SETTING THE STAGE

The fourth season of the Trent Miles era continues on Saturday, Oct. 15, as the No. 21 Sycamores host the Leathernecks of Western Illinois in a Missouri Valley Football Conference matchup on Homecoming Weekend at Indiana State. Saturday's game is set for a 3:05 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Memorial Stadium (12,764). The game will air live on ESPN Radio (92.7 FM), with Brian Fritz and Tom James calling the action for the Nelligan Sports Marketing Radio Network. Action can also be seen live locally on WTWO with Jason Pensky and Brent Holl on the call. Saturday's game can be seen live online on GoSycamores.com through SycamoreVision.

THE WESTERN ILLINOIS SERIES

Western Illinois owns the all-time series against Indiana State by a 21-13 margin, but ISU holds a 10-7 advantage in games played at Terre Haute. WIU won the last meeting between the two clubs by a 40-7 margin in Macomb,  after ISU had won the previous meeting in 2009, 17-14. Western Illinois has won 10 of the last 11 meetings dating back to 1997.

THE COACHES

INDIANA STATE:  Trent Miles (Indiana State '87)

            - Overall: 11-29 (4th Season)

            - at Indiana State: 11-29 (4th Season)

            - vs. Western Illinois: 1-2

            - vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 7-20

WESTERN ILLINOIS:  Mark Hendrickson (Northern Iowa, '80)

            - Overall: 15-18 (3rd Season)

            - at Western Illinois: 15-18 (3rd Season)

            - vs. Indiana State: 2-1

            - vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 7-13

QUICK HITS

- Indiana State has won two consecutive seasons on Homecoming, topping Western Illinois in 2009 and Illinois State in 2010.

- The Sycamores will be looking to stay undefeated at Memorial Stadium, where the team is 3-0 this season. In the last two seasons, the Sycamores are 8-1 on the turf in Terre Haute.

- Sophomore Shakir Bell sits just 88 yards shy of 1,000 for the season, as the Indianapolis, Ind., native looks to become the fastest ISU tailback to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a single-season.

The Indiana State Head Coach

Indiana State head coach Trent Miles (Indiana State, 1987) is 11-29 (.275) overall in his fourth season as a head coach, all with the Sycamores. He is 7-20 all-time in MVFC games, including a 5-8 mark at home and a 2-12 mark on the road. During his career, he is 8-11 in all home games, 3-18 on the road and 3-2 in games decided by three points or less. Miles is 1-2 all-time against Western Illinois. With the Trees, Miles is 1-2 in overtime games, and 0-5 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Trent Miles' 41st game as Indiana State head coach.

The Western Illinois Head Coach

Western Illinois is led by third-year head coach Mark Hendrickson. Hendrickson is 15-18 at WIU and as a head coach. He is 2-1 all-time against Indiana State, including a 40-7 victory in Macomb last season.

Scouting The Leathernecks

Western Illinois is 2-0 at home, topping Jacksonville (35-21 on Sept. 10) and Southern Illinois (27-21 on Oct. 1), and 0-3 on the road this season, falling to Sam Houston State (20-6 on Sept. 1), Missouri (69-0 on Sept. 17) and Northern Iowa (38-10 on Sept. 24). Ray Caulton leads the team with 334 rushing yards this season, an average of 83.5 per game. Josh Hudson has completed 58.4-percent of his passes, averaging 155.0 yards in the air per game with eight touchdowns against two interceptions. Terriun Crump has totaled over half of the team's receiving yards, catching 26 passes for 565 yards this season. As a team, WIU has 934 receiving yards through five games. Kevin Palermo leads the defense with 41 tackles this season, while Theon Dixon has tallied 4.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. The Leathernecks were off from action last weekend (Oct. 8), last playing on Oct. 1, a 27-21 victory over Southern Illinois.

A Little History

This marks the 107th 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 349-472-22 and is competing for the 26th consecutive season as a member of the MVFC.

Television Particulars

Indiana State's game against Western Illinois will be shown live world wide on SycamoreVision, available on GoSycamores.com.

