TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Indiana State comes off the bye week and jumps into Missouri Valley Football Conference play this weekend as the Sycamores make the trek to Cedar Falls, Iowa and Northern Iowa on Saturday, October 1. Kickoff between ISU and UNI is set for 5 p.m. ET in the UNI-Dome. The game will be carried live via ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Weekly Notes
At a Glance
Indiana State comes off their lone bye of the 2022 season to enter Missouri Valley Football Play this weekend
The Sycamores typically play UNI later in the conference season. This year's conference opening matchup for ISU marks just the third time Indiana State has opened Valley play against the Panthers (2014, 2018).
Indiana State has struggled all-time in the UNI-Dome with just a 1-16 record in Cedar Falls throughout the series history. ISU's lone win at UNI came back in 1988 when the Sycamores topped the Panthers, 24-6.
ISU is 5-11 in road MVFC games under Head Coach Curt Mallory over his four seasons with the Sycamores. This includes a 3-1 mark in 2018 with wins at SIU, Youngstown State, and Western Illinois. ISU additionally has wins at Missouri State (2019) and Illinois State (2021) during his tenure.
The Sycamores continue to have a tough slate ahead of them in the upcoming season. ISU is still scheduled to face No. 1 North Dakota State (Oct. 8), No. 3 South Dakota State (Oct. 29) and No. 9 Missouri State (Nov. 17) on the schedule.
About UNI
Northern Iowa drew preseason rankings in multiple top-25 polls including the AFCA FCS Coaches, the STATS Perform, and the HERO Sports polls. UNI was selected No. 21 in the AFCA poll, No. 21 in the STATS Perform poll, and No. 24 in the HERO Sports voting. The Panthers were selected fifth overall in the preseason MVFC poll as voted on by the league's head coaches, media, and SIDs.
Placekicker Matthew Cook was a preseason five-time All-American after a standout 2021 campaign that included a 19-for-22 FG mark, including hitting 9-of-10 from 40-plus yards. Northern Iowa linebacker Spencer Cuvelier was a preseason Buck Buchanan Watch List nominee, as well as earning recognition on three separate preseason All-American teams.
The Panthers have gone 0-2 so far this season in nonconference play with losses at Air Force (48-17) and against No. 7/7 Sacramento State (L, 37-21).
On This Date
Indiana State has played 11 games on October 1 in program history. The Sycamores are 3-8 all-time in games played on the date with their last win coming back in 2011 at South Dakota State.
ISU and UNI have previously played on October 1 back in 1994 with the Sycamores falling in Terre Haute, 11-0.
- 1949 - at Valparaiso - L, 32-0
- 1955 - vs. St. Joseph's - L, 27-0
- 1960 - at DePauw - L, 15-7
- 1966 - vs. Illinois State - W, 25-6
- 1977 - at Akron - L, 20-3
- 1983 - at Illinois State - L, 37-20
- 1988 - vs. Eastern Illinois - W, 24-12
- 1994 - vs. Northern Iowa - L, 11-10
- 2005 - vs. Western Kentucky - L, 38-28
- 2011 - at South Dakota State - W, 38-28
- 2016 - vs. Missouri State - L, 45-24
Active Sycamores against UNI
Just nine Indiana State players have lined up against Northern Iowa over their career with the Sycamores. ISU last played against UNI in both 2018 and 2019, before cycling off the schedule in 2020 and 2021.
Dante Hendrix, Dakota Caton, and Kris Reid Jr. have recorded statistics against the Panthers in the series, while Jose Vazquez IV, Michael Haupert, Matae Thomas, Dawson Basinger, Lucas Hunter, and Henry Woodcock have all been on the field in various capacities.
Justin Dinka Big Day
It took Justin Dinka just three carries to break off a double-digit run and a fourth carry to find the end zone as the redshirt sophomore running back broke loose for the longest run of his Indiana State career and his first touchdown carry. Dinka went untouched through the right side of the line and out-ran the defenders to the goal-line for a 54-yard touchdown carry against the Montana defense in the first quarter to tie the game up at 7-7.
Dinka posted career-highs in both rushing attempts (20) and rushing yards (87) against the Griz defense in the loss. It marked the first time an ISU back had broken the 20-carry mark since Peterson Kerlegrand carried it 25 times last season on Oct. 23 against Youngstown State. Dinka's 87 rushing yards were an ISU season-best and most since Kerlegrand recorded 89 yards last season on Oct. 30 at North Dakota State.
Hendrix Chase
Dante Hendrix continues to chase the all-time records this season as the redshirt senior wide receiver added to his totals in the Sycamores' last contest against Montana. Hendrix hauled in three passes for 36 yards in the September 17 matchup to extend his ISU record to 29 consecutive games with a catch. Hendrix (eight catches, 126 yards) is tied with Kevin Barnett (eight catches, 58 yards) for the most receptions on the team this season, while his 126 yards paces the Sycamores on the year.
Hendrix is closing in on Sycamore alum and current Green Bay Packer Robert Tonyan Jr. (2013-16) for second in the all-time annals in receptions. Hendrix has 148 career catches for 1,907 yards sitting behind both Tonyan (150) and Sam Logan (2003-06, 196 receptions) Hendrix is fourth in career yards behind Logan (2,385), Terry Bell (1982-85, 2,048) and Tonyan (2,047).
Spreading the Wealth
Indiana State's quarterbacks have targeted 11 different receivers so far in the 2022 season with 10 different players recording receptions this year.
Harry Van Dyne added his first three catches of 2022 in the last matchup against Montana. Dante Hendrix and Tee Hodge both recorded their first catches of the season 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.
SACK Party
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.
Reid, Gianinin Beliziare (2.5), and Juju Williams (2.0) 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 17th in the country in averaging 3.33 sacks per game. In conference standings, Indiana State sits third 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.
Rylan Cole, Kris Reid Jr., and Gianini Belizaire lead the charge for the Sycamores with 2.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage apiece. Overall, 15 players have posted at least a half-tackle for loss in the 2022 season.
Specialists
Redshirt freshman Anthony Beacom made his 2022 debut in the punting game late in the contest against Purdue and was back on the field against Montana. The Roselle, Ill. native connected on a MVFC-leading 65-yard punt against Montana and is averaging 50.3 yards per attempt.
Stephen Ruiz took on the starting kickoff role in the 2022 season and took control of the field position game for ISU this season. Ruiz has kicked off eight times this year for an average of 54.9 yards per attempt. He has added four touchbacks this year.
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.
