TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Indiana State Football opens the 2018 season Thursday, August 30 as the Quincy Hawks come to town. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET from Memorial Stadium. The game is sponsored by Refreshment Services Pepsi.
The game will be broadcast live on
The Valley On ESPN3. On the call will be Chase Eyrich (play-by-play) and Jordan Eldridge (color). Sycamore fans can also listen live on the radio on WIBQ 97.9 FM (1230 AM) or online at
GoSycamores.com/Watch with
Luke Martin (play-by-play) and
Brian Fritz (color).
For more information on tickets or group sales to the season opener, contact Senior Assistant Athletics Director
John Sherman at 812-237-3047. Fans can also visit the Hulman Center Ticket Office during normal business hours or call 877-ISU-TIXS, or visit
TicketMaster.com.
QUICK HITS
• Indiana State leads the all-time series with Quincy 3-1, winning the last three meeting between the two programs. The Hawks won the first ever meeting in Terre Haute in 2009 with a 26-20 finish in overtime to open the season. The Sycamores faced QU in 2010 claiming a 56-22 victory. After a two-year stoppage to the series, the two teams met in 2012 and 2013. ISU took the 2012 meeting 44-0 before winning 70-7 in 2013. The average score in the series is 49-14 in favor of the Sycamores.
• The Sycamores are coming off a winless 2017 campaign, going 0-11 overall and 0-8 in Missouri Valley Football Conference action. It marked the first time since 2008 that ISU had not won a game. Indiana State was challenged with one of the toughest schedules in the nation; facing seven nationally ranked teams in total in 2017, including a stretch of five-straight games against nationally ranked opponents, including three straight against top-10 competition - the first time that had happened in school history.
• Indiana State returns 13 starters from a year ago, including six on the offensive side of the ball and seven on defense. The Sycamores' top returners include RB
Ja'Quan Keys (208 yards rushing, two touchdowns); LB
Jonas Griffith (107 tackles, 5.5 sacks); LB
Katrell Moss (101 tackles, nine tackles for loss); DB
Rondell Green (66 tackles, two interceptions). ISU also brings back five offensive linemen with game experience.
• Full position previews from can be found at
sycamor.es/YouTube
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Six Sycamores starters return to the offensive unit in 2018, including five offensive linemen (
Jackson Byrne,
Mason Flechler,
Wyatt Wozniak,
James Lang and
Kevin Kcehowski) while tight end
Zach Larkin rounds out the group.
• Getting the nod at the quarterback spot for the opener is redshirt junior
Jalil Kilpatrick. The Detroit, Michigan native comes to Indiana State after two seasons at Kilgore CC in Texas. He split time at the quarterback spot, finishing his last season at Kilgore with 640 yards through the air and four touchdowns. Kilpatrick finished with a 153.0 passer efficiency rating and a 72.3 completion percent. He averaged 7.7 yards per completion over the year. The 6-foot-3 Kilpatrick ran for 154 yards on 23 attempts for a 6.7 yard per carry average.
• The Sycamores' top rusher from a year ago returns in redshirt senior
Ja'Quan Keys who ran for 208 yards on 68 attempts. He scored two touchdowns on the ground and caught six passes for 54 yards. The Hammond, Louisiana native recorded his longest run of the season (15 yards) against Western Illinois.
• RB
Titus McCoy also returns for his sophomore season. As a true freshman, McCoy rushed for 74 yards on 23 carries for a 3.2 yards per carry average. McCoy put together an extremely productive career at Center Grove High School, which he led to the state finals twice and a state title in 2015. There, McCoy recorded an incredible 3,828 career rushing yards, 645 career receiving yards and 54 total TD.
• Making his return to the gridiron after a season ending injury a year ago is redshirt freshman wide receiver
Dante Hendrix. Hendrix is one of the top receivers in the history of high school football in the state of Kentucky, ranking eighth in career TD (40), 15th in yards (3,107) and 17th in receptions (171). Hendrix had SportsCenter's No. 1 play in its daily Top-10 following a diving one-handed catch on Oct. 14, 2016.
•
Michael Thomas will start at the No. 2 wide receiver slot for the Sycamores to start the 2018 campaign. Thomas played in all 11 games his freshman season on campus. He finished with eight catches for 86 yards and caught a pair of touchdowns on the season with the first coming on a four-yard gain at Illinois State (9/30) and the second at Missouri State (10/28).
• With the graduation of
Jacquet McClendon at the tight end position,
Zach Larkin will move into the starting role. Larkin, a 6-foot-5 redshirt sophomore, caught eight passes a year ago for 73 yards (9.1 yards per catch). There will be plenty of competition at the position as well with redshirt junior
Nakia Grier, and freshmen
Tynan Williams and
Henry Woodcock.
