SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State continues year three of the Trent Miles Era on Saturday, Oct. 30, as their return home to face off against South Dakota State. Saturday's game is set for a 3:05 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Memorial Stadium (12,700). The game will air live world-wide on Sycamore Vision with Vaso Michels and Marty Ledbetter calling the action. The game will also be carried live on ESPN Radio (92.7 FM & 1300 AM), with Brian Fritz and Ernie Thompson 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 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE SERIES
South Dakota State and Indiana State are meeting for the third time with the Jackrabbits holding a 2-0 lead in the all-time series. ISU and SDSU previously met at Memorial Stadium in 2008 with South Dakota State pulling out a 49-9 victory.

THE COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Trent Miles (Indiana State '87)
- Overall: 5-25 (3rd Season)
- at Indiana State: 5-25 (3rd Season)
- vs. South Dakota State: 0-2
- vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 3-17
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE: John Stiegelemeier (South Dakota State, '79)
- Overall: 86-64 (14th Season)
- at South Dakota State: 86-64 (14th Season)
- vs. Indiana State: 2-0
- vs. MVFC: 16-5

QUICK HITS
- Indiana State is looking to win its fifth consecutive home contests for the first time since 1995 when ISU downed Mars Hill, Glenville State, Western Illinois, Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky in succession. 1995 is also the last time a Sycamore team owned a record of 5-0 at home during a season.
- Sycamore quarterback Ronnie Fouch has set a school record by passing for over 200 yards in four consecutive contests and has another tied heading into the South Dakota State contest with back-to-back 300-yard passing efforts against Missouri State and North Dakota State.
- Indiana State is attempting to tie a school record for the best start to a conference season at 3-2 with a victory over South Dakota State. The Sycamores opened the league portion of the schedule with 3-2 ledgers in both 1995 & 1996 and could do it for a third time with a victory over the Jackrabbits.
An Indiana State Win Over South Dakota State Would ...
• Give Indiana State five consecutive home victories for the first time since 1995.
• Give Indiana State its first ever victory over South Dakota State in three tries.
• Give Indiana State a total of five victories for the season, its most since 2002.
• Improve ISU to 3-2 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 5-25 (.167) overall in his third season as a head coach, all with the Sycamores. He is 3-17 all-time in MVFC games, including a 3-7 mark at home and a 0-10 mark on the road. During his career, he is 5-10 in all home games, 0-15 on the road and 2-2 in games decided by three points or less. Miles is 0-2 all-time against South Dakota State, including a 0-1 record at Memorial Stadium. With the Trees, Miles is 1-2 in overtime games, and 0-5 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Trent Miles' 31st game as Indiana State head coach.

The South Dakota State Head Coach
South Dakota State is led by 14th-year head coach John Stiegelemeier, who is 86-64 at the school and in his career. Stiegelemeier is 2-0 against Indiana State, including 1-0 at Memorial Stadium.

Scouting The Jackrabbits
South Dakota State is in their third year as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Jackrabbits dropped their MVFC opener against Illinois State by the score of 24-14 at home, but have rebounded to win three league games in a row and are in second place in the conference standings.

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 343-468-22 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. The Sycamores winning streak ended at North Dakota State, dropping a 27-15 decision to the Bison despite jumping out to a 12-0 first half advantage. ISU was led by Ronnie Fouch who threw for 330 yards and touchdown.

Sycamores In Fouch Land
Ronnie Fouch led the Sycamore offense in the air at North Dakota State by completing 25-of-47 passes for 330 yards and a 13-yard scoring pass to Justin Hilton. Fouch's long completion of the day went to Alex Jones for 37 yards. Fouch is just the second quarterback in the history of the Sycamore football program to pass for over 300 yards in back-to-back contests (the other was Blayne Baggett in 2005). Fouch also eclipsed the 200-yard passing mark for the fourth consecutive game which marks the first time an ISU signal caller has accomplished that feat.

Reservations At The Hilton
Justin Hilton caught a team-high nine passes, the most pass receptions for a Sycamore since 2006. Those nine catches covered 96 yards and he caught a 13-yard pass from Ronnie Fouch in the second quarter at North Dakota State.

Little Comes Up Big
Cory Little connected on both his field goals at North Dakota State. Little connected on field goal attempts of 24 and 22 yards. His 24 yarder in the first quarter staked the Sycamores to a 3-0 lead early and his 22 yarder gave the Sycamores a chance in the fourth as he inched the Trees to within 21-15. Little also hit his only PAT attempt in the contest. It marked the first game in Little's career in which he was perfect on his field goals in a game in which he had multiple attempts. 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. Little's .71 field goal made per game average is tied for fifth in the league and is tied for 66th nationally.

Getting Out The Gate Strong
Indiana State's 2-2 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 2-2 start with wins over Eastern Illinois and Missouri State. 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 four 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 South Dakota State would give the Sycamores a 3-2 start to league play and would equal those two teams for the best start to league play in five games in the history of the program.

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 4-3 so far in 2010, for a +3 victory total over last year. That improvement margin is ranked in fourth-best nationally. The most improved team in FCS is Southeast Missouri State who was 2-9 in 2009 and are 7-1 in 2010.

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. Indiana State will need a victory over South Dakota State to improve to 5-0 at home for the first time since 1995.

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 was 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.

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 seven 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.

Sycamores Getting It Done On The Line
Indiana State is amassing rushing yards at a 205.0 per game average, which is fifth in the league and 19th in the nation, which is a credit to the offensive line. The Sycamores have also allowed just 1.14 quarterback sacks per game, which is third in the MVFC and is 23rd nationally. Conversely, the Sycamore defensive line is getting it done as Ben Obaseki is first in the league with his 1.0 quarterback sacks per game average, a number which is tied for fifth in the nation. Obaseki's 2.07 tackles per loss average is tops in the league and is third nationally.

Touchdown Passes At A Rapid Rate
Indiana State quarterback Ronnie Fouch has completed a total of 13 touchdown passes this season, including 12 in the past four weeks against Quincy, Illinois Stat, Missouri State and North Dakota State. Fouch's 13 touchdown passes through seven 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 13 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 13 touchdown passes. Fouch has matched that total in the last six games (1 at Cincinnati, 0 at Western Illinois, 4 vs. Quincy, 4 vs. Illinois State, 3vs. Missouri State and 1 at North Dakota State). Fouch has also reached the 200-yard passing mark in each of the last four games to set a school record of four consecutive games of over 200 yards passing (passing Blayne Baggett who passed for three in a row twice in 2005). Fouch's 13 touchdown passes this season are just four off the school record of 17 tossed by Jeff Miller in 1985. Fouch currently is second in the league with a 136.12 pass efficiency rating, which is 19th best in the nation.

Points Are Starting To Pile Up
Indiana State has scored 239 points through its first seven games this season, averaging 34.1 points per game which ranks third in the league and is 13th-best in the nation. The school record for points in a season is 319, which was tallied by the 1992 squad. Through the first seven games of the record-breaking 1992 season, the Sycamores had scored 210 points. ISU's 239 points through just seven games has already passed the Sycamores' season totals from each of the last five seasons (193 in 2005, 236 in 2006, 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 8.57 ppg average ranks second in the league and is tied for 13th 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 1,433 career rushing yards, which is just 69 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 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 42-114 in MVFC contests and have won three of their last eight 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 plays its final home contest of the season on Saturday, November 6 when the Sycamores host Northern Iowa. Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m. (ET).