FOOTBALL GAMEDAY CENTRAL PRESENTED BY: PEPSI
No. 10 NORTHERN IOWA AT No. 25 INDIANA STATE
Memorial Stadium (12,724), Terre Haute, Ind.
October 4, 2014, 3:05 p.m. ET
QUICK HITS
>> The No. 25 Indiana State Sycamores continue the 2014 season when they continue the current home stand against No. 10 Northern Iowa on Saturday, October 4. Kick-off is set for 3:05 p.m. (ET) and will be televised on a pay-per-view basis by Sycamore Vision. This is the 110th season of intercollegiate football at Indiana State University.
>> Mike Perish is riding a school record three-game streak of passing for at 300 yards as he followed up a 383 yard performance against Tennessee Tech with a 317 yard showing in the 27-20 victory over Ball State and then had 340 passing yards against Liberty. Perish was named the MVFC and CSN National Offensive Player Of The Week following the Liberty game.
>> Also riding a statistical streak is junior linebacker Connor Underwood, who has recorded at least one quarterback sack in each of the Sycamores' first four games. Underwood now has 20 quarterback sacks for his career and needs just 5.5 more to tie Kyle Mitchell's record of 25.5.
An Indiana State Win Over Northern Iowa Would …
• Give the Sycamores their second consecutive victory over a nationally-ranked opponent in two weeks and be Indiana State's first since joining the MVFC in a game featuring two nationally ranked opponents (eight such occurrence).
• Snap a nine-game losing skid to the Panthers, dating back to a 21-19 victory in 2002 at Memorial Stadium.
• Give the Sycamores their first 4-1 start since 2011 and also their first MVFC opening victory since that same season.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Mike Sanford (Southern California, 1978) is 20-55 (.267) overall in his seventh season as a head coach and is 4-12 (.250) in his second season with Indiana State. He is 0-8 all-time in MVFC games, including an 0-4 mark at home and an 0-4 mark on the road. During his career, he is 16-22 in all home games, 4-33 on the road and 5-7 in games decided by three points or less. Sanford is 0-0 all-time against Northern Iowa and is 0-0 against the Panthers at home. With the Trees, Sanford is 0-0 in overtime games and 0-1 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Mike Sanford's 17th as Indiana State head coach and his 76th as a collegiate head coach.
The Northern Iowa Head Coach
Northern Iowa is led by 14th-year head coach Mark Farley, who is 113-53 at the Cedar Falls, Iowa head coach. Farley is 10-1 against Indiana State, including a mark of 4-1 at Memorial Stadium.
Scouting The Panthers
Northern Iowa is 2-2 on the season and come to Terre Haute riding a two-game winning streak. The Panthers dropped a 31-23 decision at Iowa in the season opener before also falling at Hawaii by the score of 27-24 on September 13. UNI has since rebounded to win convincingly over Northern Colorado and Tennessee Tech. Quarterback Sawyer Kollmorgen is 61-of-117 passing for 1,004 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. David Johnson has 395 rushing yards as well as 285 receiving yards and has reached the end zone twice this season. On defense, Jake Farley leads the way with 29 total tackles, including one quarterback and three tackles for a loss.
A Little History
This marks the 110th 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 362-490-22 and is competing for the 29th consecutive season as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
The Northern Iowa Series
Northern Iowa holds a 24-4 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to 1983. UNI leads 11-3 in games played in Terre Haute and have won each of the last nine meetings, dating back to a 2002 Sycamore victory at Memorial Stadium.
Television Particulars
The Northern Iowa game can be seen live on a pay-per-view basis on Sycamore Vision, which is a subscription service provided by GoSycamores.com. Fans should navigate to GoSycamores.com for subscription information.
Mike Perish Takes Home Conference And National Honors After Victory Over Liberty
Mike Perish Has Been Named The Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player Of The Week as well as The Sports Network and College Sporting News National Offensive Player Of The Week following his standout performance against nationally-ranked Liberty. Perish is the first quarterback in the history of the program to record three different 300-yard passing performances in one season. He accounted for four total touchdowns against Liberty and connected on 39-of-51 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns and added a one-yard scoring rush in the fourth quarter. His 39 pass completions are a new school record, topping the previous best of 33 set in 2005. He found Gary Owens over the middle for a 17-yard touchdown pass to stake ISU to a 10-3 lead in the second quarter. He then completed a six-yard screen pass to Dimitri Taylor to answer a quick strike from the Flames to retake a 17-10 advantage in the second quarter. Perish then went 10-of-12 passing on the Sycamores' final drive of the first half as he capped a 14-play, 84-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Robert Tonyan for a 24-13 lead at the break. His final score of the day put Indiana State in front 31-13 late in the fourth quarter with one-yard quarterback sneak to account for his fourth touchdown.
