SETTING THE STAGE
The fifth season of the Trent Miles era continues on Saturday, Sept. 8, as the No. 23 Sycamores open up the home portion of the schedule against Quincy of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Saturday's game is set for a 2:05 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Memorial Stadium (12,794). The game will be broadcast live nationally 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. Sycamore Vision subscription information can be found on page 2 of this release.

THE QUINCY SERIES
The Indiana State and Quincy series is tied at one each, with the two teams splitting a pair of games at ISU's Memorial Stadium. The series began in 2009 with a 26-20 overtime victory for the Hawks while the Sycamores countered with a 56-22 victory in 2010.

THE COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Trent Miles (Indiana State '87)
- Overall: 13-33 (5th Season)
- at Indiana State: 13-33 (5th Season)
- vs. Quincy: 1-1
- vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 9-23
Quincy: Tom Pajic (Bloomsburg, '91)
- Overall: 0-1 (First Season)
- at Quincy: 0-1 (First Season)
- vs. Indiana State: First Meeting
- vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: First Meeting

QUICK HITS
- Shakir Bell set the Indiana State school record for most rushing yards in a season opener on September 1 with his 192 yards on the ground at Indiana.
- The Sycamores are nationally-ranked at No. 23 in The Sports Network poll for the second consecutive week after also being ranked No. 23 in the Preseason Poll.
- Indiana State is opening the home portion of its 2012 slate against Quincy. The Sycamores are 58-35-3 in home openers, have won each of its last two home openers and were 3-2 at home in 2011.

An Indiana State Win Over Quincy Would ...
• Give the Sycamores a 2-1 all-time record over the Hawks -- all meetings have come in Terre Haute.
• Improve the Sycamores to 59-35-3 all-time in home opening contests and would mark the third consecutive victory for the Sycamores in a home opener.
• Be the Sycamores' third consecutive victory over a member of the football ranks lower than FCS.
• Be the Sycamores' third consecutive victory over a member of the GLVC.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Trent Miles (Indiana State, 1987) is 13-33 (.283) 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 9-13 in all home games, 4-20 on the road and 3-3 in games decided by three points or less. Miles is 1-1 all-time against Quincy, and is 2-1 against members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. With the Trees, Miles is 1-2 in overtime games, and 0-5 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Trent Miles' 47th game as Indiana State head coach.

The Quincy Head Coach
Quincy is led by first-year head coach Tom Pajic, who is 0-1 at the Quincy, Ill., school. Pajic has never faced off against Indiana State nor a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference as head coach. Pajic comes to Quincy after spending the last eight seasons as the offensive coordinator at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania.

Scouting The Hawks
Quincy enters Saturday's game with an 0-1 record after falling by the score of 54-31 at Northwood on Aug. 31 in their season opener. It was the first NCAA Division II game in Quincy history as the program's first as a member of the GLVC and the first for head coach Tom Pajic. Wide receiver Jarrod Sergent paced the team with 133 yards on three catches, including a 57-yard touchdown in the game's second quarter.

A Little History
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 351-475-22 and is competing for the 27th consecutive season as a member of the MVFC.

Television Particulars
Indiana State's home opener against Quincy will be televised on a pay-per-view basis on GoSycamores.com, a subscription service provided by the ISU Athletic Department. Subscription information is available on GoSycamores.com.

For Openers
With its 24-17 loss at Indiana, the Sycamores dropped to 43-49-7 in season openers with a .468 winning percentage. ISU last won its season opener with a 57-7 victory over St. Joseph's (Ind.) in 2010 and last won a season opener on the road by a 13-10 count at Drake in 1980. ISU is 0-2 in season opening contests against Indiana (31-0 in 1925 and 55-7 in 2007). ISU is 58-35-3 in home openers and have won their home opener in each of the last two seasons.

Bell Sets Season Opener School Record For Rushing At Indiana
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.

Mike Perish One Of Seven Sycamore Signal Callers To Go Over 200 Yards In An Opener
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.

Tanner Fritschle Perfect In Opener At Indiana
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.

Noteworthy From The Season Opener
Indiana State's 17 points scored at Indiana mark the most a Sycamore team has ever scored against the Hoosiers in four games versus the Bloomington, Ind., school. The previous best was a seven point showing in 2007 and also topped a shutout in 1925 and a field goal in 2003. ISU fell to 0-4 all-time versus the Hoosiers and 0-10 against members of the Big Ten Conference. The Sycamores came within an eyelash of earning their first season opening victory on the road since a 13-10 victory at Drake in 1980.

Shakir Bell Moving Up On The ISU Career Rushing Charts
After 23 games of his career, junior tailback Shakir Bell has moved into ISU's top four for career rushing yards with his 2,511 career total. Bell current sits 720 yards behind Derrick Franklin for third on the all-time list. Bell has reached 100 yards rushing in 13 of his 23 career games and his 192 yards 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.

Quincy Kicks Off Three Game Homestand
The Sycamores open up the six-game home slate on September 8 against Quincy. The games versus the Hawks also starts a season-long, three-game homestand that also includes Drake and the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener against South Dakota State. Indiana State currently sits at 9-13 in home games under fifth-year head coach Trent Miles.

Shakir Bell Named To Walter Payton Award Watch 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.

Ben Obaseki Named To Buck Buchanan Award Watch List
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.

National Respect In The Top 25 Polls
Indiana State is ranked No. 23 in this week's The Sports Network Top 25 poll while they are just one point 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.

Bringing Back Memories Of "The Fridge"
The Sycamores' senior defensive end Ben Obaseki found the end zone for the sixth time of his career on the offensive side of the football when he plunged in from two yards out in the 2011 regular season finale against Southern Illinois. In 2011, Obaseki scored a rushing touchdown four times on all four of his rushing attempts.

Sycamores With Back To Back Winning Seasons
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.

Six Sycamores Named To Preseason All-MVFC Squad
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.

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 46-115 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.

FN Lutz Nominated For 2011 All-State AFCA Good Works Team
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.

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 its three-game homestand on Saturday, September 15 against Drake, of the Pioneer Football League. Kick-off is set for 2:05 p.m. (ET) and will be televised in the Wabash Valley on WTWO TV 2.