TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State is back home this weekend for a Saturday afternoon contest as the Sycamores welcome No. 2/3 Montana to Memorial Stadium for Family Weekend. Kickoff between the Sycamores and the Grizzlies is set for 1 p.m. and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Game Day Information and Activities
Game Day Sponsor: Indiana State Credit Union
"People helping people" has been the philosophy of the credit union movement for decades. The Indiana State University Federal Credit Union strives to live up to the credo with its varied services and commitment to members. For more information,
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Family Weekend
Indiana State University and the ISU Football Team are celebrating Family Weekend at this weekend's contest against Montana. Thank you in advance to all families that will be in attendance at the game in support of the Sycamores.
Special Halftime Announcement
Indiana State University will be making a special announcement during the halftime festivities at Saturday's game.
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
Weekly Notes
The Big Sky-MVFC Challenge
Indiana State closes out the nonconference portion of the 2022 schedule this weekend with the Big Sky-MVFC Challenge as the Sycamores host No. 2/3 Montana at Memorial Stadium. It's the first matchup all-time between Indiana State and Montana and the Sycamores' first contest against a Big Sky opponent in program history.
The Big Sky-MVFC Challenge is tied at 1-1 with Montana topping South Dakota 24-7 last week, while South Dakota State held off a late challenge from UC Davis in the 24-22 win..
The ISU-Montana game is one of four MVFC-Big Sky games occurring today. The remainder are Cal Poly at South Dakota, North Dakota at Northern Arizona, and Sacramento State at Northern Iowa.
Tough Schedule Ahead
Indiana State is still scheduled to face four of the top-10 teams in the country. The Sycamores will host No. 2 Montana, No. 1 North Dakota State, and No. 6 Missouri State, while traveling to No. 3 South Dakota State.
Hendrix Takes the Field
Dante Hendrix took the field for the first time in the 2022 season this past weekend against Purdue and his impact was immediately felt. Hendrix was targeted early and often in the first half on his way to leading all Indiana State receivers with five catches for 90 yards.
Hendrix continued his Indiana State record 28th consecutive game with a reception dating back to game two of the 2019 season. Hendrix was targeted on his first pass on the Sycamores second drive, before hauling in a 17-yard reception midway through the first quarter. Over the drive, Hendrix hauled in three passes for 53 yards, including a 29-yard snag that moved the ball to the Purdue 14, while his seven-yard reception on 3rd-and-7 gave the Sycamores a 1st-and-Goal situation. In the second quarter, Hendrix brought in a 33-yard reception down the left sideline to set up a second 1st-and-Goal situation for the Sycamores for their second red zone visit.
Hendrix is tied with Kevin Barnett (5 catches, 38 yards) for the most receptions on the season.
Spreading the Wealth
Indiana State's quarterbacks have targeted 11 different receivers so far in the 2022 season with nine different players recording receptions this year.
Dante Hendrix and Tee Hodge both recorded their first catches of the season this past weekend against Purdue, while Dawson Basinger and Lance Rees have both recorded targets, without catches.
Dante Hendrix has two of Indiana State's longest receptions of the 2022 season with catches of 33 and 29 yards this past weekend against Purdue. Justin Dinka (30 yards) and Daijon Collins (21 yards) have also picked up 20-yard receptions this season in the opener against North Alabama.
Carrying the Ball
Indiana State doubled their ballcarrier total this past weekend against Purdue as the Sycamores had Dawson Basinger, Evan Olaes, and Cade Chambers all record their first carries of 2022.
The Sycamores continue to rely on the two-headed running back combination of Tee Hodge and Justin Dinka as the Sycamores head into their final nonconference matchup of the year. Hodge leads the way with 29 carries for 110 yards with a long run of 46 coming against North Alabama. Dinka has also hit 20-plus carries on the year with 22 totes for 81 yards and a 29-yard run coming against the Lions.
Attack the Quarterback
It took just five plays into the 2022 season for the Indiana State defense to record their first sack as Kris Reid Jr. and Casey Miller both combined to take down the UNA quarterback on the Lions' opening possession.
From there, the defense continued to pile on recording a Curt Mallory-era record 8.0 sacks in the game with seven different players recording quarterback takedowns. Kris Reid Jr. posted a career-high 2.5 sacks to lead the defensive effort on the game. His total marked the second-most among the Sycamores under Coach Mallory and left him just behind Inoka Moala's 3.5 sack effort last season against Western Illinois. Reid, Juju Williams (2.0) and Gianini Belizaire (1.5) continue to lead the Sycamores in the sack category as ISU failed to bring down the Purdue quarterbacks in the second game.
The Sycamores led the entire FCS in sacks after the first game of the season and currently sit ninth in the country in averaging 4.00 sacks per game. In conference play, Indiana State trails only Illinois State (4.50) in the category.
Behind the Line
In addition to getting after the quarterback, the Sycamores defense also set a Curt Mallory-era mark in tackles for loss in the 2022 season opener. Indiana State posted 15.0 tackles-for-loss in the opener against the Lions with 11 different players recording at least a half-tackle over the opening game. The Sycamores' 15.0 TFL shattered the previous high under Mallory of 12.0 tackles for loss set back on September 30, 2017, against Illinois State. Indiana State has posted five total double-digit TFL games under Mallory, including an 11.0 TFL game against Kansas back on August 31, 2019.
Indiana State's 15.0 tackles-for-loss also tied for the FCS lead over the first game of the season with Incarnate Word matched ISU's total with 15.0 TFL's in the opening weekend win over Southern Illinois. Rylan Cole (2.5) and Kris Reid Jr. (2.5) lead the charge for the Sycamores with 2.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage apiece.
Newcomers Garret Ollendieck and Blake Surface both picked up their first tackles for loss this past weekend against Purdue while 13 different players overall have recorded at least a half-tackle for loss this season.
Punting It Away
A spirited battle in camp could continue throughout the 2022 season, but freshman Harry Traum has been given the first opportunity to replace former Sycamore punter Travis Reiner in the starting role. Traum handled the majority of the punts over the first two games of the year with the Adelaide, Australia native averaging 37.9 yards over his 15 attempts, including a season-best 55-yard attempt. Nine of his punts have been fair caught, while two were downed inside the opponent 20-yard line.
Redshirt freshman Anthony Beacom made his 2022 debut in the punting game late in the contest against Purdue. The Roselle, Ill. native posted a pair of 48-yard punts and dropped one down at the Boilermakers' 11-yard line to highlight his day.
Snap Back
Long snapper Jayden Perry secured the job early in camp and the Coastal Carolina transfer delivered in his first game with the Sycamores. Perry has been perfect on every snap so far in the 2022 season. Perry took the role from departing and former All-Conference long snapper Wyatt Harwood who held the starting role from 2017-21.
Perry made his impact felt against Purdue as the Savannah, Ga. native went down the field in the third quarter and timed his hit perfectly to force a fumble on a Purdue punt return for his first forced fumble of the season.
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