TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State opens the 2022 season with a Thursday night contest underneath the lights of Memorial Stadium as the Sycamores welcome visiting North Alabama to the field on September 1. Kickoff between the Sycamores and the Lions is set for 6 p.m. and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 

Football vs. North Alabama
Date	Thursday, September 1 | 6:05 p.m. ET
Location | Venue | Weather	Terre Haute, Ind. | Memorial Stadium (Capacity 12,764) | Weather | Radar
Preview Information	Indiana State Notes
Live Stats	Live Stat Feed
Watch | Listen	ESPN+ | WVIG 105.5
Gates	Gates Open at 4:30 p.m. (90 minutes prior to Kickoff)
Series History	First Meeting All-Time
Game Day Sponsor	The Hometown Savings Bank
Game Day Giveaways	Greek's Pizzeria will be giving away T-Shirts to the first 150 Students | Culver's will have Giveaways for the first 500 Fans
Game Day Promo	Youth Football Day - All Youth Football Players (8th Grade & Younger) get in free wearing their jersey. Parents/Family/Friends - $5
Social Media	@IndStFB | @IndStAthletics

Game Day Information and Activities
Game Day Sponsor: The Hometown Savings Bank
THSB is a community bank headquartered in Vigo County, Indiana, in the town of Terre Haute, approximately 75 miles west/southwest of Indianapolis. We have eight locations - five in Terre Haute, one in Riley, a community just southeast of Terre Haute, one in the town of Brazil, located about 18 miles east of Terre Haute in Clay County and one in West Terre Haute, located about 2 miles west of Terre Haute.

THSB is a mutual savings bank, not a publicly traded company. It is governed by a board of directors comprised of local business and community leaders. THSB is a fiscally conservative, responsible bank that invests in and supports our local community.

If you are considering changing banks, or will be moving into this area, THSB will be happy to meet your banking and financial service needs. Please call or stop in at any of our locations  and meet our banking professionals.

Tailgating and Clear Bag Policies
Indiana State Athletics announced updated tailgating and clear bag policies for the 2022-23 athletic year. The policies are consistent with other members in both the Missouri Valley Conference and Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Tailgating Policies | Clear Bag Policy
 
White Out
Indiana State football has announced that Thursday night's season opener against North Alabama will be a White Out game. The Sycamores will be wearing their all-white uniforms and white helmets in honor of the three students who passed away following the tragic accident on August 21. Indiana State is grieving the loss of Jayden Musili, as well as freshman football players Christian Eubanks and Caleb VanHooser who died in a tragic one-car accident.
 
Indiana State football will also feature a new helmet sticker this season in honor of their former teammates. All fans and students are encouraged to wear their white in support of the Sycamores at the home opener.

105.5 The Legend - Live on Site
105.5 The Legend, home of Sycamore Athletics on the radio will be live on site outside Memorial Stadium from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. Country radio broadcaster DJ hall of fame Inductee Barry Kent will be live and will be joined by various Indiana State athletic personnel leading up to the pregame show for the Sycamores home opener.

2022 Indiana State Football Season Tickets On Sale
For more information on Indiana State 2022 football tickets, fans can contact Assistant Manager of Athletic Ticketing Austin Bishop by phone at 812-237-8972 or via email at Austin.Bishop@indstate.edu. Fans can also call 877-ISU-TIXS or email ISU-Tickets@indstate.edu.
 
Fans have the opportunity to also buy or renew season tickets online by clicking HERE. Fans will also have the option to get their season tickets printed for an additional $5 charge.

Weekly Notes
Home Openers
Indiana State is 44-53-5 all-time in their season openers dating back to the 1898 season. The Sycamores have been at home on 41 separate occasions to start the year with ISU posting a 28-11-2 overall record. Five of ISU's last six season openers have been at Memorial Stadium. The Sycamores won four of the five, including last year's 26-21 win over Eastern Illinois.

About North Alabama
This will be North Alabama's fifth season as a member of the Football Championship Subdivision, but will be the Lions' first as a full Division I member after a four-year transition period. A charter member of the Gulf South Conference and the NCAA Division II, the Lions officially moved to Division I status on July 1, 2018, and began their transition in the Fall of 2018.

UNA produced one of the most successful football programs in the history of the GSC and Division II, advancing to the Division II Playoffs 12 times in its final 15 seasons in the division and making 21 total playoff appearances, winning 35 post-season games and three national championships. The 21 post-season trips and 35 playoff wins rank second in DII history. During the transition, UNA went 7-3 in 2018, 4-7 in 2019, 0-4 in COVID shortened 2020 season, and 3-8 last season for a 14-22 record.

