The fifth season of the Trent Miles era continues on Saturday, Sept. 15, as the No. 22 Sycamores are in the middle of a season-long, three-game homestand against Drake of the Pioneer Football League. Saturday's game is set for a 2:05 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Memorial Stadium (12,794). The game will be broadcast live locally on WTWO-TV with Jason Pensky (pbp) and Brent Holl (color) on the call. The game will also be broadcast world-wide on Sycamore Vision (pay-per-view service) with Brian Fritz (pbp) and Tom James (analyst) on the call. The game will also air live on WIBQ (98.5 FM), with Fritz and James calling the action for the Nelligan Sports Marketing Radio Network. Action can be heard live worldwide on GoSycamores.com. Local television clearance information can be found on page 2 of this release.

Indiana State and Drake are renewing a series that has been dormant since 1985 on Saturday with the Sycamores holding an 8-2 advantage in 10 previous meetings. The Sycamores are 4-1 all-time versus the Bulldogs inside Memorial Stadium. ISU has won each of the last four meetings in the series between the two teams, who used to compete against each other in the Missouri Valley Conference.

INDIANA STATE: Trent Miles (Indiana State '87)

- Overall: 14-33 (5th Season) 

- at Indiana State: 14-33 (5th Season)

- vs. Drake: First Meeting

- vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 9-23 

Drake: Chris Creighton (Kenyon College, '91)

- Overall: 126-39 (16th Season) 

- at Drake: 31-15 (5th Season)

- vs. Indiana State: First Meeting

- vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 0-1

- Indiana State earned a 44-0 victory over Quincy which proved to be the Sycamores' first shutout of an opponent since the 1996 home opener against Mars Hill. ISU went a span of 179 games between recording shutouts from 1996 until the victory over Quincy. 

- Eight different Sycamores recorded pass receptions against Quincy, with three different players posting their first career receptions. Chris O'Leary and Richie Dyer each caught their first collegiate passes as did senior Myles Walker, who caught a 12-yard pass in the game's second half. Walker spent the last two seasons at the starting center on the Sycamore basketball team.

• Give the Sycamores a 2-1 start to the season for the second consecutive season.

• Improve the Sycamores to 9-2 all-time against Drake and give them five consecutive victories in the series.

• Be the Sycamores' fifth consecutive home field victory against a non-conference opponent.

• Give the Sycamores a pair of non-conference home victories in the same season for the first time since 2010 (St. Joseph's & Quincy).

Indiana State head coach Trent Miles (Indiana State, 1987) is 14-33 (.298) overall in his fifth season as a head coach, all with the Sycamores. He is 9-23 all-time in MVFC games, including a 6-10 mark at home and a 3-13 mark on the road. During his career, he is 10-13 in all home games, 4-20 on the road and 3-3 in games decided by three points or less. Miles is 0-0 all-time against Drake, and is 1-0 against members of the Pioneer Football League. With the Trees, Miles is 1-2 in overtime games, and 1-5 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Trent Miles' 48th as Indiana State head coach.

Drake is led by head coach Chris Creighton, who is in his fifth season at the helm of the Des Moines, Iowa school. He carries a record of 31-15 into Saturday's game versus Indiana State and is 126-39 in his 16th season as a collegiate head coach. He is 0-1 against the current membership of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, falling to South Dakota in 2009. He has never faced Indiana State as head coach at either Ottawa or Wabash College. Creighton led Wabash to the NCAA Division III playoffs three times in seven seasons from 2001-2007, including four conference championships.

Drake enters Saturday's game with a 1-1 mark on the season, earning a 28-8 victory over Grand View in the season opener and then falling 34-24 to No. 4 Montana State last week. Both games have been at venerable Drake Stadium. Drake is a NCAA Division I FCS Team and competes in the Pioneer Football League. Mike Piatkowski is the Drake quarterback ad he has completed 50-of-84 passes for 582 yards and three touchdowns. Piatkowski's top target is Kevin Marshall who has caught 17 passes for 163 yards.

This marks the 108th 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 352-475-22 and is competing for the 27th consecutive season as a member of the MVFC.

Indiana State's game against Drake will be televised locally on WTWO-TV and can be found on Channel 2 over the air in the Wabash Valley as well as on Channel 2 on both Dish Network and Directv. On Time Warner Cable, WTWO-TV is found on Channel 7. The game will also be broadcast online at GoSycamores.com as part of the Sycamore Vision pay-per-view subscription service.

With the 44-0 victory over Quincy, the Sycamores have won each of their last three home openers as ISU downed Butler in 2011 and St. Joseph's in 2010. ISU last dropped a home opener when Quincy earned a 26-20 overtime victory to open the home portion of the 2009 slate. The last time that the Sycamores had won at least three consecutive home openers came during a span of lidlifters between 2002 and 2004.

