ways and improved to 3-2 on the season with a convincing 59-24 Homecoming victory over Illinois State. The Sycamores were led by Ronnie Fouch, who completed 16-of-22 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns while Shakir Bell ran the ball 14 times for 146 yards with a touchdown. Bryant Kent paced the Trees with seven receptions for 118 yards and a pair of receptions. ISU won its fourth game of the season and third in a row with a thrilling 38-35 overtime victory over Missouri State. Ronnie Fouch threw for 311 yards in the victory while the Sycamore defense racked up four quarterback sacks. The Trees came back from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to knot the game at 35-all and Cory Little kicked a 32-yard field goal in overtime to earn the win.

Ben Obaseki Earns MVFC Defensive Player Of The Week Plus National Honors For His Performance Against Missouri State

Indiana State sophomore defensive end Ben Obaseki has been named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player Of The Week as well as the National Defensive Performer Of The Week & the National Defensive Line Performer Of The Week by the College Football Performance Awards following his efforts in the 38-35 overtime victory over Missouri State. Obaseki is the first Sycamore to earn MVFC Defensive Player Of The Week honors since the 2006 season when Andy Jones was honored following a victory that season over Missouri State. He is the first Sycamore in the history of the program to take home a National Defensive Performer Of The Week honor from the CFPA. Nobody was a bigger piece of the puzzle for the Sycamores in their 38-35 overtime victory than Ben Obaseki as he tallied a career-high 13 tackles, including seven solos. Obaseki recorded five tackles for loss in the contest, which is the most for a Sycamore since Craig Shaffer posted six back in 1980. He also tallied a career-high three quarterback sacks, which is the most since Troy Lefevra had four in 1998. Obaseki tallied 13 tackles, three sacks for 16 yards of lost yardage and five tackles for a loss of 21 total yards. He added a quarterback hurry as well to his day. With the game tied and less than two minutes to play, Obaseki posted a quarterback sack which forced the Bears to work from long down and distance. Obaseki also combined with Rod Hardy for the final tackle of that drive which gave the Sycamores a chance to attempt a field goal as regulation expired.

Sycamores In Fouch Land

Indiana State junior Ronnie Fouch became just the second quarterback in the history of the Sycamore football program to go over the 200-yard passing mark in three consecutive games with his 23-of-43 passing for 311 yards and three touchdown effort against Missouri State. Fouch tossed for over 200 yards in the fourth quarter alone as he helped engineer a comeback for the Sycamores which featured the Trees posting the game's final 17 points. Fouch found Justin Hilton a total of eight times for 146 yards and a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns  (a 25-yarder and 35-yarder) in the final stanza to knot the contest at 35. Fouch is the first Sycamore quarterback to pass for over 300 yards in a contest since Blayne Baggett did it in 2005, which is also the last time a signal caller attempted over 40 passes in a game.

Reservations At The Hilton

Hilton took home national honorable mention honors from the College Football Performance Awards in the wide receiver category following the Missouri State contest. Hilton scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns off the arm of Ronnie Fouch to send the Sycamores to overtime and an eventual victory over Missouri State. Hilton finished the game with eight catches for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Hilton's long pass play of the game was 48 yards. Hilton scored on a 25-yarder and a 35-yarder in the fourth quarter versus the Bears.

Little Comes Up Big

Cory Little was a perfect 5-for-5 on PAT's against Missouri State and connected on a 32-yard field goal in overtime which propelled Indiana State to a 38-35 overtime victory over the Bears. Little had a chance to win the contest for Indiana State at the end of regulation but just missed a 49-yard attempt at the horn. Little averaged 64.8 yards per kickoff on the day, continually forcing the Bears to have to return the ball from near their own goal line. Little's 32-yard field goal give the Sycamores their first victory with a field goal since the 2004 season when ISU won at Eastern Illinois, 33-30 - also in overtime.

Getting Some National Respect

The Indiana State football team received votes in both national FCS polls this week after winning their third consecutive contest with a thrilling 38-35 overtime victory over Missouri State at Memorial Stadium. ISU received 24 votes in The Sports Network/Fathead.com Top 25 Poll, which is tied for 39th with Illinois State and McNeese State. Northern Iowa and Western Illinois represent the MVFC in the poll while North Dakota State is the top team listed in the others receiving votes category. Also ahead of ISU in the receiving votes section is Southern Illinois while the Sycamores are tied with South Dakota State and Illinois State. The Sycamores make their first appearance this season in The Football Championship Subdivision Poll in a tie for 38th, receiving seven votes. Western Illinois, Northern Iowa and North Dakota State are ranked while Southern Illinois, South Dakota State and Illinois State are receiving votes.

They Call It A Streak!!!

