Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
GAMEDAY CENTRAL PRESENTED BY: HAMILTON CENTER
SETTING THE STAGE
Year one of the Mike Sanford era at Indiana State concludes Saturday, November 23, as the Sycamores face off at home against Southern Illinois. Saturday's game is set for a 2:00 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Memorial Stadium (12,764). The game will be broadcast live worldwide on a pay-per-view basis on 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 Brian Fritz and Tom 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 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SERIES
Southern Illinois holds a slim 26-24 edge in the all-time series with Indiana State, while the Sycamores have a 15-12 advantage in games played in Terre Haute. ISU defeated the Salukis last season by a 28-3 count in Terre Haute and last beat SIU at Memorial Stadium in 2001. Indiana State is looking for their first consecutive victories over SIU since a nine-game winning streak from 1994-2002.
THE COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Mike Sanford (Southern California, 1978)
— Overall: 17-53 (6th Season)
— at Indiana State: 1-10 (1st Season)
— vs. Southern Illinois: First Meeting
— vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 0-7
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: Dale Lennon (North Dakota, 1985)
— Overall: 143-61 (17th Season)
— at Southern Illinois: 41-28 (6th Season)
— vs. Indiana State: 4-1
— vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 29-17
QUICK HITS
— Indiana State's Donovan Layne had a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown against Missouri State on November 2. It was the second “pick-6” of the season for the Sycamores with the other being a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown by Connor Underwood in the season opener at Indiana.
— Senior tailback Shakir Bell has seen his season and career end due to injuries with 4,214 rushing yards which is second on the Sycamore all-time list. He finishes his ISU career just 123 yards short of becoming Indiana State's all-time leading rusher behind only the 4,335 yards of Vincent Allen from 1973-77. His 4,214 career rushing yards ranks sixth all-time in the history of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Additionally, Bell is just the third Sycamore and 10th player ever in the history of the Missouri Valley Football Conference to eclipse the 4,000 career rushing yard mark.
An Indiana State Win Over Southern Illinois Would …
• Give Indiana State its first MVFC victory of the season and break an eight-game skid, with five of those eight games having come on the road.
• Snap a four-game home MVFC losing streak.
• Give ISU back-to-back wins over SIU since a nine-game winning streak from 1994-2002.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Mike Sanford (Southern California, 1978) is 17-53 (.243) overall in his sixth season as a head coach, and is 1-10 (.091) in his first season with Indiana State. He is 0-7 all-time in MVFC games, including an 0-3 mark at home and an 0-4 mark on the road. During his career, he is 14-21 in all home games, 3-32 on the road and 5-7 in games decided by three points or less. Sanford is 0-0 all-time against Southern Illinois, and is 0-0 against the Salukis at home. With the Trees, Sanford is 0-0 in overtime games, and 0-1 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Mike Sanford's 12th as Indiana State head coach and his 71st as a collegiate head coach.
The Southern Illinois Head Coach
Dale Lennon is the head coach of the Southern Illinois football program, where he owns a record of 41-28 in his sixth season. Overall, Lennon is 143-61 in 17 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Lennon is 4-1 all-time against Indiana State and is 29-17 against the current membership of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Scouting The Salukis
Southern Illinois enters their regular season finale with an overall record of 6-5 as well as a 4-3 mark in MVFC play. SIU opened the season with a narrow 42-34 loss at Illinois, as well as a double overtime defeat at the hands of Eastern Illinois, which currently sits at No. 2 nationally-ranked team. SIU dropped its MVFC opener against nationally-ranked Youngstown State, before downing No. 7 South Dakota State (27-24) and No. 4 Northern Iowa (24-17 ot) on the road. SIU also owns victories over Western Illinois and Illinois State. The Salukis have won seven of their last eight MVFC road contests.
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 359-488-22 and is competing for the 28th consecutive season as a member of the MVFC.
Television Particulars
The Southern Illinois game will be shown live world-wide on Sycamore Vision, which is web stream pay-per-view service provided by GoSycamores.com. Fans should navigate to GoSycamores.com for subscription information and pricing.