Sophomore quarterback Mike Perish went 10-of-16 passing for 165 yards with a pair of touchdowns as the Sycamores blanked Quincy 44-0 in the home opener. Perish completed a pair of long third down passes on the Sycamores' opening drive which led eventually to a Shakir Bell touchdown run and then gave ISU a 14-0 advantage on the second drive by hitting Michael Mardis on a 43-yard touchdown pass one play after gaining the ball via a punt. Perish also completed a five-play, 71-yard drive mid-way through the second quarter with a 21-yard scoring pass to Demory Lawshe which stretched the Sycamore lead out to 31-0.

Senior Aaron Archie led the Sycamores with 11 total tackles (4 solos and seven assists) as Indiana State earned a 44-0 victory over Quincy in the home opener. Archie led a Sycamore defense which earned the program's first shutout of an opponent since 1996. He added three tackles for loss in the game with a forced fumble and a pass breakup on the day. Archie was the only player on either team to reach double digit tackles on a day in which most of the Indiana State starters played only through the middle of the third quarter.

Sophomore Tanner Fritschle improved to a perfect 4-of-4 on his field goals attempts this season by hitting all three tries as part of the Sycamores' 44-0 victory over Quincy in the home opener. Additionally, Fritschle was 5-of-5 in the game on his PAT's and is a perfect 7-of-7 on PAT tries this year. Fritschle hit a 23-yard field goal to give ISU a 24-0 advantage, a 35-yarder with 1:53 left in the second quarter for a 34-0 lead and then for the second consecutive week hit a field goal - this one a 25-yard attempt - with no time showing on the clock before halftime to send the Sycamores into the locker room with a 37-0 advantage. Fritschle was also busy with eight kickoffs in the game, averaging 65.0 yards per kick as all of his attempts went into the end zone and he recorded five touchbacks.

Indiana State earned a 44-0 victory over Quincy which proved to be the Sycamores' first shutout of an opponent since the 1996 home opener against Mars Hill. ISU went a span of 179 games between recording shutouts from 1996 until the victory over Quincy. During that same time span, the Sycamore offense suffered 17 shutouts. The ISU offense has now scored in each of the last 26 games dating back to a 33-0 loss to Southern Illinois in 2009.

Eight different Sycamores recorded pass receptions against Quincy, with three different players posting their first career receptions. Chris O'Leary and Richie Dyer each caught their first collegiate passes as did senior Myles Walker, who caught a 12-yard pass in the game's second half. Walker spent the last two seasons at the starting center on the Sycamore basketball team.

Indiana State junior tailback Shakir Bell rushed for 192 yards on 24 attempts with a touchdown and added four pass receptions for 31 yards as the Sycamores narrowly fell 24-17 at Indiana, of the Big Ten Conference. Bell's 192 yards are a new school record for the Sycamores for most rushing yards in a season opening contest surpassing the previous standard of 160 yards set in 2010 by Darrius Gates. Bell got the Sycamores on the scoreboard during their second drive when he burst through the line untouched for a 54-yard scoring rush for the quick 7-0 advantage. Bell was actively involved in the passing game as well as he amassed 15 of his 31 yards through the air on one single screen pass. The 192 yards rushing was the 13th 100-yard rushing effort of his career and marked his sixth highest single-game total during his 23 game career. His 223 all purpose yards in the games led all players in the game.

Sophomore quarterback Mike Perish made his first career collegiate start and was 20-of-31 passing for 211 yards with a touchdown at Indiana. Perish connected on a long pass of 27 yards to Michael Mardis against the Hoosiers and connected on 10 consecutive pass attempts versus the Hoosiers. The 10 pass completions in a row is the second-best in the history of the program and is the longest since Ronnie Fouch completed 10 in a row last season against Butler. He became just the seventh Sycamore in the history of the program to record at least 200 passing yards in a season opener and is the first since Reilly Murphy did it in 2006 at Purdue.

Placekicker Tanner Fritschle connected on his first career field goal (45 yards) as the first half came to a close to inch the Sycamores within 17-10 at the break of ISU's 24-17 loss at Indiana . Fritschle was 1-of-1 on his field goal attempts in the game and added a pair of extra points as well. Fritschle had three kickoffs during the game for a total of 189 yards, averaging 63 yards per kick, including two touchbacks.

After 24 games of his career, junior tailback Shakir Bell has moved into ISU's top four for career rushing yards with his 2,580 career total. Bell current sits 651 yards behind Derrick Franklin for third on the all-time list. Bell has reached 100 yards rushing in 13 of his 24 career games and his 192 yards against Indiana were the most ever by a Sycamore in a season opener and the sixth-best rushing mark for Bell in a single game during his career. Vincent Allen (4,335 yards from 1973-77) and David Wright (4,181 yards from 1992-95) also sit ahead of Bell on the ISU all-time career rushing list.

