TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State hits the road for first time in 2024 as the Sycamores open up the regular season this weekend at Purdue on Saturday afternoon inside Ross-Ade Stadium. Kickoff between the Sycamores and Boilermakers is set for noon ET and will be carried live on Big Ten Network and 105.5 The Legend.
Weekly Notes
About the Matchup
Purdue leads the all-time series with the Sycamores with a 6-0 record. All six games in the series have been held in West Lafayette including the opener back in the 1926 season when Purdue topped Indiana State, 38-0.
The closest the Sycamores have come to breaking the streak came back in the 2013 season when ISU fell to Purdue on September 7, 20-14. Indiana State outgained the Boilermakers in total yardage, 295-284, including a 256-150 advantage in the air thanks to quarterback Mike Perish, but a late interception sealed the game for Purdue in the win.
Sycamores in Openers
Indiana State is 45-54-5 all-time in their season opening game dating back to the 1898 season. The Sycamores have opened play at home 42 separate times including each of the last three seasons. The last time they opened the season on the road came back in 2019 when Indiana State traveled to Kansas in an FCS-FBS matchup. The Sycamores fell in the August 31 contest to the Jayhawks, 24-17, taking the lead in the fourth quarter on Inoke Moala's fumble recovery in the end zone, before Kansas scored a late touchdown to secure the win.
Prior to the 2019 season, the Sycamores last season openers on the road came back over the 2011, 2012, and 2013 seasons as the Indiana State traveled to Penn State (2011) and Indiana (2012 & 2013). Dating back to the 1978 season, the Sycamores have started on the road 22 times with 20 of those contests coming against current FBS institutions. Only the 1980 opener (at Drake) and 1997 opener (at Murray State) have come against current FCS opponents with Indiana State topping the Bulldogs, while falling to the Racers.
Since 2000 Road Openers
2001 – at Tulsa (L, 51-0)
2003 – at Ball State (L, 31-7)
2004 – at Miami (Ohio) (L, 49-0)
2006 – at Purdue (L, 60-35)
2007 – at Indiana (L, 55-7)
2008 – at Eastern Michigan (L, 52-0)
2011 – at Penn State (L, 41-7)* game vacated by PSU
2012 – at Indiana (L, 24-17)
2013 – at Indiana (L, 73-35)
2019 – at Kansas (l, 24-17
Short Travels
Indiana State has one of the shortest travel lists over the first five weeks of the collegiate football stadium around the country as the Sycamores are set to make the short trip to Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue) on August 31, while following up with the trek to O'Brien Field (Eastern Illinois) the ensuring week. The round-trip for both games totals around 272 miles for the Sycamores allowing their fans to make day trips to see Indiana State in competition.
Conference play is not so kind for Indiana State as the Sycamores will take three of their longest bus trips in conference play traveling to Stambaugh Stadium (Youngstown State), Plaster Stadium (Missouri State), and the UNI Dome (Northern Iowa). The team is scheduled to fly to the DakotaDome for their November 9 contest at South Dakota.
Indiana State Road Trip Miles
August 31 at Purdue - Memorial Stadium – Ross-Ade Stadium (86.9 miles)
September 7 at Eastern Illinois - Memorial Stadium – O'Brien Field (48.6 miles)
October 5 at Youngstown State – Memorial Stadium – Stambaugh Stadium (423.0 miles)
October 19 at Missouri State – Memorial Stadium – Plaster Stadium (385.8 miles)
November 9 at South Dakota – Memorial Stadium – DakotaDome (662.1 miles)
November 23 at Northern Iowa – Memorial Stadium – UNI Dome (420.2 miles)
On This Date
Indiana State has played four games all-time on August 31 dating back to their first contest against Mars Hill. ISU has lined up against Eastern Illinois three times on the date coming in the opening games of the 2000, 2018, and 2023 seasons.
• 1995 – vs. Mars Hill – W, 31-0
• 2000 – vs. Eastern Illinois – L, 42-24
• 2018 – vs. Eastern Illinois – L, 22-20
• 2019 – at Kansas – L, 24-17
• 2023 - vs. Eastern Illinois - L, 27-0
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 the both the
App Store and the
Google Play Store.
