SETTING THE STAGE
The fourth season of the Trent Miles era continues on Saturday, Sept. 10, as the Sycamores open the home portion of the schedule against Butler in a contest sponsored by Pepsi. Saturday's game is set for a 2:05 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 be heard live worldwide on GoSycamores.com. The game will also be broadcast live on Sycamore Vision on a pay-per-view basis via GoSycamores.com.

THE BUTLER SERIES
In a series that dates back to 1904, Butler holds a 25-7-2 lead all-time. In Terre Haute, the Bulldogs owns a 9-4-1 advantage. The two teams have not met since 1974, when ISU won 56-27 at Memorial Stadium. Indiana State has won seven of the last eight meetings between the two schools.

THE COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Trent Miles (Indiana State '87)
- Overall: 7-28 (4th Season)
- at Indiana State: 7-28 (4th Season)
- vs. Butler: 0-0
- vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 5-19
BUTLER: Jeff Voris (DePauw, '89)
- Overall: 44-62 (11th Season)
- at Butler: 29-28 (6th Season)
- vs. Indiana State: 0-0
- vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 0-1

QUICK HITS
- Indiana State played in front of the largest crowd it has ever played in front of as part of its 41-7 loss at Penn State in the season opener on Sept. 3 when the Sycamores and Nittany Lions played in front of 96,461 fans at Beaver Stadium. It was the largest crowd to witness a Sycamore football game since the Sycamores played Oklahoma on Sept. 11, 1999 in front of just over 70,000 fans.
- Indiana State and Butler have not faced off against each other since 1974, but did play each other every year between 1949 and 1974 with Butler dominating the first part of the series, but the Sycamores winning seven of eight meetings between 1967 and 1974.

An Indiana State Win Over Butler Would ...
• Give Indiana State back-to-back home opening victories for the first time since 1995 & 1996.
• Give Indiana State its first victory over the Bulldogs since 1974 - the last time the two teams met in football. A win would also extend the Sycamores' winning streak over the Bulldogs to four.
• Give Indiana State its first non-conference victory over a NCAA Division I opponent since a 41-24 victory over UT-Martin in 2004.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Trent Miles (Indiana State, 1987) is 7-28 (.200) overall in his fourth season as a head coach, all with the Sycamores. He is 5-19 all-time in MVFC games, including a 4-8 mark at home and a 1-11 mark on the road. During his career, he is 6-11 in all home games, 1-17 on the road and 2-2 in games decided by three points or less. Miles is 0-0 all-time against Butler. With the Trees, Miles is 1-2 in overtime games, and 0-5 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Trent Miles' 36th game as Indiana State head coach.

The Butler Head Coach
Butler is led by sixth-year head coach Jeff Voris, who is 29-28 with the Indianapolis, Ind., school. Voris has never faced off against Indiana State, but is 0-1 against the Missouri Valley Football Conference, falling to Youngstown State in 2009 while at the Butler helm.

Scouting The Bulldogs
Butler is 1-0 on the young season, earning a 31-17 victory over Albion on Saturday. Senior quarterback Andrew Huck passed for 235 yards and three touchdowns and set a school record for consecutive pass completions by completing his first 19 passes in the game. Huck finished the game 22-of-26 passing while the Bulldogs finished the game with 318 yards of total offense. Butler scored on its first five possessions of the game, with the first being a field goal and then four straight drives that netted touchdowns.

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 345-471-22 and is competing for the 26th consecutive season as a member of the MVFC.

Ben Obaseki Named To Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List; Solid Start At Penn State
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 Watchlist Team member, recorded one solo stop and four assists versus the Nittany Lions.

For Openers
This week the Sycamores the home portion of the schedule against Butler inside Memorial Stadium, where the Sycamores are an impressive 53-36-4 in home opening contests. ISU won its home opener last season over St. Joseph's (Ind.) by the score of 57-7, its first since 2004 with a 28-21 victory over Murray State. Last year's home season opening victory over St. Joseph's was its first home/season opening win since a 1996 victory over Mars Hill.

Double Digits Times Two
Indiana State's Alex Sewall and Jacolby Washington went over double digit tackles at Penn State as each posted 10 tackles in the contest. Sewall had four solos and six assists while Washington netted two solos and eight assists. ISU recorded an impressive trio of quarterback sacks at Penn State, including one each by Aaron Archie, Larry King and Larry Carter. Additionally, the Sycamores had five tackles for loss against the Nittany Lions.