Senior Day Set For Saturday Against Southern Illinois
Indiana State will honor a 13-man Senior Class in its regular season finale against Southern Illinois. This senior class became the first since the 1960's to put together three winning seasons in a row (6-5 in 2010, 6-5 in 2011 and 7-4 in 2012) and currently hold a 20-24 record over their four-year careers. With a victory over the Salukis, this year's senior class will go out with 21 wins over the last four years which is the most in any four-year span for the Sycamores since 1995-98 when ISU put together 21 victories over that stretch.
Indiana State Looking To Extend Its Streak Of Seasons With At Least One MVFC Win
The Sycamores football program will look to notch its first Missouri Valley Football Conference victory of the season when they host Southern Illinois on Saturday in the season finale. ISU has won at least one league game in each of the last four seasons – a streak that has been in place since 2008.
Jameer Thurman Ranks As Top Freshman Defender In MVFC
Indiana State freshman linebacker Jameer Thurman leads the Sycamore defense in 2013 with 85 total tackles, including 43 solo stops and has played in started in all 11 games so far this season. Thurman owns nine tackles for a loss of 35 yards and boasts four quarterback sacks for a loss of 23 yards. Thurman tallied a season-best 17 total tackles (including nine solos) at South Dakota State and has recorded at least four tackles in every game this season. He also had 15 tackles at South Dakota. Against South Dakota, he posted a season-best three tackles for a loss of 11 yards, including a pair of quarterback sacks. Thurman burst onto the scene with seven tackles each at FBS opponents Indiana and Purdue to begin the season. Thurman currently ranks fifth-best in the MVFC with a 8.0 tackles per game average, which is the highest of any freshman in the league. In league games only, Thurman is averaging 8.8 tackles per game which is tied for third-best in the MVFC and the best of any freshman. Thurman's 3.0 quarterback sacks in league games ranks tied for ninth-best and is also the best mark of any freshman defender in the conference. Additionally, Thurman's 6.0 tackles for loss in league games only, ranks tied for eighth-best in the MVFC and is also the best for a freshman in Valley Football in 2013.
Donovan Layne Earns Indiana State's Second “Pick-6” Of The Season
Indiana State defensive back Donovan Layne reached the end zone for the Sycamores with a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter at Missouri State on November 2. It marked the second interception return for a touchdown by a Sycamore this season as Connor Underwood tallied one for 31 yards in the season opener at Indiana. Layne's interception return for a touchdown was the first of his career and marked his first interception in 2013.
LeMonte Booker Owns 97-Yard Kickoff Return For A TD Versus NDSU
Indiana State freshman LeMonte Booker returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown against No. 1 North Dakota State on October 26. It was the first for the Sycamores since Tanner Riley returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Missouri State in 2012. Booker's return was also the longest for the Sycamores since Cornell Johnson had a 97-yard kickoff return against Western Illinois in 2005.
Mike Perish Close To Topping School Passing Record Yet Again
Mike Perish's performance against league-leading and nationally ranked Youngstown State was once again near the top of the Sycamore football record book. Perish was 30-of-56 passing for 392 yards and three touchdowns against the Penguins. Perish was just four passing yards away from the single-game school record in each category. He found nine different receivers on the day and all nine had multiple receptions.
Sampson I Am
Indiana State freshman Sampson Levingston had one of the more interesting statistical lines in the history of Indiana State football with only two pass receptions but three receiving touchdowns against nationally-ranked Youngstown State. Levingston had two receptions for 56 yards, including a long of 27. He had a 27-yard TD reception, in the second quarter and also had a 21-yard TD reception late in the game. The other eight yards on his receiving total came in the fourth quarter after Kyani Harris had a 68-yard pass reception and lateraled the ball to Chris O'Leary who then pitched the ball to Levingston who went the final eight yards for his third touchdown reception of the game. Levingston is the first Sycamore to record three pass receptions for a touchdown since James Braden did it in 2001 at Missouri State (Braden also scored touchdowns on all of his pass receptions in that game). Additionally, Levingston's touchdown on the double lateral was featured on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays. Levingston has six touchdown receptions on the season, which is just two shy of the school record of eight held by Steve Schmid in 1986.
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.
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.
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 51-122 in MVFC contests all-time.
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.