Connor Underwood Named MVFC Defensive Player Of The Week; Added To Buck Buchanan List
Indiana State junior linebacker Connor Underwood took home Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player Of The Week honors for his efforts against Liberty and has been added to the 2014 Buck Buchanan Award Watch List, which is giving annually to the nation's top defensive player in FCS football. He posted eight total tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss and the same amount of quarterback sacks against Liberty. Underwood added a forced fumble on a quarterback sack and was credited with a pair of quarterback hurries. Underwood now has at least one quarterback sack in all four of Indiana State's games this season. He combined with Brady Collins for a quarterback sack to help stymie a first quarter drive. He recorded a solo quarterback sack to end Liberty's first drive of the second half when he jarred the ball loose and Conlan Cassidy pounced on the ball to set the Sycamores up at the Flames' 32-yard line. Underwood is averaging 8.0 tackles per game to rank tied for sixth in the league and is just one half of a tackle (per game) away from the top spot. Underwood is tied for the league lead in quarterback sacks per game with a 1.25 average, a mark which ranks tied for sixth nationally. He has five total sacks for a loss of 22 yards and has made at least one quarterback sack in each game so far. He now owns 20.0 for his career and is only 5.5 away from Kyle Mitchell's current school record of 25.5. He also has 9.5 tackles for a loss this year which is tied for MVFC lead and ranks tied for third in FCS football. Underwood has 37.0 tackles for a loss in his career and needs only 17.5 more to tie Kyle Mitchell's school record of 54.5.
Gary Owens Takes Home Second MVFC Newcomer Of The Week Honor
Indiana State junior wide receiver Gary Owens, a transfer from Trinity Valley JC, was named the MVFC Newcomer Of The Week for the second time this season as he made 10 pass receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown in the win over Liberty. Owens is the first Sycamore to record at least 10 pass receptions since Carl Berman did it in 2005. He added one rush attempt for 11 yards in the victory. Owens scored on a 17-yard completion over the middle from Mike Perish which was the Sycamores' first touchdown of the game and gave ISU an early 10-3 advantage. Just before the half Perish saw four of his 10 completed passes on the scoring drive go to Owens. That drive ended in a touchdown to give the Sycamores a 24-13 halftime advantage. Owens ranks second in the league with an average of 6.2 receptions per game as he has hauled in 25 receptions for 390 yards and two touchdowns. Owens owns a pair of 100-yard receiving efforts so far this year and became the first Sycamore since 2005 to record at least 10 receptions in one game with his 10-catch performance against Liberty. Additionally, Owens is averaging 97.5 receiving yards per game to rank third in the league. Robert Tonyan ranks fifth in the MVFC with his 5.0 catch per game average as he has 15 receptions for 168 yards and a touchdown. Tonyan's 56.0 receiving yards per game average ranks ninth in the league.
Sycamores Against Nationally-Ranked FCS Foes
Indiana State and Northern Iowa are each nationally-ranked heading into this weekend's Missouri Valley Football Conference opener at Memorial Stadium. The Sycamores check in at No. 25 in The Sports Network FCS Top 25 while Northern Iowa is ranked No. 10 in both national polls. ISU is 1-0 this season against ranked opponents, but are 12-77 all-time against the Top 25, including a mark of 8-58 against ranked MVFC members. Additionally, the Sycamores are 0-7 all-time as a nationally-ranked program playing another team in the Top 25. ISU is 0-4 inside Memorial Stadium when both the Sycamores and the opposition are nationally-ranked. This week's game with Northern Iowa is the first matchup between two nationally-ranked foes for the Sycamores since a Nov. 3, 2012 contest against Illinois State. The highest ranked team to ever fall to Indiana State is No. 1 North Dakota State in Fargo on October 13, 2012. The highest ranked team to ever fall to the Sycamores inside Memorial Stadium is No. 10 Northern Iowa on October 20, 1990.
Turnovers Equal Success For Indiana State
The Sycamores have intercepted four passes and recovered seven fumbles through the first four games of the 2014 campaign. That puts Indiana State atop the Missouri Valley Conference leaderboard with a +9 turnover margin, a mark which ranks second nationally. Additionally, the Sycamores currently enjoy a 48-0 edge against their opponents in points off turnovers.
