TENNESSEE TECH at INDIANA STATE
Memorial Stadium (12,724), Terre Haute, Ind.
September 6, 2014, 3:05 p.m. ET
PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Friday September 5 12-1pm
Downtown Terre Haute Tailgate Party
Join head coach Mike Sanford and members of the Sycamore team at the Crossroads Plaza on Wabash Avenue. Grab some lunch from area businesses, win prizes, show your Sycamore Spirit by wearing Blue and get fired up for the home opener against the Golden Eagles.
Saturday September 6
'The March' – The March will start at 12:30 p.m. at Brown Avenue, coming into Memorial Stadium. Led by the Marching Sycamores and Spirit Squad, the football team will walk through the tailgating area west of the locker room along the trail. Fans are invited to line the trail to welcome their team into Memorial Stadium.
Colts in Motion - Colts In Motion is a 42-foot-long travelling museum full of interactive Colts history and memorabilia. Colts In Motion includes six interactive TVs, including highlights of Colts playmakers both past and present. Test your Colts knowledge with our touch-screen quiz. See replicas of the 2006 Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl Ring. Colts in Motion will be present from Noon-3 p.m. (ET).
Pregame Concert - The Sycamore Pre-Game Concert Series will feature the band Hype War Machine who will take the stage from 1:00-2:15 p.m. The concert will take place in front of Memorial Stadium along Wabash Ave.
Youth Football Day/Campers Day - All youth football players in their team jerseys and one parent will receive FREE admission to the game! Come down on the field prior to the game to form the tunnel that gets the Sycamores onto the field, plus much more! Teams need to be at Memorial Stadium by 2pm! Additional guests of the players will pay group pricing of $5 per ticket.
Indiana State Alumni Association Day - Fans who present a valid Blue Card Alumni Association Membership card can receive admission for just $5.00. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the gate by showing your Blue Card Alumni Association Membership card.
Alternative Spring Break Bucket Brigade - will be on hand excepting donations to help with the cost of their spring break trip.
QUICK HITS
>> The Indiana State Sycamores continue the 2014 season with its first home game of the campaign on Saturday, September 6. Kick-off is set for 3:05 p.m. (ET) and will be televised online by Sycamore Vision. This is the 110th season of intercollegiate football at Indiana State University.
>> Indiana State is beginning its 48th season of competition at home inside Memorial Stadium. Overall, Indiana State is 138-128-1 (.519) at home since playing their first game there in 1967. In home openers at Memorial Stadium, the Sycamores are 34-13 (.723) and have won four home lidlifters in a row.
>> Indiana State punter Osborn Umeh made quite a debut at Indiana on August 30 as he had eight punts which averaged 44 yards per kick and pinned the Hoosiers inside their own 20-yard line a total of three times. Additionally, he had two punts of over 50 yards, including a 58-yard punt just before the half.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Mike Sanford (Southern California, 1978) is 17-55 (.236) overall in his seventh season as a head coach and is 1-12 (.077) 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, 3-33 on the road and 5-7 in games decided by three points or less. Sanford is 0-1 all-time against Tennessee Tech and is 0-0 against the Golden Eagles at home. With the Trees, Sanford is 0-0 in overtime games and 0-1 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Mike Sanford's 14th as Indiana State head coach and his 73rd as a collegiate head coach.
The Tennessee Tech Head Coach
Tennessee Tech is led by eighth-year head coach Watson Brown, who is in his 30th season as a collegiate head coach. Brown is 1-0 against Indiana State, with that victory coming last season in Cookeville.
Scouting The Golden Eagles
Tennessee Tech is 1-0 on the young season after a convincing 33-7 victory on August 28 over Kentucky Christian. Jared Davis threw for a pair of touchdowns while Darian Stone caught a scoring pass and rushed for another touchdown in the victory.
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 359-490-22 and is competing for the 29th consecutive season as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
The Tennessee Tech Series
Tennessee Tech holds a 1-0 lead in all-time series against Indiana State. The Golden Eagles were 38-37 victors last season in Cookeville, Tenn. The two teams have never met in Terre Haute.
Television Particulars
The Tennessee Tech game will be available live on a pay-per-view basis online through Sycamore Vision. Fans should navigate to GoSycamores.com for subscription information.
Colts In Motion To Kickoff College Tailgate Tour Saturday At Memorial Stadium
The Colts In Motion College Tailgate Tour will begin Saturday, when the Colts appear prior to the Sycamores' home opener against Tennessee Tech. Colts In Motion is the Colts' interactive museum and its inflatable QB Challenge will be stationed outside Memorial Stadium from Noon-3 p.m. (ET) on Saturday. Colts Cheerleaders will be on hand for autographs and fans may register to win autographed items. The first 50 fans to visit the Colts In Motion display will receive a free gift.
For Home Openers
Indiana State is opening its 48th season at Memorial Stadium on Saturday against Tennessee Tech. The Sycamores are 34-13 (.713) in home openers inside Memorial Stadium and have won four home lidlifters in a row on their home field.
Indiana State Against The Ohio Valley Conference
Once a staple of the Indiana State football schedule, the Sycamores will be facing off against a member of the Ohio Valley Conference for just the second time since the 2009 campaign when they play host to Tennessee Tech on Saturday. The Sycamores fell 38-37 to TTU last season on the road. The Sycamores have dropped each of their last 11 meetings against a member of the OVC dating back to a 41-24 home field victory over UT-Martin in 2004.
Osborn Umeh Makes Spectacular Debut For Sycamores
Indiana State junior transfer Osborn Umeh punted eight times at Indiana for a total of 352 yards, averaging 44 yards per kick on a stormy day in Bloomington. Umeh pinned the Hoosiers inside their own 20-yard line a total of three times. He booted a long punt of 58 yards before halftime to flip the field and forced Indiana to just run out the clock instead of trying to run the two-minute drill and score. His first punt was fumbled by the Hoosiers and recovered to set the Sycamores at the IU 41-yard line. Six plays later, the Sycamores scored to draw within 7-3 in the first quarter. All told he had two of his eight punts travel at least 50 yards.
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.
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 week 2 of his senior season, and his third season as the Sycamore starting quarterback, ranked fifth all-time in career passing yards with 3,341. For his career he is 411-555 for 3,341 yards and 24 touchdowns. He needs 975 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 2013 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 Sycamores travel to Ball State on Saturday, September 13. Kick-off is slated for 3:00 p.m. (ET) and will be televised live on ESPN3.
