TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State hits the road this weekend for the start of Missouri Valley Football Play as the Sycamores travel to Murray, Ky. to take on MVFC newcomer Murray State on Saturday night. Kickoff inside Roy Stewart Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET with the game set to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 

Football at Murray State
Date	Saturday, September 30 | 7:02 p.m. ET
Location | Venue | Weather	Murray, Ky. | Roy Stewart Stadium (Capacity 16,800) | Weather | Radar
Preview Information	Indiana State Notes
Live Stats	Live Stat Feed
Watch | Listen	ESPN+ | WVIG 105.5
Gates	Gates Open at 5:30 p.m. (90 minutes prior to Kickoff)
Series History	10th Meeting All-Time (Indiana State leads 5-4)
Social Media	@IndStFB | @IndStAthletics

Notes
First Time Valley Opponents
Indiana State welcomes Murray State to the Missouri Valley Football Conference this season as the Sycamores are the first official conference game for the Racers. Murray State joined the MVFC in the 2023 offseason after playing in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Racers became Missouri Valley Conference members in 2022-23 for all non-football sports, but due to the different conference affiliation of the Football league, the Racers were not granted membership until 2023-24. Murray State will play the full MVFC schedule this season.

First Game Outside the Hoosier State
Indiana State's trip to Murray, Ky. this weekend marks ISU's first road outing outside of Indiana in the 2023 season. The Sycamores opened the year at home against Eastern Illinois, before traveling to in-state opponents Indiana (Sept. 8) and Ball State (Sept. 16) on the year. It marks the first time since the 2013 season that Indiana State's first trip outside the state came on the fourth game of the season.

Offensive Explosive Plays
The Indiana State offense found a groove in the last game at Ball State as the big arm of Elijah Owens opened up the creativity in the Sycamore playbook. ISU posted a season-high five plays of 20-plus yards as the Sycamores were able to move the ball downfield against the Cardinals. Tee Hodge showed off the opening burst with a 32-yard carry up the middle in the first quarter highlighting the ability that made him a three-star recruit out of high school. Harry Van Dyne broke loose for a 41-yard catch down the right sideline in the second quarter to put ISU in Ball State territory. Dakota Caton utilized a double move on the 49-yard touchdown reception to get behind the Cardinals secondary, while Van Dyne (36-yard reception) and Plez Lawrence (39-yard carry) both had 30-plus yard plays in the fourth quarter.

Indiana State's offense produced two Missouri Valley Football games that featured five or more 20-yard plays last season as the Sycamores posted five against North Dakota State and six at Youngstown State. Key to both of those games was a Justin Dinka touchdown run (82 yards vs. NDSU, 75 yards vs. YSU).

Blackwell Brings Him Down
All Maddix Blackwell has done since seizing the starting safety position is dominate as the redshirt sophomore posted his second double-digit tackling effort of the season against Ball State. Blackwell posted a career-high 12 tackles against the Cardinals marking the third consecutive game he's led the Sycamores in the statistical category, while also recovering his second fumble of the year to lead the team. Overall, Blackwell is tied for the MVFC lead in tackles per game (10.7) and has been a part of all three turnovers (an interception, two fumble recoveries) caused by the ISU defense.

About the Racers
Murray State opened up the 2023 season with a win in their home opener against Presbyterian, before falling in back-to-back road contests at Louisville and Middle Tennessee State. The Racers are in their first season competing in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Murray State joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 2022-23, but competed in the Ohio Valley Conference in the 2022 football season. Murray State has lined up nine times against Indiana State in their respective program histories winning two of the three games played in Murray.

The Racers boast one of the nation's toughest defenses to move the ball against sitting 23rd in the NCAA FCS rankings allowing just 59 first downs on the year. Murray State sits 29th in the NCAA in time of possession on the year at 31:46 on the season. The Racers look to move the ball on the ground - Murray State sits 32nd in FCS in rushing offense at 173.3 yards per game on the season.

On This Date
Indiana State has played nine games all-time on September 30 dating back to the 1961 season when the Sycamores traveled to Indiana Central

ISU is 1-8 all-time on the date, falling in the last three contests played dating back to 2000.

The Sycamores' lone win on September 30 came back in the 1995 season when ISU topped Southern Illinois, 52-3. The home contest against SIU is the only time the Sycamores have played at home on the date.

• 1961 - at Indiana Central (L, 26-20)
• 1967 - at Northern Illinois (L, 34-0)
• 1972 - at Central Michigan (L, 34-0)
• 1978 - at Louisville (L, 31-12)
• 1989 - at Minnesota (L, 34-14)
• 1995 - vs. Southern Illinois (W, 52-3)
• 2000 - at Western Illinois (L, 49-7)
• 2006 - at Southern Illinois (L, 55-3)
• 2017 - at Illinois State (L, 24-13)

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.