SETTING THE STAGE

The fourth season of the Trent Miles era continues on Saturday, November 12, as the No. 23/RV Sycamores travel to face the Missouri State Bears in a Missouri Valley Football Conference matchup. Saturday's game is set for a 2:00 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Plaster Field (16,300). The game can be heard live on ESPN Radio (92.7 FM), with Brian Fritz and Tom James calling the action for the Nelligan Sports Marketing Radio Network.

THE MISSOURI STATE SERIES

Missouri State and Indiana State are meeting for the 26th time with the Bears holding a 16-9 lead in the all-time series. Indiana State won the previous meeting - last year in Terre Haute - by the score of 38-35 in overtime. MSU is 10-2 all-time against ISU when the game is played in Springfield, including a four-game winning streak. The Sycamores' last victory on the road against the Bears came back on Oct. 20, 2001, when Indiana State came away with a 25-19 win in Springfield.

THE COACHES

INDIANA STATE:  Trent Miles (Indiana State '87)

            - Overall: 12-31 (4th Season)

            - at Indiana State: 12-31 (4th Season)

            - vs. Missouri State: 1-2

            - vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 8-22

MISSOURI STATE:  Terry Allen (Northern Iowa '79)

            - Overall: 199-99 (19th Season)

            - at Missouri State: 24-40 (6th Season)

            - vs. Indiana State: 10-3

            - vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 15-28

QUICK HITS

- Indiana State is ranked No. 23 this week in FCS Coaches Top 25 Poll. This marks a new school record for the Sycamores as they have appeared in the national polls for a seventh consecutive week.

- The Sycamores are ranked No. 15 this week in the Gridiron Power Index (GPI), the index ranking for the NCAA Division I FCS and a top indicator of at-large playoff selection, landing ISU squarely on the bubble for an at-large selection to the postseason tournament.

- Sophomore Shakir Bell leads the nation in rushing yards per game, averaging 147.4 yards per contest.

- Sophomore Shakir Bell is just 178 yards away from setting Indiana State's single-season rushing record, entering Saturday's game with 1,327 for the season. The current record is held by Derrick Franklin from the 1991 season, when Franklin ran for 1,505 yards.

- Indiana State is looking for their third road victory when they travel to Springfield this weekend. ISU has not won three games on the road since the 1979 season.

The Indiana State Head Coach

Indiana State head coach Trent Miles (Indiana State, 1987) is 12-31 (.279) overall in his fourth season as a head coach, all with the Sycamores. He is 8-22 all-time in MVFC games, including a 6-9 mark at home and a 2-13 mark on the road. During his career, he is 9-12 in all home games, 3-19 on the road and 3-3 in games decided by three points or less. Miles is 1-2 all-time against Missouri State, earning his only win in last season's 38-35 overtime victory. With the Trees, Miles is 1-2 in overtime games, and 0-5 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Trent Miles' 44th game as Indiana State head coach.

The Missouri State Head Coach

Missouri State head coach Terry Allen (Northern Iowa, 1979) is 119-99 (.546) in his 19th year as a head coach and 24-40 (.375) in his 6th year at Missouri State. Allen is 10-3 all-time against Indiana State, including an 2-0 mark at Plaster Field. Allen is 80-33 in home games (16-15 at MSU), 39-66 in career road games (8-25 at MSU), 54-36 in non-conference games (9-12), and 65-63 in conference action (15-28 at MSU).

