Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com

FOOTBALL GAMEDAY CENTRAL: Presented By First Financial Bank

SETTING THE STAGE
Year one of the Mike Sanford era at Indiana State continues Saturday, October 5, as the Sycamores return home to open the Missouri Valley Football Conference portion of the schedule against Youngstown State. Saturday's game is set for a 3:05 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Memorial Stadium (12,764). The game will be broadcast live on a pay-per-view basis via Sycamore Vision with Brian Fritz (pbp) and Tom James (color) 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 also be heard live worldwide on GoSycamores.com. Live stats for the game will be available via a link on GoSycamores.com.

THE YOUNGSTOWN STATE SERIES
Youngstown State owns a 20-3 record in the all-time series with Indiana State which dates back to 1987. ISU is 1-11 against the Penguins inside Memorial Stadium. The Sycamores won back-to-back games against Youngstown State in 2010 & 2011, including a 30-24 victory on the road in 2010 and a 37-35 win in the league opener at home in 2011. YSU earned a 27-6 win in the 2012 season finale in Youngstown.

THE COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Mike Sanford (Southern California, 1978)
— Overall: 17-46 (6th Season)
— at Indiana State: 1-3 (1st Season)
— vs. Youngstown State: First Meeting
— vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 0-0
YOUNGSTOWN STATE: Eric Wolford (Kansas State, 1994)
— Overall: 20-18 (4th Season)
— at Youngstown State: 20-18 (4th Season)
— vs. Indiana State: 1-2
— vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 10-15

QUICK HITS
— Indiana State is opening the MVFC schedule against Youngstown State -- its 28th consecutive year as a member of the league. ISU is 7-20 in Valley Football openers, including a mark of 7-8 at home.
— Senior tailback Shakir Bell enters Saturday's game with 4,108 rushing yards for his career which is third on the Sycamore all-time list. He needs just 228 yards on the ground to become Indiana State's all-time leading rusher and eclipse the total of 4,335 yards set by Vincent Allen from 1973-77. His 4,108 career rushing yards ranks eighth all-time in the history of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and he needs 639 to top Herb Donaldson's record of 4,746 set from 2005-08 at Western Illinois. Additionally, Bell is just the third Sycamore and ninth player ever in the history of the Missouri Valley Football Conference to eclipse the 4000 career rushing yard mark.

An Indiana State Win Over Youngstown State Would …
• Improve Indiana State to 8-20 in Missouri Valley Football Conference openers, including a mark of 8-8 when opening the MVFC slate at home.
• Give Indiana State a win its MVFC opener for the third time in the last five seasons.
• Improve the Sycamores to 4-20 all-time against Indiana State and give the Sycamores just its second all-time victory over YSU inside Memorial Stadium.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Mike Sanford (Southern California, 1978) is 17-46 (.270) overall in his sixth season as a head coach, and is 1-3 in his first season with Indiana State. He is 0-0 all-time in MVFC games, including an 0-0 mark at home and a 0-0 mark on the road. During his career, he is 14-18 in all home games, 3-28 on the road and 5-6 in games decided by three points or less. Sanford is 0-0 all-time against Youngstown State, and is 0-0 against the Penguins at home. With the Trees, Sanford is 0-0 in overtime games, and 0-0 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Mike Sanford's fifth as Indiana State head coach and his 64th as a collegiate head coach.

The Youngstown State Head Coach
Youngstown State is led by fourth-year head coach Eric Wolford, who is 20-18 with the Penguins. Wolford is 1-2 against Indiana State, including a mark of 0-1 against the Sycamores in Terre Haute. He owns a record of 10-15 against the current membership of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Scouting The Penguins
Youngstown State is 4-1 on the season, including a 1-0 mark in Missouri Valley Football Conference play. The Penguins came from behind late in their season opener on September 28 at Southern Illinois to escape with a 28-27 victory. YSU owns home field victories over Dayton, Morehead State and Duquesne and a road loss to Michigan State.

A Little History
This marks the 109th 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 359-481-22 and is competing for the 28th consecutive season as a member of the MVFC.

Television Particulars
The Youngstown State game will be available online on a pay-per-view basis via Sycamore Vision, which is a web stream service provided by GoSycamores.com. The game is also slated to be broadcast back to Youngstown, Ohio and that feed is scheduled to be picked up on ESPN3/WatchESPN.

