Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- For the first time since 1984, the Indiana State football program has been selected for the NCAA FCS Playoffs as announced this morning on a national broadcast by ESPNU.
No. 25 Indiana State gathered at Memorial Stadium this morning hopeful that their name would be called as part of the selection process. It took less than five minutes for the Sycamores to learn that they had been selected to play at No. 16 Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, November 29 at 1:00 p.m. (ET). The game will be televised nationally on ESPN3 and broadcast locally on 95.9 FM The Duke.
The winner of the Indiana State at Eastern Kentucky matchup will face No. 8 Chattanooga on Saturday, December 6 at 1:00 p.m. (ET). That quarterfinal matchup will also be broadcast nationally on ESPN3.
Indiana State qualified for the NCAA FCS Playoffs in both 1983 and 1984. The Sycamores downed Eastern Illinois in the first round of the 1983 playoffs before falling to Southern Illinois. In 1984, the Sycamores dropped their first round contest to Middle Tennessee State by just one point. Overall, the Sycamores are 1-2 in NCAA Playoff action.
In 2014, the Sycamores currently stand at 7-5 overall finished in fifth place with a 4-4 record in Missouri Valley Football Conference play. Indiana State has won seven games for just the third time in 29 seasons as a member of the MVFC. The Sycamores will be looking for their first victory in the NCAA FCS Playoffs since 1983 and their first season with at least eight victories since 1984 next Saturday at Eastern Kentucky.
The 24-team field is comprised of 11 automatic qualifiers as well as 13 at-large bids. The Sycamores are one of a record five Missouri Valley Football Conference teams to earn a berth into the playoffs. No. 2 North Dakota State and No. 5 Illinois receive first round byes. On Saturday, the Sycamores will travel to Eastern Kentucky (9-3) of the Ohio Valley Conference while Northern Iowa hosts Stephen F. Austin and South Dakota State will travel to Montana State.
Tickets to the game are available for just $15 and can be ordered through the Hulman Center Ticket Office either in person or by phone at 812-237-3737. Indiana State University student tickets are free, but must be picked up on game day at Eastern Kentucky.