Scouting The Bears

Missouri State enters Saturday's game after a bye week last weekend, playing last against South Dakota State on Oct. 29. The Bears fell in double overtime to the Jackrabbits, as SDSU came away with a 43-36 victory in Springfield. MSU began the season with four road games, including a pair of trips to nationally ranked FBS opponents. The Bears travelled to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks to open the season, falling 51-7 to the SEC powerhouse. Two weeks later, Missouri State hit the road to last season's national runners-up, the Oregon Ducks, dropping a game in Eugene, Ore., by a score of 56-7. The Bears picked up their lone win of the season on Oct. 22, taking down the Western Illinois Leathernecks in Macomb, Ill., 31-17. MSU secured the victory thanks to a 91-yard interception return for a touchdown by senior cornerback Jimmie Strong. Sophomore quarterback Trevor Wooden leads the team in both passing and rushing, running for 420 yards and five touchdowns while throwing for 1,529 yards and 13 touchdowns. Senior Chris Douglas is the featured running back, going for 415 yards on 119 carries (3.5 per rush average) with a pair of touchdowns. Senior Jermaine Saffold has racked up nearly half of MSU's receiving yards, securing 35 receptions for 754 yards and seven touchdowns. A pair of redshirt freshmen lead the Missouri State defense, as Mike Crutcher (69 tackles, 1.0 for loss) and Andrew Biesel (66 tackles, 5.5 for loss) top the team in stops this season.

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 350-474-22 and is competing for the 26th consecutive season as a member of the MVFC.

What's Transpired

Indiana State is 5-4 on the season, going 2-1 in nonconference play with wins over Butler (48-34) and Western Kentucky (44-16) while falling on the road at Penn State (41-7). The Sycamores won their first contest against a NCAA FBS Subdivision member since 2001 with the win over WKU. ISU is 3-3 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play, picking up wins over Youngstown State (37-35), South Dakota State (38-28) and Western Illinois (46-24) while dropping league games to Northern Iowa (23-9), Illinois State (17-14) and North Dakota State (27-16). 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. The Sycamores are led in rushing by Shakir Bell who has 1,327 yards on 167 carries, averaging 7.9 yards per touch with 11 touchdowns. Bell is also the national leader in rushing yards per game, going off for a 147.4 average per contest. Ronnie Fouch has completed over 55.2-percent of his passes, connecting on 112-of-203 attempts with 15 touchdowns. Justin Hilton leads ISU with 28 catches for 484 yards and four touchdowns while Alex Jones leads the receivers with 501 yards for the season, coming on 23 catches with four touchdowns. Aaron Archie leads the defense, recording a team-high 101 tackles on the season, good for 11th best in the country with an 11.2 per game average. Ben Obaseki tops the team with 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss, including a 22-tackle performance on Oct. 15 against Western Illinois.

Earning National Respect In The Top 25 Polls

Indiana State is ranked No. 23 in this week's FCS Coaches Poll while continuing to receive votes in the The Sports Network/Fathead.com Top 25 poll. The Sycamores have been nationally-ranked for a school record seventh consecutive weeks in 2011.

Making "Bell"-ievers Of The Competition

Indiana State sophomore tailback Shakir Bell has amassed 1,327 yards on the ground and needs 178 yards over the final two games of the regular season to break Derrick Franklin's single season school record of 1,505 yards rushing set in 1991. Bell is averaging 146.6 rushing yards per game this season, which is not only the top average in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, but is also the most in the nation this year.

Bell Becomes Quickest To 1,000 Yards In School History

It took sophomore Shakir Bell just seven games in the 2011 season to reach to 1,000 yard mark for the year, as the Indianapolis, Ind., native became the quickest runner to reach the milestone. Bell eclipsed the mark on a 51-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against Western Illinois, blowing past the total by adding another long touchdown run, this time of 47 yards, later in the game. For the season, Bell has amassed 1,310 yards on 151 carries, averaging 156.0 yards per game and 8.3 yards per carry. The quickest that any Indiana State football player has ever reached 1,000 yards rushing in a season was Vincent Allen who eclipsed the mark in eight games during his freshman campaign in 1974.

The Century Mark

Junior Aaron Archie went over the century mark for tackles against North Dakota State last weekend, pushing his team-leading total to 101 on the season (41 solo, 60 assisted). Archie also went over the 100 tackle mark back in 2009, recording 117 as a redshirt freshman. The junior from Detroit, Mich., now has 278 tackles for his career, as he sits just 22 stops away from being the 13th member of the 300 tackle club at Indiana State.