What's Transpired

Indiana State is 4-2 on the season, dropping its season opener at Penn State by the score of 41-7 and downing Butler in the home opener 48-34. The Sycamores are led in rushing by Shakir Bell who has 912 yards on 103 carries, averaging 8.9 yards per touch with eight touchdowns. Ronnie Fouch has completed over 61 percent of his passes, connecting on 77-of-127 attempts with eight touchdowns. Justin Hilton leads ISU with 21 passes for 361 yards and four touchdowns while Jacolby Washington and Aaron Archie are tied for the team-lead defensively with 64 total tackles. Larry Carter and Cory Little earned MVFC Player Of The Week honors for their efforts against Western Kentucky as the Sycamores earned a 44-16 road victory over the Hilltoppers. The Sycamores won their first contest against a NCAA FBS Subdivision member since 2001 with the win over WKU. ISU stretched its winning streak to three games with a 37-35 home victory over Youngstown State - its first over the Penguins at Memorial Stadium in 12 tries. ISU secured its first 2-0 start to league play since 1996 with a 38-28 victory at South Dakota State. Bell once again led the offensive attack with 199 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. Indiana State saw their four-game winning streak come to an end at Northern Iowa, falling 23-9 in the UNI-Dome. Shakir Bell gained 145 yards on 14 first-half carries, before an injury forced to sophomore standout to miss the second half of action. Ronnie Fouch threw for 136 yards and one touchdown, connecting on a six-yard strike to Justin Hilton late in the first-half.

Earning National Respect In The Top 25 Polls

Indiana State is ranked No. 21 in this week's The Sports Network/Fathead.com Top 25 poll while they are also No. 21 in the FCS Coaches Poll.

Indiana State Adds Television Appearance

ESPN and the Missouri Valley Football Conference announced two league games have been added to the ESPN3 schedule this fall, including Indiana State's Nov. 5 game against North Dakota State at Memorial Stadium. The Sycamores will also be on ESPN3.com the week prior, when ISU travels to Normal, Ill., to face the Illinois State Redbirds.

Bell Looking To Be Quickest To 1,000 Yards In School  History

Through six games in 2011, sophomore tailback Shakir Bell has amassed 912 yards rushing, which is the most ever for a Sycamore through the first six games of any season. Bell needs just 88 more yards rushing this year to become the 12th 1,000-yard rusher in the history of the program. The quickest that any Indiana State football player has ever reached 1,000 yards rushing in a season is Allen who eclipsed the mark in eight games during his freshman campaign in 1974.

Shakir Bell Named To Walter Payton Award Watch List

Indiana State sophomore tailback Shakir Bell is off to the best start rushing in school history and today (Oct. 4) he was honored by being added to the Walter Payton Award Watch List by The Sports Network. The Walter Payton Award, in its 25th season, honors the most outstanding player in FCS football and Bell was one of four players nationally to be added to the watch list. Bell is one of four players from the Missouri Valley Football Conference to be featured on the watch list as Youngstown State's Jamaine Cook, North Dakota State's D.J. McNorton and Northern Iowa's Tirrell Rennie are also honored. Bell is enjoying a stellar season so far as he has helped lead the Sycamores to their first 4-1 start since 2004 and their first 2-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference start since 1996. Through five games, Bell has amassed 767 rushing yards, which is the highest total anyone in the Indiana State program has ever posted this early in a season. His 153.4 rushing yards per game average ranks second nationally and needs just 233 more rushing yards over the next two games to become the earliest 1000-yard rusher in the history of the program. Additionally, he has found the end zone eight times on the ground and earlier this season reached 200 yards rushing in back-to-back games, including a school record 256 against Youngstown State. Bell leads the MVFC in all purpose yardage as his 155.8 average also ranks 17th nationally. Bell is averaging 9.6 points per game, which ranks third in the league and tied for 12th in FCS football.

Moving Up The Ranks

After just 17 games for his career, sophomore tailback Shakir Bell has moved into the top 10 in Indiana State career rushing history, passing Tori Vactor (1,545 - 1987-88) with his 145 yards this past weekend against UNI. Bell's career rushing total sits at 1,561, an average of 91.8 per game. Vincent Allen (4,335 -- 1973-77) and David Wright (4,181 -- 1992-95) sit atop the Indiana State record books.

Career Rushing Leaders At Indiana State

                         YEARS   ATT.   YARDS  AVG.     TDs

1. Vincent Allen  1973-77    832     4,335     5.21       31

2. David Wright  1992-95    784     4,181     5.33       22

3. Derrick Franklin 1989-91 710     3,231     4.55       23

4. Eric Robinson 1979-82    443     2,169     4.90       22

5. Jake Shields   2001-04    521     2,119     4.07       19

6. Darrius Gates 2006-10    396     2,010     5.08       20

7. Jim Brumfield 1967-69    448     1,998     4.46       23

8. Darrold Clardy 1981-84   355     1,594     4.49       19

9. Shakir Bell          2010-pres. 198       1,561        7.88         10

10. Tori Vactor   1987-88    312     1,545     4.95       12

Moving Up The Ranks (Part II)

Senior quarterback Ronnie Fouch has racked up plenty of yards in his two seasons at Indiana State, currently sitting in fourth place in ISU's career record books with 3,309 yards through the air. Fouch passed Kip Hennelly (3,158 -- 1991-93) this season and currently sits behind Reggie Allen (5,094 -- 1978-81), John Sham (5,139 -- 1986-89) and Jeff Miller (6,448 -- 1982-85) within the record books.