North Alabama was selected sixth overall in the ASun preseason poll as voted on by the league's head coaches.

Series History
Thursday night's kickoff marks the Sycamores' first contest in program history against North Alabama. The Lions are one of two first-time opponents for Indiana State this season. The other is MVFC foe North Dakota (Nov. 5). Indiana State is 8-5 overall against the current Atlantic Sun membership. ISU has won their last three games against Atlantic Sun members with wins over Eastern Kentucky in 2014, 2019, and 2021.

This Date in Indiana State Football History
Indiana State has played eight games on September 1 in program history. The Sycamores are 3-5 all-time in games played on the date. This is the first time ISU and North Alabama have meet on the date.

• 1934 – vs. Valparaiso – L, 14-7
• 1945 – vs. Eastern Kentucky – L, 19-12
• 1979 – vs Drake – W, 19-12
• 1984 – vs. Wayne State – W, 42-6
• 1990 – vs. Central Missouri State – W, 37-16
• 2005 – vs. Eastern Illinois – L, 24-13
• 2007 – at Indiana – L, 55-7
• 2012 – at Indiana – L, 24-17

Honoring Their Teammates
Indiana State football will be honoring former student-athletes Christian Eubanks and Caleb VanHooser who passed away in a tragic car accident prior to the start of the 2022 season. The Sycamores will honor their teammates with a sticker on the back of their helmets this year in honor and remembrance of their former teammates and the legacy they left at Indiana State.

Quarterback No. 1
The Sycamores came into the 2022 Fall Camp looking at a quarterback battle and the competition remained fierce throughout the entirety of the preseason. On Monday, Head Coach Curt Mallory announced that redshirt sophomore transfer Gavin Screws, topped the competition to claim the starting role in Week 1. Screws joined the Sycamores in the spring coming by way of Butler Community College after a standout 2021 campaign that featured him going for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns with the Grizzlies.
 
We Roll Deep
The Indiana State running back room is one of the deepest in terms of experience on the Sycamores roster heading into the 2022 season. Six of the seven running backs have collegiate experience and have lined up in at least one game, while the seventh (Plez Lawrence) is a true freshman that racked up 1,400 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in his senior season at Kokomo High School.
 
Justin Dinka and Tee Hodge are likely to get the starting nods throughout the 2022 season. Dinka is the most experienced of the bunch and returns as the Sycamores' leading rusher averaging 5.9 yards per carry with a season-high 42 yards coming against Southern Illinois. Hodge made his collegiate debut at Tennessee last season, while Dixon made a trio of appearances on the field last season. Dawson Basinger and Korbin Allen also saw time on the field in the 2021 season and will be in the mix throughout the year.

Hendrix Breakout Season
Glad to have you back Dante Hendrix! The Sycamores wide receiver is back for his sixth year in the Indiana State Blue & White after an injury-shortened campaign in the 2021 fall. The Florence, Ky. native battled through a midseason injury on his way to finishing with a team-best 42 catches for 447 yards, while adding three touchdowns over six games. Hendrix would have finished the 2021 season among the MVFC leaders in receiving yards per game (74.5), while his 10.6 yards per reception would have also put him among the Valley's best. Hendrix was a 2019 First Team All-MVFC receiver in his last full season finishing among the league leaders in yards (653) and receptions (51). He leads a strong receiving corps and has posted an Indiana State record of posting at least one catch in 26 consecutive games. He will likely be targeted early and often throughout the 2022 season as the Sycamores run out a new primary quarterback at the helm for the eighth consecutive season.

The Tight End Battle
Gone is do-everything tight end Zach Larkin. The former Sycamore finished among the team leaders in receptions (29) and receiving yards (312), while finishing tied for the team lead with three receiving touchdowns. The 6-5 athlete leaves a big gap in the middle of the field in the Sycamore passing game, but Indiana State does return multiple players with experience this year including Henry Woodcock, Tyce Ferrell, and Lance Rees. The entirety of the tight end group brings size to the field which will be key in Missouri Valley Football play. All five active players listed among the position group stand at least 6-3 and average 238-lbs as the Sycamores will utilize sets that could feature multiple tight ends this year.

