TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State football continues Missouri Valley Football Conference play Saturday November 9 with a road trip to Cedar Falls, Iowa to take on fifth-ranked Northern Iowa. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. ET from the UNI-Dome.
Fans can catch the action on ESPN Plus with Brad Wells (play-by-play) and Justin Surrency (color) calling the game as well as 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) on the call.
RUNNING THROUGH THE GAUNTLET
Indiana State will face its third top-10 opponent in the last four weeks when traveling to UNI. For just the fifth time in league history, three MVFC schools occupy three of the Top-5 spots in a national poll. North Dakota State (1), South Dakota State (4), Northern Iowa (5) and Illinois State (11) represent the league this week. Southern Illinois and Youngstown State are also receiving votes. Among conferences, the MVFC is the top-rated league in the FCS (Sagarin), and three MVFC schools are in the Top 6.
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE PANTHERS
Northern Iowa holds a 28-5 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1983 and has won four-straight dating back to the 2015 season. Over that span, UNI has outscored the Sycamores 172-22, including a 33-0 loss a year ago in Terre Haute. The Sycamores last win came in 2014 with a 20-19 victory at Memorial Stadium while the last win in Cedar Falls came in 1988.
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 82 tackles while Glasco has made 59 stops even though he has missed the last three games due to injury. The duo have combined for 18.5 of the team's 66 tackles-for-loss, six of the 21 sacks and two of the seven interceptions.
GRIFFITH MOVING THROUGH THE TOP-10 CAREER TACKLES LIST
Louisville, Kentucky native
Jonas Griffith finished Saturday with eight stops from the linebacker position. With the performance, the redshirt senior moved into a tie for eighth place in career tackles (358) in program history, passing Eric Chistensen (1988-91) and tying Alex Sewall (2008-11). Griffith is 30 tackles away from moving into seventh place on the list.
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. Just a week earlier, Nunez set the ISU all-time PAT record – a record that had stood since 1985. Nunez has currently scored 244 points, kicked 48 field goals and 100 PAT's.
THIRD DOWN DEFENSE
The defensive unit of the Sycamores has been stout this season on third down, holding opponents to just a 32.2 percent conversion rate which is 17th-best in the nation. The Indiana State defense held Western Illinois to just 1-of-15 on third down during a Homecoming win.
TREES MUST PROTECT THE BALL
A year ago, Indiana State tied for tops in all of FCS in turnovers lost with Princeton after losing the ball just six times in 11 games while holding the 10
th-best turnover margin (0.82) in the nation. ISU has struggled to protect the ball in 2019 with 21 turnovers which is 120
th nationally of 124 teams. The Sycamores rank 123
rd in the nation with 13 fumbles lost.
SYCAMORES TURN TO WILDERMAN AT QUARTERBACK
Redshirt sophomore
Kurtis Wilderman made his first career start at quarterback against No. 3 South Dakota in week eight. The Wadesville, Indiana product passed for 196 yards on 19-of-31 attempts, including a pair of touchdowns. A week later, Wilderman threw for a touchdown in heavy rains and winds against No. 7 Illinois State. He has seen action in six games, including three starts this season and has thrown for 662 yards on 74-of-110 including six touchdowns. He has completed 67.3 percent of his passes and holds a 132.2 quarterback rating.
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 39 on the season. ISU has averaged 4.33 penalties per game which is ninth-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 solid, allowing just 148.9 yards per game passing which ranks second in the country and tops in the MVFC. Starting cornerback
Keawvis Cummings ranks 16
th in the nation with 1.3 passes defended per game and has been in on 10 pass breakups on the year.
Inoke Moala has six pass breakups from the defensive end position. In total, ISU defenders have been aggressive on pass breakups, recording 39 on the season.
TREES USING PLAYMAKERS IN THE WILDCAT
Utilizing a couple playmakers, ISU has turned to the wildcat over the last few weeks 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 171 yards in limited action this season which is the fourth-best rushing total of all players. His 5.4 yards per carry is second behind running back
Peterson Kerlegrand. Dafney made his debut in the wildcat against Southern Illinois, rushing for 54 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
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 39 catches and 391 yards through the air is double the next best receiving option on the team. The Kentucky native has caught two touchdowns and averages 43.4 receiving yards per game.
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 52 tackles are third best on the team and 30 solo stops ranks second behind
Jonas Griffith.
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
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