• The Sycamores brought in several talented offensive linemen in what was
Curt Mallory and his staffs first true recruiting class. Leading the charge on the offensive line is Independence CC transfer
Isaiah Edwards. Edwards stands at 6-foot-7 and 390 pounds and will start at left guard for the Trees. The Sycamores also added a Kentucky transfer in redshirt senior
Tate Leavitt.
•
Mason Flechler,
Wyatt Wozniak,
James Lang,
Lex Sowards,
Kevin Kcehowski,
Max Morgan-Elliot,
Frederik Fabricius and
Alvin Clemons also return for the Sycamores with experience on the offensive line.
• Redshirt junior
Wyatt Wozniak has been the steady hand on the Sycamore offensive line. Wozniak is one of the most experience interior lineman on the roster after seeing game action in five contests in 2016 including three starts. Wozniak is the lone Sycamore on offense that started every game at the center position in 2017.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
• The Sycamore defense returns seven players from last year's team, including All-MVFC linebackers
Jonas Griffith and
Katrell Moss. The unit also boasts Second Team Preseason All-MVFC picks in
Inoke Moala (DL),
Rex Mosley (DL) and
Rondell Green (DB). Griffith, Moss and Green each started every game at their respective positions in 2017.
• Redshirt junior
Jonas Griffith led the Sycamores in tackles with 107 -- recording a career high 15 vs. SIU, 13 vs. EIU, 10 at Missouri State and nine at Tennessee. Griffith ranks third in the Valley in total tackles. Griffith had three tackles for loss against Illinois State for 18 yards last season.
• Griffith played in 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 2016 and returns as the third-best tackler on ISU's roster with 37 total tackles last year. Griffith helped lead ISU to a near-upset at No. 14 Youngstown State in 2016, where he led the Sycamores with nine tackles and his first career interception at a crucial juncture in the game.
• LB
Katrell Moss owns 9.0 TFL on the season, including 2.5 sacks (10 yards). Moss is second on the team and fifth in the MVFC with 101 tackles including 36 solo tackles. He recorded a career high 20 tackles against SIU last season.
• Suring up the linebacker core will be junior transfer
Clayton Glasco. Glasco, a Pickerington, Ohio product, comes to Terre Haute after leading Monroe College with 75 tackles in 2017, including 10 tackles for loss.
• Redshirt junior
Inoke Moala earned six starts on the defensive line in 2017 and is expected to start on the defensive line in 2018. As a true freshman, Moala recorded just five tackles. In 2017, he had 34 total tackles (15 solo), 7.0 TFL (23 yards), 2.0 sacks (12 yards) and two QB hurries.
• 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.
• Redshirt senior CB
Rondell Green ranks second in the Valley with 1.4 passes defended per game. He came away with key plays in several games including two pass breakups vs. Eastern Illinois and an interception in the end zone to stall a red zone drive at Tennessee. On his career, Green now owns 21 pass breakups and three interceptions, including a 17-yard pick six against the Salukis last season. Green ranked third on the team with 66 tackles and led the team with 12 pass breakups.
• Redshirt senior
Jamal Jones and junior
Denzel Bonner enter the starting lineup at the safety position for the Sycamores. Jones, a Carrolton, Texas product, saw action in two games last season with 14 total tackles and nine unassisted. Jones racked up seven tackles against both Eastern Illinois and at Tennessee. Bonner enters his first season with the Sycamores after transferring from East Mississippi CC where he totaled 67 tackles to help the Lions to a National Championship.
• Junior DB
Kaelub Newman earned the second defensive back starting position after recording 32 tackles, two interceptions, eight pass breakups and a sack in 2017 at the College of Dupage.
• Sycamore defensive back
Anthony Tucker Jr. came away with his first two career interceptions against the Salukis (Oct. 21, 2017). Tucker became the first Sycamore with two picks in a single game since 2015 when Jameer Thurman did so against Butler.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• Junior kicker
Jerry Nunez saw action in 10 games for the Sycamores in 2017. He was 9-of-14 on field goals and 15-of-17 on PAT. He hit two field goals in the season opener against Eastern Illinois and had two field goals at Liberty and South Dakota. Nunez notched a career long field goal of 48 yards in the season finale at Northern Iowa.
• Indiana State brings in a new punter in
Travis Reiner with the graduation of
Thomas Bouldin. Reiner comes to ISU as a redshirt sophomore from College of the Canyons in California where he earned Second Team All-Conference honors in 2017 after averaging 43.1 yards per punt. He pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard line 21 times and finished with a long punt of 64 yards.
OTHER NOTES
• Indiana State has signed two players from the Netflix series "Last Chance U" in OL
Isaiah Edwards (Independence CC) and DB
Denzel Bonner (East Mississippi CC).
For complete Game Notes click
HERE.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Football team, make sure to check out
GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including
Facebook and
Twitter.