Eyes on the Captain
Indiana State redshirt junior Jose Vazquez IV was named a 2022 team captain as voted on by the Sycamores coaching staff and players. The Carol Stream, Ill. native looks forward to making an impact and bringing his leadership style to the offensive line in the 2022 season. Vazquez started all 11 games at right guard for the Sycamores in the 2021 season on his way to earning Phil Steele MVFC preseason honors. He helped pave the way for Indiana State to average 111.6 rushing yards and 291.2 yards of total offense per game in his redshirt sophomore campaign and added Phil Steele All-MVFC Third Team postseason recognition.

New Room
The Indiana State defensive line room has seen the most changeover in the last year with 14 new faces expected to battle for playing time this season. Seven transfers and seven true freshmen will battle for playing time in the upcoming season in a room that defensive line coach Mark Smith has called, "one of the best rooms I've ever had chemistry-wise." The Sycamores room features 18 underclassmen as Indiana State continues a trend with youth across multiple position groups in the upcoming year. The group is arguably the deepest it has been in a while with a number of players expected to see consistent playing time in the 2022 season. The battle on the depth chart will likely continue throughout the remainder of fall camp and will likely not be settled until the start of MVFC play.

Leader On and Off the Field
The captain and leader of the Indiana State defense hits the field for his second season in the Blue & White as Geoffrey Brown is back in the middle linebacker spot in 2022. The Fishers, Ind. native was a 2021 Phil Steele Third Team Freshman All-American and MVFC All-Newcomer Team honoree following a standout first year on the field. He was honored as one of ISU's four captains as announced following the conclusion of preseason camp. Brown started off his freshman campaign slow with a pair of two-tackle games against Eastern Illinois and Northwestern, while adding 2.0 tackles-for-loss and one sack. He picked up the starting gig in the middle of the ISU defense with seven tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss in the Sycamore win over Eastern Kentucky. The now-sophomore finished the season with a season-best 12 tackles against Illinois State. Brown returns as the most experienced linebacker and will be expected to carry on the recent legacy of Sycamore greats on the defense including former All-American and current NFL star Jonas Griffith.

Time to Shine
Johnathan Edwards made the most of his starting debut in the 2021 season with a trio of tackles and a pass breakup on the road at Northwestern. From there, the St. Louis, Mo. native could not be kept off the field finishing the year with six starts, while lining up in all 11 games in his true freshman year. Edwards returns as the veteran of the group and is expected to be one of the leaders in the Sycamores defensive backfield that features nine newcomers and 17 underclassmen. The true sophomore recorded 32 tackles and seven pass breakups in 2021. Highlighting his first season in the Blue & White included a season-high eight tackles against Western Illinois, while posting five tackles and three pass breakups against Youngstown State. He added at least four tackles in four different games, while posting at least one pass breakup in five contests.

Kicking Battles
The Indiana State kicking game is in good hands heading into the 2022 season as the Sycamores welcomed two placekickers to the roster in the offseason. Stephen Ruiz and Ryan O'Grady both have been battling throughout the entirety of the preseason camp and provide two potent weapons for Indiana State in the kicking game. Ruiz transferred into the Sycamores by way of Boston College where he lined up in two games in the 2020 season. The redshirt junior has shown a strong leg in the kickoff game and likely will be the day one starter in the kick game for ISU on the year. O'Grady's story in a little more unusual. After an early preseason Ruiz injury, O'Grady joined the Sycamores in fall camp and immediately converted several field goals in his first practice. One year after ISU struggled in the field goal game (6-of-12, long of 48), the Sycamores now feature two athletes with the ability to hit consistently from within 50 yards.
 
Punting It Away
Gone is do-everything punter Travis Reiner following a strong redshirt senior campaign that saw him finish among the Missouri Valley Football leaders in punts downed inside the 20 (22), while averaging 40.2 yards per attempt. Reiner had served as the team's primary punter in each of his final three seasons with the Sycamores and he capped his year with a two-point conversion pass in the win over Illinois State. Returner Anthony Beacom and newcomer Harry Traum will both have the first opportunity to replace the former Sycamore great. Beacom transferred to the Sycamores by way of Northern Illinois prior to the 2021 season. He has taken a leadership role on the Sycamore special teams and could be in the mix to serve as the primary holder on all field goal attempts. Traum, a Melbourne, Australia native, is in his first season playing American football after playing Australian rules in high school. Together, the duo has been fighting for the starting role heading into the 2022 season.

Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Football, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.