The Sycamores' three-game winning streak is its longest since winning four consecutive contests in 2004. Additionally, ISU's back-to-back MVFC victories against Illinois State and Missouri State marks the first consecutive league wins for the Trees since taking down Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois in 2002. The last time ISU won three league games in a row was in 1996 when the Sycamores took down Western Illinois, Southern Illinois and Illinois State in succession. With a victory at North Dakota State, ISU can match that 1996 effort and will be the Sycamores' first league victory on the road since a 2002 victory at Southern Illinois and would break a 35 game road losing skid that dates back to a 33-30 overtime victory at Eastern Illinois in 2004.

Getting Out The Gate Strong

Indiana State's 2-1 start to league is tied for the third-best start to MVFC play for the Sycamores with the 1988 team that raced out of the gate to a 2-1 start with wins over Eastern Illinois and Missouri State and a loss at Western Illinois. It marks the fourth time in the 25 years of competition within the league that ISU has started with at least two victories in their first three tries. The 1995 & 1996 teams began each season with perfect 3-0 starts to conference play and both dropped their fourth contest. A victory over North Dakota State would give the Sycamores a 3-1 start to league play and would equal those two teams for the best start to league play in four games in the history of the program. The 1988 squad parlayed its 2-1 start into a final league record of 4-2, which tied for second. In 1995, the Sycamores 3-0 start equaled a 3-3 conference record to tie for third while the 1996's 3-0 beginning ended with a 3-2 record which tied for second.

Sycamores Among The Most Improved FCS Teams

Indiana State is among the most improved teams in FCS football this season as they have taken their 1-10 mark from 2009 and are 4-2 so far in 2010, for a +3 victory total over last year. That improvement margin is ranked in a tie for third-best nationally with Georgetown who went 0-11 last year and are already 3-4 this season. The most improved teams in FCS are Western Illinois, who finished 1-10 last season and are 5-2 this year as well as Southeast Missouri State who was 2-9 in 2009 and are 6-1 in 2010.

Against The Nationally-Ranked

North Dakota State is the first Sycamore opponent to be ranked at the time of the contest this season. ISU will be looking to defeat their first opponent ranked in the Top 25 since taking down No. 19 Western Illinois on Oct. 23, 1999. The last ranked opponent for Indiana State was No. 3 Southern Illinois on October 31, 2009. The Sycamores are 8-69 all-time against FCS nationally-ranked opponents, including a mark of 6-50 against league members that are nationally ranked.

This Is Our House!

Indiana State improved to 4-0 for the 2010 season at Memorial Stadium, giving the Sycamores four home victories for the first time since 2002 with its 38-35 overtime victory over Missouri State. With the victory over Missouri State, the Sycamores have assured themselves of a winning record at home for the first time since going 3-2 during 2004.

Keepin' Them Busy In The Booth

Indiana State's 44 points scored in the first half against Illinois State is the most a Sycamore team has ever scored in a half during league play. Indiana State scored 44 first points as part of the 59-24 victory over Illinois State, which is the most for the Sycamores in one half since they posted 49 in the first half against West Virginia Tech in 1994. Additionally, the 59 points that the Sycamores scored in the game is the second-most for an ISU team in league play, just behind the 66 points tallied in 1999 against Southern Illinois. ISU's 56 points versus Quincy and 59 versus Illinois State is the first time in the history of the program that the Sycamores have eclipsed the 50-point mark in consecutive games. Add in the 57-point performance against St. Joseph's and the Sycamores have reached the 50-point milestone a total of three times through their first six games.

Doin' Something For The First Time!

Indiana State has had a 200-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in consecutive games for the first time in school history with several individual performances against Quincy and Illinois State. Ronnie Fouch has been over the 200-yard mark in both contests while Shakir Bell has reached 100-yards rushing in both games and Bryant Kent has reached 100 yards receiving in each of the last two weeks.

Touchdown Passes At A Rapid Rate

Indiana State quarterback Ronnie Fouch has completed a total of 12 touchdown passes this season, including 11 in the past three weeks against Quincy, Illinois State and Missouri State. Fouch's 12 touchdown passes through six games has broken quite a dry spell for the Sycamore passing attack as you have to go back a total of 33 games to tally 12 passing touchdowns prior to Fouch's first scoring strike of the season against Cincinnati in the season's second game. In a span that began with the Southeast Missouri State contest in 2007 and concludes with the 2010 season opener against St. Joseph's, the Sycamores completed a total of 12 touchdown passes. Fouch has matched that total in the last five games (1 at Cincinnati, 0 at Western Illinois, 4 vs. Quincy, 4 vs. Illinois State & 3 vs. Missouri State). Fouch has also reached the 200-yard passing mark in each of the last three games tying a school record of three consecutive games of over 200 yards passing (with Blayne Baggett who did it twice in 2005). Fouch's 12 touchdown passes this season are just five off the school record of 17 tossed by Jeff Miller in 1985. Fouch currently is second in the league with a 142.43 pass efficiency rating, which is 15th best in the nation.

