TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State football concludes Missouri Valley Football Conference play Saturday November 23 at Missouri State. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. ET from Plaster Stadium. Sycamore fans can catch the action on ESPN Plus as well as on the radio on WIBQ 97.9 FM (1230 AM) locally or online at GoSycamores.com/Watch free-of-charge.
Luke Martin (play-by-play) and
John Sherman (color) will have the radio call.
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE BEARS
Missouri State leads the all-time series between the two programs, 20-13 and have won the last three meetings. No team has won or lost more than three games in-a-row during the entire series that dates back to 1986. Missouri State leads the series in Springfield, 12-4 while the Sycamores hold a 9-8 record against the Bears at Memorial Stadium.
LINEBACKERS SETTING THE TONE ON DEFENSE FOR THE TREES
Linebackers
Jonas Griffith and
Clayton Glasco have dominated the defensive side of the ball for the Sycamores in 2019. Griffith is leading Indiana State with 97 tackles while Glasco has made 74 stops even though he has missed three games due to injury. The duo have combined for 22.5 of the team's 79 tackles-for-loss, eight of the 25 sacks and two of the nine interceptions.
GRIFFITH MOVING THROUGH TOP-10 CAREER TACKLES LIST
Louisville, Kentucky native
Jonas Griffith finished Saturday with seven stops from the linebacker position. With the performance, the redshirt senior moved into sole possession of eighth place in career tackles (373) in program history, passing Alex Sewall (2008-11).
GRIFFITH WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN ELITE COMPANY
Just three tackles from 100 on the season,
Jonas Griffith can become just the third player in program history to record three-straight seasons with 100 or more tackles, joining linebackers Marty Murray (1975-77) and Eric Christensen (1988-91). The redshirt senior recorded 107 tackles in 2017 while making 132 tackles a year ago.
NUNEZ CONTINUES TO ADD TO ALL-TIME PROGRAM MARKS
Senior kicker
Jerry Nunez etched his name in Sycamore history after breaking three program records this season. The Naples, Florida native secured the all-time scoring (221) as well as the all-time field goal (42) marks in a win over Eastern Illinois. A week earlier, Nunez set the ISU all-time PAT record – a record that had stood since 1985. Nunez has currently scored 259 points, kicked 52 field goals and 103 PAT's entering his final game.
THIRD DOWN DEFENSE
The defensive unit of the Sycamores has been stout this season on third down, holding opponents to just a 30.4 percent conversion rate which is 5th-best in the nation. Indiana State held Western Illinois to just 1-of-15 and No. 5 Northern Iowa to 2-for-12 on third down.
LIMITING THE DIRTY LAUNDRY
One area that a
Curt Mallory's teams have excelled at over his three seasons at the helm of the Sycamores has been discipline. The Sycamores currently rank 11th nationally and tops in the MVFC in fewest penalties with just 49 on the season. ISU has averaged 4.45 penalties per game which is eighth best in the nation. The Sycamores finished 2017 and 2018 ranked 19th and 27th respectively in fewest penalties.
STOPPING THE AIR ATTACK
ISU secondary has been strong this season, allowing just 151.5 yards per game passing which ranks second in the country. Starting cornerback
Keawvis Cummings ranks 27th in the nation with 1.2 passes defended per game and has been in on 11 pass breakups on the year.
Inoke Moala has six pass breakups from the defensive end position. In total, ISU defenders have been aggressive on passing lanes, recording 48 on the season.
TREES USING PLAYMAKERS IN THE WILDCAT
Utilizing a couple playmakers, ISU has turned to the wildcat over the last month to move the ball offensively.
Michael Haupert and
Dominique Dafney have been the usual suspects in the formation. Haupert, a high school quarterback turned running back is familiar with the set after running an option attack with Snider HS. Haupert has ran for 289 yards in limited action this season which is the second-best rushing total of all players. His 6.4 yards per carry leads the team. Dafney made his debut in the wildcat against Southern Illinois, rushing for 54 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On the year, Dafney has 195 yards rushing on 42 carries. The senior has three rushing touchdowns out of the set.
HENDRIX STILL MAKING STRIDES THROUGH QUARTERBACK CHANGE
The team leader in receptions and yards,
Dante Hendrix continues to be a steady option at wide receiver. Hendrix's 49 catches and 566 yards through the air is double the next best receiving option on the team. The Kentucky native has caught two touchdowns and averages 51.5 receiving yards per game. Hendrix recorded the first 100-yard receiving game of the season for ISU against No. 5 Northern Iowa after going for five catches and 135 yards. Three of the catches went for 25 yards or more against the Panthers.
MICHAEL THOMAS COMING INTO SAFETY POSITION
Michael Thomas is a familiar name for Sycamore fans on offense, but the redshirt sophomore made the move to defense in 2019 and has quickly become one of the top defenders on the team. Thomas has forced a pair of fumbles while breaking up two passes. His 61 tackles are third best on the team while his 34 solo stops ranks third behind
Jonas Griffith and
Clayton Glasco.
BONNER PROVIDING A SPARK ON DEFENSE
Denzel Bonner went for 10 tackles in the first half against Northern Iowa en route to a career high 13 tackles. He recorded four solo stops and a half tackle for a loss in the eight-point defeat to the No. 5 ranked Panthers. In the last four games, Bonner has recorded 31 tackles after making 26 stops in the seven previous games combined to start the year.
GRIFFITH JOINS 300-TACKLE CLUB; CRACKS TOP-10 IN SINGLE SEASON TACKLES IN 2018
With 16 tackles against Eastern Kentucky, redshirt senior
Jonas Griffith entered his name into the Sycamore record book forever after joining the 300-tackles club. The Louisville, Kentucky native became just the 18th player in program history to reach the mark, joining former teammate
Katrell Moss who completed the feat in 2018. He is looking to become just the third player in program history to record three-straight seasons of 100 or more tackles. Griffith finished tied for seventh in program history in single season tackles after recording 132 a year ago.
A MAINSTAY AT CENTER
Redshirt senior
Wyatt Wozniak has been the steady hand on the Sycamore offensive line, starting 34-straight games. 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. Wozniak, a Cypress, Texas product, led the charge as the Sycamores racked up 569 total yards of offense at No. 3 South Dakota State in 2018 -- the most yards since the Sycamores put up 671 yards against Quincy in 2013.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Football team, make sure to check out
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