INDIANA STATE at INDIANA
Memorial Stadium (52,929), Bloomington, Ind.
August 30, 2014, 12:01 p.m. ET
QUICK HITS
>> The Indiana State Sycamores open the 2014 season at Indiana on Saturday, August 30 in a game that will be televised nationally on ESPNews and globally on WATCHESPN. This marks the beginning of the 110th season of intercollegiate football at Indiana State University.
>> Indiana State is 43-59-7 (.421) in 109 previous season opening contests. The Sycamores are looking for the first victory in a season opener since a 57-7 victory over St. Joseph's to open the 2010 campaign. Additionally, the Sycamores are looking for their first season opening victory on the road since a 13-10 win at Drake to begin the 1980 season. Indiana State is opening the season at Indiana for the third consecutive year.
>> The Indiana State Sycamores return a total of 17 starters from the 2013 campaign. The Sycamores have 10 returning starters on defense, six on offense as well as one on special teams.
An Indiana State Win Over Indiana Would …
• Be the Sycamores' first-ever victory over the Hoosiers in six all-time meetings — all in Bloomington.
• Improve the Sycamores to 44-59-7 in season opening games and be the first for Indiana State in a lidlifter since 2010. A win would also give the Sycamores their first season opening victory on the road since 1980 at Drake.
• Be Indiana State's first-ever victory over a Big Ten opponent with the program having 12 previous attempts.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Mike Sanford (Southern California, 1978) is 17-54 (.239) overall in his seventh season as a head coach and is 1-11 (.083) 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 14-22 in all home games, 3-32 on the road and 5-7 in games decided by three points or less. Sanford is 0-1 all-time against Indiana and is 0-1 against the Hoosiers on the road. With the Trees, Sanford is 0-0 in overtime games and 0-1 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Mike Sanford's 13th as Indiana State head coach and his 72nd as a collegiate head coach.
The Indiana Head Coach
Kevin Wilson is the head coach of the Indiana football program, where he owns a record of 10-26 in his third season. Wilson is 2-0 all-time against Indiana State, with both games coming in the last two seasons in Bloomington.
Scouting The Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers return a total of 18 starters (eight offense, nine defense and one specialist) from last season's 5-7 squad which finished with a 3-5 record in Big Ten Conference play and fourth in the Leaders Division. Indiana earned a 73-35 victory over the Sycamores to open the 2013 campaign in Bloomington.
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 359-489-22 and is competing for the 29th consecutive season as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
The Indiana Series
Indiana leads the all-time series against the Sycamores by a 5-0 count. All five games between the two teams have occurred in Bloomington. Saturday's game is the final in a three-game series between the two programs that began in 2012. ISU and Indiana first met in 1925 (a 31-0 Hoosier victory) and renewed the rivalry in 2003, 2007, 2012 and 2013.
Television Particulars
The Indiana game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNews. ESPNews is available on Time Warner Cable (Channel 103), Dish Network (Channel 142) and Directv (Channel 207). The game can also be seen on the Watch ESPN app as well as ESPN3 online with a valid subscription.
For Openers
Heading into 2014, the Sycamores are 43-59-7 in season openers with a .421 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 0-4 in season opening contests against Indiana (31-0 in 1925, 55-7 in 2007, 24-17 in 2012 & 73-35 in 2013).
Indiana State Against The Big Ten Conference
Indiana State is 0-5 against the Indiana Hoosiers while also carrying an 0-12 mark against current members of The Big Ten Conference (0-5 vs. Indiana, 0-4 vs. Purdue, 0-2 vs. Minnesota and 0-1 vs. Penn State). The last time an Indiana State football team faced off against a member of the league came in the 2013 season's second game at Purdue (narrow 20-14 loss).
Top Indiana State Performances In Season Opening Contests
Indiana State has had 17 100-yard rushing performances in season opening contests over the history of the program, highlighted by 192 rushing yards from Shakir Bell vs. Indiana in 2012. Those 192 rushing yards are the most by a Sycamore in a season opener in the history of the program. The Sycamores have had a 100-yard rusher in each of its last three season opening contests. ISU has had a total of six 200-yard passing performances in season openers with the record being 266 by Jeff Miller vs. St. Cloud State in 1985. The most recent was Reilly Murphy's 235 yards in the air versus Purdue in 2006. The Sycamores have had seven 100-yard receiving performances in the history of the program on opening day, led by 139 from Kirk Wilson against Drake in 1980. The most recent 100-yard receiving performance in an opener was Brian Jackson's 104 yards versus Purdue in 2006.
Jameer Thurman Ranked As Top Freshman Defender In MVFC
Indiana State freshman linebacker Jameer Thurman led the Sycamore defense in 2013 with 91 total tackles, including 45 solo stops and played and started in all 12 games. Thurman owned nine tackles for a loss of 35 yards and boasted 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 recorded at least four tackles in every game in 2013. 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 ranked fifth-best in the MVFC with a 7.6 tackles per game average, which was the highest of any freshman in the league. In league games only, Thurman averaged 8.8 tackles per game which was tied for third-best in the MVFC and the best of any freshman. Thurman's 3.0 quarterback sacks in league games ranked tied for ninth-best and was also the best mark of any freshman defender in the conference. Additionally, Thurman's 6.0 tackles for loss in league games only, ranked tied for eighth-best in the MVFC and was also the best for a freshman in Valley Football in 2013.
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.
Mike Perish Climbing The Sycamore Record Books As Senior Quarterback
Mike Perish enters his senior season, and his third season as the Sycamore starting quarterback, ranked fifth all-time in career passing yards with 3,201. For his career he is 394-523 for 3,201 yards and 24 touchdowns. He needs 1,115 more yards to top Ronnie Fouch's total of 4,316 yards from 2010-11 for fourth on the Sycamores all-time list.
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. Booker was named to the All-MVFC Newcomer Team in 2013 as a kick returner.
Sampson I Am
Indiana State sophomore 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 during the 2013 Homecoming contest. 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 had six touchdown receptions as a freshman in 2013, which was just two shy of the school record of eight held by Steve Schmid in 1986.
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 of the 2013 campaign. 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.
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
The Indiana State Sycamores continue the 2014 campaign against Tennessee Tech on Saturday, September 6 when they open the home slate at Memorial Stadium. Kick-off is set for 3:00 p.m. (ET). Several promotions are planned for the home opener, including an appearance by the Colts In Motion Tour before the contest in the tailgating area around Memorial Stadium.