Points Are Starting To Pile Up

Indiana State has scored 224 points through its first six games this season, averaging 37.3 points per game which ranks second in the league to Missouri State and is sixth-best in the nation. The school record for points in a season is 319, which was tallied by the 1992 squad. Through the first six games of the record-breaking 1992 season, the Sycamores had scored 147 points. ISU's 224 points through just six games has already passed the Sycamores' season totals from each of the last three seasons (123 in 2007, 101 in 2008 and 99 in 2009).

Gates Leading The Scoring Charge & Nearing Top 10 Rushing At ISU

Indiana State senior Darrius Gates has reached the end zone a total of 10 times this season and leads the team in scoring with 60 points, which is tied for the 12th most points scored by one player in a year. The school record is 82 points, held by Scott Bridges in 1984. Gates 10.0 ppg average ranks second in the league and is tied for fifth nationally. His 60 points are the most in a season since David Wright (1992), Scott Wilson (1992) and Eric Robinson (1981). The school record for touchdowns scored in a season is 13 by Willie Lee in 1972. Gates has also amassed 1,419 career rushing yards, which is just 83 yards away from catching Dean Klink (1966-68) for 10th on ISU's all-time list.

Sycamores Have Doubled Up On The Ground Twice This Season

Shakir Bell paced Indiana State with 156 yards rushing to led the Sycamores' ground attack against Quincy. He was joined over the 100-yard mark by Darrius Gates who rushed for 139 yards. It marked the second time this season that the Sycamore duo have both reached the century mark on the ground in the same game as both also did it in the season opener against St. Joseph's. Gates also scored three touchdowns versus the Hawks, marking the second time this season he has reached the end zone three times in a game (the other coming against the Pumas in the opener). Gates and Bell became the first Sycamore duo since the 2004 campaign to each reach the 100-yard rushing mark in the same game when they accomplished that feat against St. Joseph's (Ind.). Gates had 160 yards on the ground while Bell posted 133 matching the double 100-yard rushing efforts of Sidney Montfort and Jake Shields in 2004 against UT-Martin.

Sycamores Getting It Done On The Line

Indiana State is amassing rushing yards at a 234.7 per game average, which is second in the league and 11th in the nation, which is a credit to the offensive line. The Sycamores have also allowed just .83 quarterback sacks per game, which is second in the MVFC and is 14th nationally. Conversely, the Sycamore defensive line is getting it done as Ben Obaseki is second in the league with his 1.0 quarterback sacks per game average, a number which is tied for fifth in the nation. Obaseki's 2.08 tackles per loss average is tops in the league and is fourth nationally.

Sycamores Against The Missouri Valley Football Conference

Indiana State is in its 25th 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 42-113 in MVFC contests and have won three of their last seven league matchups, marking the first time since the 2002 season that an ISU team has won multiple league contests over a similar stretch.

The National Eye

Indiana State junior kicker Brett Sheldon, who was born with a physical handicap, was featured this summer on an episode of The Dr. Phil Show titled "Driven To Succeed." Sheldon walked on to the team in the spring and is listed on the team's depth chart out of preseason camp. During the Dr. Phil Show he was featured along with New Orleans Saints head coach -- and former Sycamore assistant -- Sean Peyton.  The Dr. Phil film crew was inside Memorial Stadium during the Spring Game and footage of the Sycamores' spring scrimmage was featured on the national television program.

Sycamores In The Pros

Two former Sycamores played in NFL Preseason contests this fall. Donye McCleskey played in one preseason contest for the Indianapolis Colts where he made a trio of tackles while Jamie Petrowski played in a pair of preseason contests with the Carolina Panthers. Former Sycamore DeJuan Alfonzo plays for the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League and was named the 2010 Ironman Of The Year.

Few Seniors

Indiana State has just eight players on its roster who are seniors. Of those, Darrius Gates and Pat Burke are fifth-year seniors, while Milton Redwine, Bryant Kent, Josh Jellison and Nate Brown are in their fourth year. Jordan Scott and Larry Lacotti transferred into the Sycamore program and are in their final season as well.

In Overtime

The Sycamores have played in 12 overtime contests since the rule was established for regular season games in the NCAA FCS Subdivision in 1996. The Sycamores are 7-5 in games that have used an extra period. ISU's last overtime victory came in the form of a 38-35 victory against Missouri State in the sixth game of the 2010 season.

Up Next

Indiana State returns home for the first leg of a two-game homestand to face off against South Dakota State at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m. (ET).