Career Passing Leaders At Indiana State

                         YEARS COMP.   ATT.   YARDS   PCT.  TD-INT

1. Jeff Miller       1982-85    555     1,006    6,448     .552     40-33

2. John Sahm     1986-89    341       668     5,139     .496     30-38

3. Reggie Allen   1978-81    367       782     5,094     .469     29-46

4. Ronnie Fouch     2010-pres.   245         416       3,309        .589      28-11

5. Kip Hennelly   1991-93    249       490     3,158     .508     19-27

6. Julian Reese   2001-02    267       499     2,961     .535     20-21

7. Kevin Cox      1993-96    238       528     2,885     .451     20-22

8. Kyle Frondorf 1986-88    208       391     2,778     .532      8-24

9. Blayne Baggett 2005      284       473     2,741     .600     15-13

10. Reilly Murphy 2006-07   212       406     2,514     .522     11-19

Sycamore Defense Features Three Top 5 Tacklers In MVFC

Led by juniors Aaron Archie and Jacolby Washington, the Sycamores have three defenders ranked in the Top 5 of the Missouri Valley Football Conference in total tackles. Archie and Washington both lead ISU and the MVFC with 64 tackles this season, while their 10.7 tackles per game ranks second in the conference and tied for 16th nationally. Alex Sewall has 61 stops this season, good for fourth in the conference, while his 10.2 per game average ranks fifth in the MVFC and 24th on a national scale.

Homecoming Party

The Sycamores will look to win on Homecoming for the third consecutive season when Western Illinois travels to Terre Haute this Saturday. ISU defeated WIU, 17-14, back in 2009, snapping their 33-game losing streak, before making it two Homecoming victories in a row with a 59-24 triumph over Illinois State last season. Indiana State has not won on three consecutive Homecomings since the 1976-78 seasons, when ISU topped Northern Illinois (28-10), Illinois State (20-10) and Drake (13-0).

Alex Sewall Named MVFC Defensive Player Of The Week Following South Dakota State Victory

The Sycamores will look to win on Homecoming for the third consecutive season when Western Illinois travels to Terre Haute this Saturday. ISU defeated WIU, 17-14, back in 2009, snapping their 33-game losing streak, before making it two Homecoming victories in a row with a 59-24 triumph over Illinois State last season.

Tee Total Towalid

Indiana State's Johnny Towalid was the benefactor of a Jacolby Washington pass breakup late in the third quarter at South Dakota State as he took the ball that spiraled high in the air off the hands of Washington and returned the interception 78-yards to stretch Indiana State's lead out to 31-15 with 52 seconds remaining in the game's third quarter. The 78-yard return was the first by a Sycamore since 2006 when Bryan Jackson returned an interception 100 yards at Eastern Illinois.

Bell Sets School Record Against Youngstown State; Earns National Honors

Indiana State sophomore running back Shakir Bell was outstanding against Youngstown State and for his efforts was named the Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player Of The Week, The Sports Network Co-Offensive National Player Of The Week and the College Sports Performance Awards National Running Back Of The Week. Bell amassed 256 rushing yards in the contest on 21 attempts, averaging 12.2 yards per carry for the Trees. His 256 rushing yards are the most in a single-game by a Sycamore in the history of the program and marks his second consecutive 200-yard rushing performance. Bell is just the second-ever Sycamore to rush for over 200 yards in consecutive contests. Bell's 256 rushing yards broke the previous record of 253 held by Derrick Franklin against Murray State in 1990. Franklin is also the only other Sycamores to rush for 200 yards in back-to-back games back in 1991. Additionally, Bell found the end zone on the ground a total of four times, all in the first half. His four rushing touchdowns in one half is also a new school record. Bell scored on the game's first play from scrimmage on a 62-yard scamper just 18 seconds into the contest. He gave ISU a 14-0 advantage on a 39-yard scoring run just four minutes into the game and tallied a 62-yard touchdown on the ground in the second quarter. He finished off his masterful first half with a 51-yard touchdown rush with 4:03 left in the first half. His 62-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game is the longest scoring play for the Sycamores this season. Bell currently leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference in rushing yards per game with a 142.0 mark, a number which is second-best nationally.

Sycamores Beat FBS Western Kentucky In Impressive Fashion

Indiana State defeated NCAA FBS foe Western Kentucky, a current member of the Sun Belt Conference and a former member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (2001-06) by the score of 44-16 in Bowling Green. ISU broke a 12-game losing skid to the Hilltoppers and earned their first victory over a NCAA FBS school since a 2001 victory at Eastern Michigan. ISU's 28-point win over the Hilltoppers is the largest margin of victory for an FCS school over an FBS school since a 30-point victory by North Dakota State over Central Michigan in 2007. ISU's 44 points scored over is tied for the most points scored by a Sycamore squad against an FBS school with a 44 point outburst against Louisville in 1984.

