GAMEDAY CENTRAL PRESENTED BY TOYOTA OF TERRE HAUTE:

No. 22/23 LIBERTY AT INDIANA STATE
Memorial Stadium (12,724), Terre Haute, Ind.
September 27, 2014, 3:05 p.m. ET

QUICK HITS
>> The Indiana State Sycamores continue the 2014 season when they open a three-game homestand against No. 22/23 Liberty on Saturday, September 27. Kick-off is set for 3:05 p.m. (ET) and will be televised worldwide by ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app. This is the 110th season of intercollegiate football at Indiana State University.
>> Mike Perish is riding a two-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. Perish's 317 yards of passing against Ball State are the second-most in the history of the program against a FBS program.
>> Also riding a statistical streak is junior wide receiver Gary Owens who had 199 yards worth of receptions against Tennessee Tech and followed that with 107 yards at Ball State. Owens leads the team with 15 receptions for a total of 315 yards through the first three games of the season.

An Indiana State Win Over Liberty Would …
• Give the Sycamores a 3-1 start to the season — its best since a similar start to the 2011 campaign, which also included a FBS win (over Western Kentucky).
• Improve the Sycamores to 2-0 all-time against Liberty and give Indiana State a perfect 1-0 record at home against the Flames.
• Break a four-game losing skid against nationally-ranked FCS foes and give the MVFC a league-record tying five non-conference victories over teams in the Top 25.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Mike Sanford (Southern California, 1978) is 19-55 (.257) overall in his seventh season as a head coach and is 3-12 (.200) 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 15-22 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 Liberty and is 0-0 against the Flames at home. With the Trees, Sanford is 0-0 in overtime games and 0-1 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Mike Sanford's 16th as Indiana State head coach and his 75th as a collegiate head coach.

The Liberty Head Coach
Liberty is led by third-year head Turner Gill, who is 17-10 at the helm of the Flames' program. He is 42-59 in nine seasons as a collegiate head coach. Gill has never faced Indiana State on the gridiron.

Scouting The Flames
Liberty sports a 3-1 record and are riding a three-game winning steak as they head into Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The Flames dropped their season opener at North Carolina and have come back to win a road contest at Norfolk State as well as consecutive home games against Brevard and No. 25 Bryant. Liberty is currently ranked No. 24 in The Sports Network Top 25.

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 361-490-22 and is competing for the 29th consecutive season as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

The Liberty Series
Indiana State is 1-0 all-time against Liberty with that previous meeting coming in 1996 in Lynchburg, Va. The two teams have never played in Terre Haute. The Sycamores prevailed 34-10 in the only prior matchup.

Television Particulars
The Liberty game will be seen live world-wide on ESPN3. The game will also be available on the WATCH ESPN app. Fans must have a valid internet or television subscription to access the broadcast. All ESPN3/Watch ESPN broadcasts are available free of charge on college campuses and at United States Military Bases.

Mike Perish Takes Home Conference And National Honors After Victory At Ball State
Mike Perish took home Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week as well as College Sporting News Offensive Player Of The Week honors following a courageous performance in the win at Ball State on September 13 in front of a near sell-out crowd on the road. Perish completed 25-of-43 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. It was the fourth 300-yard passing performance for Perish during his career and the second consecutive week he topped that mark. His 317 passing yards are the second-most in the history of the program in a game against a FBS opponent. After falling behind the Cardinals 14-3, Perish had a 25-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Johnson and then another two-yard scoring strike to Issac Beverstock just before the half as ISU took a 17-14 lead. His longest and biggest pass of the game came in the form of a 28-yard touchdown against triple coverage to Kyani Harris with 3:50 left in the game which surged the Sycamores ahead to stay at 27-20 and returned the Blue Key Victory Bell to Terre Haute for the first time since 1987. On the day, Perish found 10 different receivers and connected with six Sycamores multiple times over the course of the winning effort. Perish earned the MVFC Offensive Player Of The Week award for the second time in his career as he also did so last season following a 70-7 victory over Quincy when he was just four passing yards away from setting an Indiana State single-game record.

Connor Underwood Honored Nationally After Victory At Ball State
Connor Underwood was named both the National and Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player Of The Week by College Sports Madness. CSM identifies the players who made the greatest impact to their team from each conference and on a national basis each week. Underwood joins Montana State quarterback Dakota Prukop as College Sports Madness National Players Of The Week. Underwood continued his strong start to the 2014 campaign with a 12 tackle performance in the 27-20 road victory over Ball State. Underwood had four solo stops and eight assists to go with 1.5 quarterback sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss. He added a key fumble recovery, one pass breakup and a quarterback hurry in the contest. With just over a minute remaining in the first half, Ball State fumbled a punt and Underwood raced 50 yards down the field to pounce on the ball. That fumble recovery eventually led the Sycamores on a scoring drive in which they reached the end zone with four seconds left in the first half to give ISU a 17-14 halftime advantage. Underwood's biggest tackle came on the game's last play when he tackled Ball State quarterback Ozzie Mann at the two-yard line with 11 seconds left and forced him down inbounds which allowed the clock to run out and returned the Blue Key Victory Bell to Terre Haute for the first time since 1987. He is in the top three of the Missouri Valley Football Conference rankings for both quarterback sacks and tackles for a loss. He is currently tied for the team lead in tackles with 24. Underwood has eight tackles for a loss which ranks third in the league and gives him 35.5 for his career. He needs only 19 more to tie Kyle Mitchell's school record of 54.5 for a career. Additionally, he has 3.5 quarterback sacks, good enough for second in the league, and now owns 18.5 for his career. Underwood, who has posted at least one sack in each of the Sycamores' three games so far in 2014 is only seven away from Mitchell's current school record of 25.5.