Shakir Bell Returns To Action With 200-Yard Rushing Performance At Tennessee Tech
Indiana State senior tailback Shakir Bell returned to the Sycamore lineup for the first time since the season opener and did not disappoint as he went over the 200-yard rushing mark with a 25-carry, 201-yard performance on the road against Tennessee Tech. It marked the sixth time in his career that he has tallied over 200 rushing yards in a game. He had a long of 69 yards in the game and his six-yard touchdown run came mid-way through the third quarter. He led the Sycamores with six receptions for 68 yards and had a 31-yard touchdown reception on Indiana State's first possession of the game to stake the Sycamores to an early advantage. All told, Bell accounted for 269 yards of offense on the ground and in receptions while scoring two touchdowns. He became just the third Sycamore and ninth player in the history of the Missouri Valley Football Conference to go over the 4,000-yard career rushing mark and now has 4,108 yards on the ground. Additionally, his two touchdowns give him 30 for his career (28 rush, two receiving) and is just three touchdowns away from tying the Indiana State school record.

Connor Underwood Posts 3.5 Quarterback Sacks At Tennessee Tech
Indiana State sophomore Connor Underwood enjoyed a breakout performance with a 10-tackle performance at Tennessee Tech. Underwood was credited with five tackles for a loss of 36 yards and had three and a half quarterback sacks for a loss of 32 yards against the Golden Eagles. Underwood had three solo and seven assists in the contest.

Sycamores Set To Open MVFC Slate At Home Against Youngstown State
The Sycamores return home for just their second contest of the season inside Memorial Stadium, having already played three road non-conference games in 2013. The game against Youngstown State is also the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for the Sycamores as Indiana State begins its 28th season of play in the league and are 7-20 in league lidlifters. ISU is 7-8 when opening up the MVFC slate inside Memorial Stadium. ISU last won its league opener with a 2011 home victory over Youngstown State.

Mike Perish Named MVFC Offensive Player Of The Week Following Quincy Contest
Mike Perish took home his first Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player Of The Week honor following his performance against Quincy on September 14. Perish was 23-of-26 passing for 379 yards with four passing touchdowns and one on the ground as the Sycamores went over 70 points for the first time since 1925 in their 70-7 victory over Quincy. Perish had 379 passing yards which are the fourth-most in a single-game in school history and was part of a school record 433 passing yards, topping a 2006 effort against Missouri State. Perish's completion percentage of 88.4 percent (23-of-26) is likewise a new school record. Perish added a one-yard touchdown run.

Sycamore Offense Hits 70 Point Mark For First Time Since 1925
Indiana State defeated Quincy by the score of 70-7 in the home opener. It marked the first time that ISU has scored at least 70 points in a game since a 72-0 victory over Vincennes in 1925. It was the first time the Sycamores have scored at least 70 points in a game played in Terre Haute since a 79-0 victory over Vincennes in 1924. The 10 touchdowns scored by the Sycamores are a school record, topping the previous best of nine. The Sycamores have scored 119 points in three games this season, averaging 39.7 points per game, which currently ranks third-best in the MVFC.

Indiana Sets New Passing Record Against Quincy
The Sycamore offense set several records in the 70-7 victory over Quincy. Indiana State's 433 passing yards is a school record for a single-game, topping a 396-yard effort through the air in 2006 at Missouri State. The Sycamores amassed 671 yards of total offense versus Quincy, which was just four yards short of the school record of 675 yards against Dayton set in 1975. For the season, Indiana State's offense is averaging 424 yards per game which is fourth-best in the MVFC and they are one of six different MVFC schools to average more than 400 yards of total offense per game.