Moving Up The Ranks

After just 20 games for his career, sophomore tailback Shakir Bell has moved into the top 10 in Indiana State career rushing history, passing Darrold Clardy (1,594 - 1981-84) on October 15 with his 213 yards against Western Illinois. Bell's career rushing total sits at 1,976, an average of 98.8 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. Shakir Bell      2010-pres.   262        1,976       7.54          13

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

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 3,682 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.   280         492        3,931       .569       35-13

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

Bringing Back Memories Of "The Fridge"

The Sycamores' junior defensive end Ben Obaseki found the end zone for the fifth time in his career on the offensive side of the football when he plunged in from one-yard out midway through the fourth quarter at Illinois State. For the season, Obaseki has scored a total of three offensive touchdowns rushing, reaching the end zone on all three of his offensive rushing attempts this year.

Archie Second In MVFC Total Tackles, Three Sycamores Featured In The Top Four

Led by juniors Aaron Archie and Jacolby Washington and senior Alex Sewall, the Sycamores have three defenders ranked in the Top 4 of the Missouri Valley Football Conference in total tackles. Archie is second in the conference with 101 tackles (an average of 11.0 per game), while Sewall ranks third with a 98 (10.9 per game) and Washington is fourth with 91 on the season (10.1 per game). Nationally, Archie is 11th, Sewall is 14th and Washington is 22nd.

Battling It Out

Seniors Justin Hilton and Alex Jones have been battling for the team lead in receptions and receiving yards throughout the season, both catching four touchdown passes from Ronnie Fouch this year. Hilton leads the team with 28 catches this season, totaling 484 yards for an average of 17.3 yards per reception. Jones tops the roster with 501 receiving yards on 23 catches, leading the way with a 21.8 yards per reception average. Both Hilton and Jones have caught scoring passes of over 70 yards this season.

All-Time Versus Nationally-Ranked Teams

No. 24 Youngstown State was the first Sycamore opponent from the FCS to be ranked at the time of the contest this season and ISU earned a 37-35 victory over them on September 24 inside Memorial Stadium. With the victory, ISU defeated their first opponent ranked in the Top 25 since taking down No. 19 Western Illinois on Oct. 23, 1999. The Sycamores are 9-73 all-time against FCS nationally-ranked opponents, including a mark of 7-54 against league members that are nationally ranked. Additionally, the Sycamores are 0-6 when they are nationally-ranked, taking on another nationally-ranked opponent. ISU fell last week against top-ranked and undefeated North Dakota State, 27-16, at Memorial Stadium in Terre Haute.

Nationally Ranked Sycamores Vs. Nationally Ranked Opposition

Nov. 5, 2011      L, 16-27            No. 16 ISU vs. No. 1 NDSU         Memorial Stadium

Oct. 8, 2011       L, 9-23              No. 17 ISU vs.. No. 2 UNI           Cedar Falls, Iowa

Nov. 9, 1996      L, 19-34            No. 21 ISU vs. No. 3 UNI            Memorial Stadium

Nov. 18, 1995    L, 6-27              No. 19 ISU vs. No. 12 EIU          Memorial Stadium

Oct. 14, 1995     L, 10-27            No. 23 ISU vs. No. 18 UNI          Cedar Falls, Iowa

Sept. 9, 1989     L, 10-31            No. 14 ISU vs. No. 10 MSU         Springfield, Mo.

Big Plays Lead Sycamore To Victory Over Leathernecks

The Indiana State offense scored six touchdowns against Western Illinois on Homecoming Saturday, with five of the six coming on plays of more than 30 yards. After Shakir Bell scored on a six-yard touchdown run to opening the scoring for Indiana State, the Sycamores rattled of TDs of 34 yards (Donald Spencer reception), 80 yards (Alex Jones reception), 39 yards (Alex Jones reception), 32 yards (Michael Mardis reception), 51 yards (Shakir Bell run) and 49 yards (Shakir Bell run).

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. Western Kentucky has gone on to win four of its last five games since ISU downed them and is 4-4 on the season, including a 4-1 mark in Sun Belt Conference play.

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.

Coming Up Next

Indiana State closes out the regular season at home on Saturday, Nov. 19, as the Sycamores host the Salukis of Southern Illinois. ISU and SIU are set to hit the turf at Memorial Stadium at 2:05 p.m. (ET).