Indiana State Off To First 3-1 Start Since 2011
The Sycamores are off to a 3-1 start to the 2014 campaign – its best since a similar start to the 2011 season which also included a FBS win (at Western Kentucky). The victory over No. 22/23 Liberty on September 27 snapped a four-game losing skid to nationally-ranked foes and gave the MVFC a league-record tying fifth victory over a ranked non-conference foe. With a victory over Northern Iowa, the Sycamores would own their first 4-1 record since the 2011 season when win No. 4 came at South Dakota State. 2011 is also the last season in which the Sycamores won their Missouri Valley Football Conference opener – a 37-35 home victory over No. 24 Youngstown State.
Sycamore Passing Game Leads The MVFC Heading Into Conference Play
Indiana State leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference in passing yards per game with a 295.0 average, a number which ranks ninth nationally. Mike Perish is 107-of-162 passing for 1,180 yards and nine touchdowns against no interceptions to lead the Sycamores through the air as he also leads the league in passing average per game and is ranked sixth nationally. Perish leads the league with a 276.5 yards of total offense average per game. He has 1,106 yards of total offense through four games (total offense combines passing and rushing yards).
Mike Perish Climbing The Sycamore Record Books As Senior Quarterback
Mike Perish enters week five of his senior season, and his third season as the Sycamore starting quarterback, ranked fourth all-time in career passing yards with 4,381. For his career he is 501-of-683 for 4,381 yards and 33 touchdowns. He needs 713 more yards to top Reggie Allen's total of 5,094 yards from 1978-81 for third on the Sycamores all-time list.
Sycamores Grab Victory Bell With First Win Over Ball State Since 1987
The Indiana State celebrated the 28th anniversary of their first Missouri Valley Football Conference contest and victory over Missouri State in 1986 by taking the Blue Key Victory Bell from in state rival Ball State for the first time since 1987. The Sycamores' 27-20 road victory in front of a near sell-out crowd in Muncie renewed a series that dates back to 1924 for the first time since 2003. The win was ISU's first over Ball State since 1987 and its first in Muncie since 1982. Additionally, the Sycamores picked up their second win over an FBS opponent in the last four seasons and its first over a Mid-American Conference team since a 2001 win at Eastern Michigan.
Home Opener Win Streak Now At Five While Drought Against OVC Ends
Indiana State defeated Tennessee Tech by the score of 49-14 to extend their streak of wins in home openers to five. The Sycamores have now won each home opener at Memorial Stadium since 2010 and are 35-13 in home opening games. Additionally, the win over the Golden Eagles snapped an 11-game skid against members of the Ohio Valley Conference, dating back to a 2004 victory over UT-Martin.
Sycamores Face 1st-and-55 Situation And Still Convert Touchdown
The Sycamore offense pulled off an extremely rare feat in their final drive of the first quarter against Tennessee Tech. The Sycamores took over at their own 17-yard line and drove all the way to the Tennessee Tech 33 in 11 plays. On 1st-and-10 from the TTU 33-yard line, the Sycamores were called for an illegal block and two dead ball personal foul penalties which accounted for 45 lost yards on the play. That resulted in the ball being moved all the way back to the Indiana State 22-yard line, which is just five yards ahead of where the drive began. ISU completed back-to-back seven-yard passes to make it 3rd-and-41 before Mike Perish found Gary Owens for a 63-yard pass which moved the ball down to the Tennessee Tech 1-yard line. Not only did ISU face a 1st-and-55 and had over 40 yards to gain on third down, they also overcame the tough down and distance to not only pick up the first down but scored as time ran out in the period on a one-yard touchdown run from LeMonte Booker.
Connor Underwood Named To All-MVFC Preseason Team
Indiana State junior linebacker Connor Underwood was named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference Preseason Team as announced late in the summer by the league office. The MVFC Preseason selections were made via a poll of the league's head coaches, sports information directors as well as a media panel. Last season Underwood earned a place on the All-MVFC First Team and was the team's fourth-leading tackler with 76 total tackles, including a team-best 18 for a loss and nine quarterback sacks. He added a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown in the season opener at Indiana and was credited with five pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries as well as one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. Underwood owned three double digit tackle performances on the year, including a season-best 13 against Western Illinois and recorded six tackles for a loss at Tennessee Tech, with four quarterback sacks which tied a school record. He ranked tied for 17th in total tackles in the league and was tied for third in quarterback sacks as well as tied for second in tackles for a loss. Additionally, Underwood was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team in 2012 and garnered a third place finish in the league's newcomer of the year award. He was an All-MVFC Honorable Mention selection as a redshirt freshman.
Sycamores Against The Missouri Valley Football Conference
Indiana State is in its 29th 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 51-123 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.
Up Next
Indiana State concludes its current three-game home stand with the annual Homecoming contest against Illinois State on Saturday, October 11. Kick-off is set for 3:05 p.m. (ET) and will be televised nationally on Comcast Sports Chicago as well as ESPN3.