Indiana State junior running back Shakir Bell is among 20 student-athletes selected by The Sports Network for the publication's 2012 Walter Payton Award Watch List. The Walter Payton Award is presented following the season to the nation's most outstanding player at the Football Championship Subdivision level. Bell tied for second for the prestigious award following his standout sophomore season, a year that saw the Indianapolis, Ind., native led the nation with 1,670 rushing yards. The Warren Central High School product was named to the FCS Preseason All-America First Team by The Sports Network earlier this week. Bell averaged 151.8 yards per game on the ground and broke the school record for single-game rushing yards last season when he racked up 256 yards and four touchdowns in Indiana State's 37-35 win over Youngstown State on Sept. 24, 2011. The 2011 Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year tallied 14 touchdowns in 2011, breaking the school record for single-season rushing yards (1,670) and posted the eighth-best total in MVFC history.

Indiana State senior defensive lineman Ben Obaseki is one of 20 players nationally to be named to the 2012 Buck Buchanan Award Watch List as announced by The Sports Network. The Buck Buchanan Award is awarded annually at the FCS Awards Banquet during NCAA FCS Championship weekend to the nation's top FCS defensive player. Earlier this month, Shakir Bell was named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List, which goes to the top offensive player in FCS. Bell finished tied for second in last season's voting as a sophomore. Last season, Obaseki was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press and was a First Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference performer. He finished third in the league's Defensive Player of the Year voting after leading the Sycamores with 7.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss, which tied for second and third in the MVFC, respectively, in those categories. He posted 22 total tackles against Western Illinois on October 15 which is the most by a defensive lineman in the history of the MVFC. Obaseki also plays fullback in goal line situations as he scored five touchdowns last season on five rushing attempts. Obaseki was also a First Team All-MVFC performer as sophomore in 2010.

Indiana State is ranked No. 22 in this week's The Sports Network Top 25 poll while they are just two spots away from No. 25 in the FCS Coaches Poll. Indiana State was nationally ranked in the FCS Polls for a school record eight consecutive weeks in 2011. ISU has been in all three polls from The Sports Network in 2012 and debuted in The FCS Coaches Poll during the preseason and dropped to the receiving votes ranks following the loss to Indiana.

The Sycamores' senior defensive end Ben Obaseki found the end zone for the seventh time of his career on the offensive side of the football when he plunged in from one yard out in the 2012 home opener against Quincy. Obaseki has seven career rushes to his credit - all leading to Sycamore touchdowns.

Indiana State has finished 6-5 in each of the last two seasons to record winning ledgers in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1995 & 1996 campaigns. With a winning mark in 2012, the Sycamores would post at least three consecutive winning records for the first time since a span of six seasons from 1964 to 1969.

A total of six Sycamores were named to the 2012 Missouri Valley Football Conference Preseason Team while Indiana State has been picked to finish fifth in the newly expanded 10-team league, according to a preseason poll of MVFC head coaches, beat writers, radio announcers and sports information directors. Senior Ben Obaseki and junior Shakir Bell, who have both earned Preseason All-America honors and have been named to the Buck Buchanan and Walter Payton Award Watch Lists, respectively, were each named to the MVFC Preseason Team. Senior offensive lineman FN Lutz, who is recovering from a knee injury sustained at the Spring Game, was named to the preseason squad as well. On defense, Obaseki is joined by senior linebackers Aaron Archie and Jacolby Washington. Senior Lucas Hileman, who joined the team two weeks into 2011, was named to the MVFC Preseason Team as the punter.

Indiana State is in its 27th 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 46-115 in MVFC contests and have won seven of their last 14 league matchups, marking the first time since the 2002 season that an ISU team has won multiple league contests over a similar stretch.

Indiana State senior offensive lineman FN Lutz is one of 117 nominees nationwide for the 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team as announced today by the national coaches' organization. In 2011, Lutz was named both First Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference as well as First Team MVFC All-Academic following a season that saw him start all 11 games at center. He spearheaded an Indiana State rushing attack that averaging 181.9 yards per game as well as a league-leading 5.3 yards per carry. He was an Honorable Mention All-MVFC pick in 2010 as a sophomore. Lutz is joined by Colton Underwood of Illinois State, Billy Turner of North Dakota State, Bo Helm of South Dakota State and Kyle Bernard of Northern Iowa as representatives of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. As one of college football's most prestigious off-the-field honors, the award recognizes a select group of college football players committed to making a difference in their communities. Since 1992, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® has shown a spotlight on the countless "good works" and remarkable stories of service by student-athletes at all levels of college football competition. Award recipients represent the sport's finest in terms of character and leadership in the community.

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.