TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Indiana State football makes the three-hour drive to Southern Illinois Saturday, Oct. 20 to faceoff with the Salukis. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET from Saluki Stadium in Carbondale. The game will air live on ESPN+ with Mike Trude handling the play-by-play duties while Darren Kinnard will serve as the color commentator. Connor Onion will handle sideline duties during the broadcast. Sycamore fans can listen live on the radio on WIBQ 97.9 FM (1230 AM) locally or online at GoSycamores.com/Watch free-of-charge with
Luke Martin (play-by-play) and
Brian Fritz (color).
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE SALUKIS
Southern Illinois holds a slim 28-27 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1944. The Sycamores are 12-15 all-time in Carbondale, but have won the last three meetings with the SIU at Saluki Stadium. ISU has lost just one game to Southern inside their new home with that loss coming during its first year in 2010. Since then, the Sycamores have won three-straight on the road, outscoring the Salukis, 87-43 during the streak.
WHAT A WIN WOULD MEAN
The Sycamores travel to Carbondale this weekend to take on Southern Illinois. An Indiana State win would end a streak of 14-straight Missouri Valley Football Conference losses. A win would also notch second-year head coach
Curt Mallory's first MVFC win. The last conference win for ISU came in 2016 when the Sycamores knocked off the Salukis, 22-14.
RUSHING ATTACK STRONG FOR THE TREES
The offense for the Sycamores is night and day when compared to last year's squad. The rushing attack is ranked 10th in the nation with 263.3 yards on the ground per game. Much of that total comes from
Ja'Quan Keys who is third in the country with in rushing yards per game with 132. In total, Keys has 782 yards on the ground through six games and has scored 11 touchdowns. In 11 games in 2017, ISU totaled 1,185 yards and this season in just six games, the Sycamores have racked up 1,580 yards. Freshen
Christian Covington adds to the attack with 246 yards while quarterback
Ryan Boyle (199) and
Titus McCoy (180) each have over 150 yards on the ground.
RED ZONE SUCCESS
One of the keys this season for the Sycamores has been their success when entering the red zone. ISU ranks sixth nationally and has scored in the red zone 23-of-24 times for a 95.8 percentage. Last season, ISU entered the red zone just 19 times over 11 games with only nine touchdowns. This season, the Sycamores have 15 touchdowns and five made field goals in just five games.
RUNNING THE BALL STRONG
The rushing attack -- it has been one of the best parts of ISU's game this season. Indiana State has run the ball for 1,580 yards on the ground in six games, averaging 263.3 yards per contest.
Ja'Quan Keys holds nearly half the total rushing yards for the Sycamores with 792 while
Christian Covington (246) and
Titus McCoy (180) each have tallied more than 150 yards on the ground each.
THE KEY TO SUCCESS
Ja'Quan Keys entered 2018 with 519 yards' career rushing yards in two seasons, and with 792 yards after six weeks, the Hammond, Louisiana native has surpassed the 1,000-career rushing mark. Keys has averaged 132 yards per game this season.
BOYLE COMING INTO HIS OWN AT QUARTERBACK
After four-straight starts under center,
Ryan Boyle has settled into the spot. He holds a 136.6 passing efficiency rating and 64.9 completion percent (63-of-97) which is 17th best nationally while throwing for 773 yards and two touchdowns. Boyle has also racked up 199 yards on the ground which is third best on the team. Boyle currently ranks 27th nationally with 7.78 yards per attempt; 66th in total offense at 194.4 yards per game and 54th nationally with 12.27 yards per completion.
JONAS GRIFFITH A PROBLEM FOR OPPOSING OFFENSES
LB
Jonas Griffith is a force to be reckoned with on the Sycamore defense. In just six games this season, Griffith has 72 tackles (37 solo) to lead the Missouri Valley Football Conference. He has recorded 18 tackles in consecutive games and has had eight or more tackles in all but one game this season. His 11.8 tackles per game rank fourth in all of FCS.
OFFENSES MUST BE AWARE OF KATRELL MOSS
LB
Katrell Moss is second on the team with 58 tackles this season and ranks fourth in the MVFC in the category. Moss, an Indianapolis native, 25 solo stops and finished with 14 tackles (four solo) against Missouri State.
HE'S A BEAST
Redshirt senior DL
Rex Mosley garnered preseason All-MVFC honors after playing in all 11 games a year ago. Mosley was second on the team with three sacks for 20 yards last season to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss. This season, Mosley has 18 tackles after setting a new career high with nine stops against Missouri State (Oct. 13). Mosley has one sack for six yards, two pass breakups and one quarterback hurry in six games.
For complete game notes, click
HERE.
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