Sycamore Pass Defense Holds Penn State In Check
Indiana State allowed just 114 yards passing at Penn State, which ranks as the best pass defense mark through one week of play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and is 16th-best nationally. The Sycamores' pass efficiency defense rating of 107.88 is ranked second behind Northern Iowa and is 34th nationally.

Santino Solid At Punter
Indiana State senior Santino Davis once starred for the Sycamores at the linebacker position but is now performing solidly as the team's punter during his final season with the Blue & White. Davis averaged 40.8 yards per punt in his eight attempts in the season opener at Penn State, including a long of 49 yards and he pinned the Nittany Lions inside their own 20-yard line once. Davis' net punting average of 36.88 yards ranks tops in the MVFC and is 37th nationally.

Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference Honors
Indiana State had two team members place on the 2011 Missouri Valley Football Preseason Offensive Team in senior full back Brock Lough and senior tight end Alex Jones. Four Sycamores placed on the 2011 Missouri Valley Football Preseason Defensive Team, including Buck Buchanan Award nominee junior defensive lineman Ben Obaseki, junior linebacker Jacolby Washington, sophomore defensive back Calvin Burnett and senior defensive back Alex Sewall. Two more Sycamores, senior quarterback Ronnie Fouch and junior linebacker Aaron Archie were honorable mention selections.

Sycamores Picked To Finish Sixth In Missouri Valley Football Conference
The Indiana State football team has been picked to finish sixth in the annual Missouri Valley Football Conference Preseason Poll conducted earlier this summer by a vote of league head coaches, sports information directors and a media panel. It is the highest preseason ranking for the Sycamores since they were picked to finish sixth in a seven-team Gateway Football Conference race in 2000.

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.

Fourty-Seven Letterman, 17 Starters Return In 2011
Indiana State returns 47 letterman from last season - 22 on offense, 23 on defense and two specialists. The Sycamores have lost the services of 14 letterman in 2011 - eight on offense, four on defense and two specialists. Indiana State also returns 17 starters from the 2010 squad. Six starters are back on offense, nine on defense and two specialists.

Must See TV
Indiana State is making a school record five appearances on television this season, beginning with the season opener on Saturday 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 will also appear on ESPN3.com in its September 17 contest at Western Kentucky as well as the October 22 road game at Illinois State. The Sycamores also will appear 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.

Ronnie Fouch Enjoyed Seven Game 200-Yard Passing Streak In 2010
Indiana State junior quarterback Ronnie Fouch's streak of 200-yard passing performances reached seven in a row with a 16-of-23 effort for 290 yards as well as four touchdowns at Youngstown State. Fouch's 290 yards were his most in a Sycamore uniform on the road as ISU downed a league opponent away from Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2002 with the victory at Youngstown State last season. His four touchdowns at YSU was the third time last season in which he has passed for a quartet of touchdowns in a game and gave him 20 total passing touchdowns for the season which was a new school record.

Tied For The Best Valley Football Season In School History
Indiana State's 4-4 record in league play last season was one of the best in the history of the program. Only the 1988 and 2010 squads ever achieved a mark of four league wins since the 1986 campaign when ISU joined what is now known as the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Road Trip!
With the Indiana State Sycamores thrilling 30-24 road victory over Youngstown State last season, the Trees broke a 36-game road losing streak, which was the longest in any division of college football. ISU downed Youngstown State for just the second time in 20 all-time tries, with both coming at the "Ice Castle". The road win over the Penguins was the first for an Indiana State football team since downing Eastern Illinois in overtime in the second game of the 2004 campaign and its first victory in league play away from Memorial Stadium since taking down Southern Illinois in 2002.

Sycamore Offense In 2010 Is The Best In School History
Indiana State amassed 351 total points last season which is a new school record. The 2010 squad beat out the 1992 team who previously held the record with 319 points. Additionally, the Sycamores reached the end zone a total of 48 times last season which tops the 1992 team's 43. The offensive turnaround for Indiana State has been remarkable as the Sycamores scored a program-low 99 points in 2009 and have improved to the point of setting the school record for most points in 2010 with 351.

This Is Our House!
Indiana State finished the 2010 season with a record of 5-1 for the 2010 season at Memorial Stadium with its victory over South Dakota State, giving the Sycamores five home victories for the first time since 1995. The Sycamores posted a winning record at home for the first time since going 3-2 during 2004.

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 44-115 in MVFC contests and have won five of their last 12 league matchups, marking the first time since the 2002 season that an ISU team has won multiple league contests over a similar stretch.

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 hits the road to FBS opponent Western Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 17 in Bowling Green, Ky. The game will begin at 7:00 p.m. (ET) and will be televised live nationally on ESPN3.com.