Back-To-Back Non-Conference Victories For Indiana State

Indiana State's back-to-back victories against Butler and Western Kentucky are the Sycamores' first consecutive non-conference victories against NCAA Division I foes since the Sycamores downed Eastern Illinois, Murray State and UT-Martin in succession back in 2004. Likewise, the Sycamores entered MVFC play with a 2-1 record, its best start to a season since a 4-1 burst out of the gate in 2004.

Ben Obaseki Named To Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List; Solid Start To Season

Junior defensive lineman Ben Obaseki has been named to the 2011 Buck Buchanan Watch List, presented by Fathead.com as announced by The Sports Network. The Buchanan Award is in its 17th season and will be presented to the FCS' outstanding defensive player at the national awards banquet Thursday night, Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas. This season's winner will join a list of Buchanan Award greats such as Dexter Coakley, Jared Allen, Rashean Mathis, Kroy Biermann and 2010 winner J.C. Sherritt of Eastern Washington. Ballots will be sent to a panel of about 200 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries after the regular season on Nov. 21. Obaseki was everywhere for Indiana State at Penn State, totaling five total tackles and putting pressure on the Penn State quarterbacks numerous times over the course of the game on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Obaseki, a Preseason Buck Buchanan Watch List Team member, recorded one solo stop and four assists versus the Nittany Lions. He went on to tally eight tackles with a quarterback sack at Western Kentucky. Obaseki now has 12 quarterback sacks in his career, and needs 13.5 more to tie Kyle Mitchell for the school record.

Sycamores Against The Missouri Valley Football Conference

Indiana State is in its 26th 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 46-116 in MVFC contests and have won seven of their last 15 league matchups, marking the first time since the 2002 season that an ISU team has won multiple league contests over a similar stretch.

Leonard Riston Kickoff Return For A Touchdown Against Butler; Sycamores Lead MVFC In Kickoff Returns

Leonard Riston returned three kickoffs for a total of 156 yards, including a 92-yard touchdown in the second quarter as the Sycamores downed Butler at Memorial Stadium. Riston's 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the Sycamores' first since the 2005 campaign when Cornell Johnson had a 97-yarder against Western Illinois. Riston currently ranks second in the MVFC in kickoff return average with a mark of 25.9 yards, which ranks 35th nationally. Indiana State is second in the MVFC through six games with a 23.9 kickoff return average.

Bringing Back Memories Of "The Fridge"

Ben Obaseki scored twice last season on offensive as a fullback despite being the team's starting defensive end and a nominee for the 2011 Buck Buchannan Award. Obaseki matched his career total of two rushing touchdowns with a pair against Butler. Obaseki opened the scoring for the Sycamores against Butler with a two-yard scoring rush in the game's first quarter and then added another two-yard TD in the third quarter.

Alex Sewall Nominated For 2011 All-State AFCA Good Works Team

Alex Sewall, a senior exercise science major, is one of 132 national nominees for the 2011 All-State AFCA Good Works Team. The award recognizes the selfless contributions to volunteerism and community service made by college football student-athletes across the nation. From the nominees submitted by sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, a special voting panel consisting of former Good Works Team® members and prominent college football media members will select two 11-player Good Works Teams® - one comprising of players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and another representing players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III, and the NAIA. The 22 student-athletes named to the 2011 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® will be announced in late September.

Must See TV

Indiana State is making a school record five appearances on television this season, beginning with the season opener at Penn State. The contest against the Nittany Lions was telecast on the Big Ten Network, the Sycamores second-ever appearance on that network. ISU's 2007 contest at Indiana was one of the network's first live college football telecasts. ISU also appeared on ESPN3.com in its September 17 contest at Western Kentucky and will be on there again during the October 22 road game at Illinois State. The Sycamores made an appearance on Valley Live as part of the MVC Television Network on September 24 against Youngstown State. ISU's Homecoming contest against Western Illinois on October 15 will be shown locally on WTWO-TV in the Wabash Valley. The league games against North Dakota State on November 5 and at Missouri State on November 12 are up for wildcard selections by the league office for telecasts on ESPN3.com.

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 contest came in the form of a 38-35 victory against Missouri State in the sixth game of the 2010 season.

Up Next

Indiana State continues Missouri Valley Football Conference play on Saturday, October 22, 2011 when they travel to Illinois State for the first of back-to-back contests that will be aired on ESPN3.com. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. (ET).