Tanner Fritschle Perfect 10 Against Quincy
Tanner Fritschle was a perfect 10-of-10 on his PAT's during the 70-7 victory over Quincy on September 14. Fritschle set school records for most PAT's made in a game with 10, most PAT's attempted in a game with 10 and for single-game PAT percentage (10-of-10). For the season, Fritschle is 17-of-17 on his PAT's, which leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

In 2012, Shakir Bell Became Quickest To 1,000 Rushing Yards At Indiana State (Again!)
Indiana State junior Shakir Bell went over the 1,000 rushing yard mark in 2012 in just the seventh game as he put up 96 yards on the ground as the Sycamores downed No. 1 North Dakota State in front of a near capacity crowd at the Fargodome 17-14. Bell rushed 26 times in the game for 96 yards as he broke his own school record set last year for being the fastest Sycamore to reach 1,000 yards rushing in a season. Bell now has 4,108 yards for his career which is third on ISU's all-time list. Bell has reached 100 yards rushing in 21 of his 35 career games. Vincent Allen (4,335 yards from 1973-77) and David Wright (4,181 yards from 1992-95) are the only two players to sit ahead of Bell on the ISU all-time career rushing list. Additionally, Bell is less than 1,000 yards away from reaching Herb Donaldson at the top of the Missouri Valley Football Conference record book for career rushing yards. Donaldson had 4,746 rushing yards at Western Illinois from 2005-08 and Bell is just 639 yards away from reaching his career total.

Shakir Bell Named To 2013 Walter Payton Award Watch List
Indiana State senior Shakir Bell is one of 20 FCS student-athletes nationally to be named to the 2013 Walter Payton Award Watch List by The Sports Network. The Walter Payton Award is given annually to the top offensive player in FCS Football. This marks the third consecutive season in which Bell has appeared on The Walter Payton Award Watch List. Bell finished tied for second in the voting back in 2011 when he became the first Indiana State Sycamore to be invited to the FCS Awards Presentation in Frisco, Texas. Last season, Bell finished 12th overall and was the second leading vote getter representing the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Bell has already earned First Team Preseason All-America honors from The Sports Network this summer and last season he was named to the Associated Press All-American Third Team after picking up four different first team honors in 2011. He was named First Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2012 and finished third in the MVFC Offensive Player Of The Year balloting. He was also named to The Sports Network FCS All-American Team last year and is the first Sycamore to earn back-to-back All-America honors since Richard Harris did it in 2000 & 2001.

Sycamore Trio Earns Preseason All-MVFC Plaudits
A trio of Indiana State seniors Shakir Bell, Calvin Burnett and FN Lutz have been named to the 2013 Preseason All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Team as announced by the league office. Additionally, the Sycamores were picked to finish sixth in this season's 10-team MVFC race. The Preseason All-MVFC Teams as well as the predicted order of finish were determined by a vote of the league head coaches, media and sports information directors. Bell, a member of the Preseason All-MVFC First Team, is a two-time All-MVFC selection and has already been named to numerous Preseason All-American Teams as well this summer. He was the MVFC Offensive Player of the Year in 2011 as well as a finalist for that season's Walter Payton Award. Burnett, a senior defensive back, is also a member of the Preseason All-MVFC First Team. He was a Second Team All-MVFC selection in 2012 and was an honorable mention pick as a freshman in 2010 when he also was named to the league's all-newcomer team. Lutz, a senior offensive lineman, is a member of the Preseason All-MVFC Honorable Mention Team. He sat out the 2012 campaign after a knee injury in the spring game forced him to miss the entire season. Despite his injury and based on the hope that he might be ready to play last year, he was named to the Preseason All-MVFC First Team and was a candidate for the Lowe's Senior Class Award.

Bell Sets MVFC & ISU Rushing Records In Victory Over Drake
Indiana State junior running back Shakir Bell etched his name in both the Missouri Valley Football Conference and Indiana State record books yet again on September 15, 2012 when he gained 349 yards on the ground to set both the school and conference single-game rushing record against Drake. For his efforts, Bell was named both the MVFC Offensive Player Of The Week and The Sports Network National Offensive Player Of The Week. His 349-yard rushing effort is the highest single-game total so far this season for both FBS and FCS and is the eighth-highest total ever in FCS history.

Indiana State Football With Third Consecutive Winning Season
The Indiana State Sycamores were 7-4 overall and 5-3 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play last season. The Sycamores secured their third consecutive winning campaign which is the first time ISU has enjoyed that many winning seasons in a row since the 1967-69 years under Jerry Huntsman when ISU posted six consecutive winning seasons.

Sycamores Against The Missouri Valley Football Conference
Indiana State is in its 28th 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 51-118 in MVFC contests and have won 12 of their last 22 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 is on the road each of the next two weeks beginning with a the program's first-ever trip to Vermillion, S.D., to take on South Dakota. Kick-off on Saturday, October 12 is set for 2:00 p.m. (ET).