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.

Turnovers Equal Success For Indiana State
The Sycamores have intercepted two passes and recovered five fumbles through the first three games of the 2014 campaign. That puts Indiana State atop the Missouri Valley Conference leaderboard with a +7 turnover margin. Additionally, the Sycamores currently enjoy a 41-0 edge against their opponents in points off turnovers. Indiana State has scored 87 points through two weeks of action, with nearly 50 percent of their scoring coming after the defense or special teams has forced a turnover.

Sycamores Against Nationally-Ranked FCS Foes
Indiana State downed No. 1 North Dakota State last season on October 13 on the road to mark the last time the Sycamores have won against a nationally-ranked team. The Sycamores are 11-77 all-time against FCS nationally-ranked opponents, including a mark of 8-58 against league members that are nationally ranked. The Sycamores have dropped each of their last four meetings against nationally-ranked teams. The Missouri Valley Football Conference is currently 4-1 this season against nationally-ranked FCS foes and are just one victory away from tying a league record for most non-conference victories in one season against nationally-ranked competition.

Gary Owens With Consecutive 100-Yard Receiving Games
Indiana State junior wide receiver Gary Owens, a transfer from Trinity Valley JC, was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer Of The Week following the 49-14 victory over Tennessee Tech on September 6. Owens caught a team-best six passes for 199 yards and one touchdown for the Sycamores. He recorded long catches of 79 & 63 yards in the contest. He came back in the win at Ball State with seven catches for 107 yards in a 27-20 road victory over Ball State. Owens also had a 28-yard reception – his longest of the game in the fourth quarter as the Sycamores drove all the way down to the Ball State 15-yard line.

Mike Perish Records Fourth-Best Passing Game In History Of Sycamore Program
Indiana State senior quarterback Mike Perish completed 26-of-34 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns and added another rushing as the Sycamores broke an 11-game losing skid to the Ohio Valley Conference with a 49-14 victory over Tennessee Tech. Perish's 383 yards tied for the fourth-most ever passing yards in a single-game in program history and was just nine yards of his career-high set last season against Youngstown State. Perish camped off a six-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Sycamores a 14-0 lead. He tossed a six-yard touchdown to Jamar Brown to give ISU a 21-0 lead heading into the half. Perish added a 31-yard scoring strike to Gary Owens in the third quarter to answer consecutive touchdowns from Tennessee Tech for a 35-14 lead and tacked on a nine-yard touchdown pass to Brown in the fourth quarter en route to victory. Additionally he added a 79-yard strike to Perish to set up a fourth quarter touchdown and also had a 63-yard connection with Owens in the first quarter which erased an earlier 1st-and-55 situation resulting from penalties.

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.

LeMonte Booker Reaches End Zone Three Times Against Tennessee Tech
Indiana State sophomore LeMonte Booker paced the Sycamores with 77 rushing yards in the home opener against Tennessee Tech. Booker scored three times in the game, with rushes of one, 37 and 20 yards. He became the first Sycamore to record three rushing touchdowns in a game since Shakir Bell had four (all in one half) against Youngstown State in 2011.

Mike Perish Climbing The Sycamore Record Books As Senior Quarterback
Mike Perish enters week four of his senior season, and his third season as the Sycamore starting quarterback, ranked fifth all-time in career passing yards with 4,041. For his career he is 462-632 for 3,041 yards and 30 touchdowns. He needs 275 more yards to top Ronnie Fouch's total of 4,316 yards from 2010-11 for fourth on the Sycamores all-time list.

Sycamore Defensive Stops Nearly Produce Second Half Clean Sheet
The Indiana State defense was solid in the second half against Indiana as they held a clean sheet until the final three minutes of the contest. As part of that effort was a pair of defensive stops against the Hoosiers on fourth-and short situations, as well as a missed Indiana field goal attempt. Also part of the near second half shutout was a 60-yard interception return by Travis Starks which set the Sycamores up with a short field against the Hoosiers. ISU needed just two plays to score their first offensive touchdown of 2014 when Buck Logan raced around left end for a five-yard rushing touchdown which drew the Sycamores within 21-10 late in the third quarter.

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 continues its three-game home stand when they open Missouri Valley Football Conference play at home against nationally-ranked Northern Iowa. Kick-off is set for 3:05 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, October 4.