TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State football opens Missouri Valley Football play on the road this weekend as the Sycamores travel to Carbondale, Ill. to take on No. 10/11 Southern Illinois at Saluki Stadium on Saturday, October 4. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 1055.5 The Legend.
Notes
About the Matchup
Indiana State heads to Southern Illinois for the 30th time in Sycamore football program history this Saturday making the trek to Carbondale, Ill. and Saluki Stadium for the first time since the 2023 season. The Salukis lead the series 16-13 all-time in Carbondale after snapping the Sycamores' four-game winning streak in the 2023 season with the 38-9 win.
Southern Illinois leads the all-time series 30-29, with the series tied up at 15-15 in Terre Haute. Indiana State's 20-17 win last season on Homecoming ended the Sycamores' three-game losing streak at home to the Salukis.
The series is 6-4 in Indiana State's favor over the last 10 contests dating back to the 2012 season. The Sycamores held a three-game winning streak over SIU from 2014-16, but SIU has rallied back in the series to win four of the last six games.
Last Time Against Southern Illinois
The Sycamores topped the Salukis in Terre Haute, Ind. last season with a 20-17 win during Indiana State's Homecoming win. Indiana State rallied back from a 17-0 halftime deficit sparked by
Geoffrey Brown's third-quarter pick-six, while
Lance Rees and
Elijah Owens both recorded touchdowns in the win.
Owens was 13-of-17 through the air for 78 yards, but the Jacksonville, Ill. native did most of his damage on the ground with 15 carries for a game-high 119 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win. The Sycamores racked up 219 rushing yards overall in the game on their way to holding onto the ball for 34:29.
Defensively,
Micah Hauser recorded a team-high 14 tackles, while Brown had 11 stops and 1.0 tackles-for-loss to go with his game-changing pick-six.
Joey Shew added 2.5 sacks and 3.0 TFLs in the win.
Sycamores Opening Missouri Valley Football Play
Indiana State looks to snap a seven-game MVFC opener losing streak on Saturday night as the Sycamores head to Carbondale, Ill. The Sycamores last won their conference opener back in the 2016 season with a 34-31 win against Illinois State, while winning their last conference opener on the road in the 2015 season at Missouri State (56-28).
The Sycamores have had their moments in conference openers over the last three seasons falling at Northern Iowa in 2022, 20-14, at Murray State in 2023, 30-28, and last season at Youngstown State by a score of 21-14. Indiana State has opened conference play on the road in five of the last six seasons dating back to the 2019 season when the Sycamores opened play at South Dakota.
The last time Indiana State opened conference play against Southern Illinois came back in the 2007 season in Terre Haute. The Salukis took the 72-10 win over the Sycamores in the matchup utilizing five Indiana State turnovers in the win.
Scouting the Salukis
Southern Illinois heads into the weekend matchup as one of the hottest teams in all FCS as the Salukis climbed to No. 10/11 following the announcement of the national polls this week. SIU remains undefeated in FCS play on the year with wins over Thomas More, UT Martin, and SEMO, while falling in their lone FBS contest at Purdue.
The Salukis features one of the nation's best offenses (40.5 ppg) and defenses (19.5 ppg), with quarterback DJ Williams and wide receiver/returner Vinson Davis III bringing a solid 1-2 punch to the Southern Illinois offense. Williams currently sits among the national leaders in rushing yards (316) and rushing touchdowns (7), while sitting ninth in the country with nine touchdown passes and 15th in passing yards per game with 247.0. Davis III is 17th in FCS in all-purpose yards at 130.25 per game, averaging 91.0 receiving yards with a pair of touchdowns on the year.
The Southern Illinois offense has come through when it has needed to on drives sitting third in FCS with a 53.7% third-down conversion rate. SIU's special teams are also among the nation's best sitting first overall in punt return average (27.00) and fourth in kickoff returns (29.40).
The Southern Illinois defense is opportunistic on the field with five players recording fumble recoveries, while Vinny Pierre Jr. has two of SIU's five interceptions on the season. SIU is currently sitting at +1.75 per game in turnover margin on the year.
Southern Illinois entered the season ranked sixth in the MVFC preseason poll as voted on by the league's head coaches and media members. The Salukis finished the 2024 season with a 4-8 record, 2-6 in MVFC play.
Big Plays Galore
Indiana State's offense broke loose for a trio of 50-plus yard touchdowns in their last contest back on September 20 at Montana. It marked the first time the Sycamores had achieved the feat in the
Curt Mallory era as
Rashad Rochelle hauled in a 51-yard touchdown reception from
Keegan Patterson, while
Nick Osho broke loose with fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 55 yards and 79 yards amidst a career-high 134-yard rushing effort.
Prior to the contest against the Grizzlies, the Sycamores last game with at least a 50-plus yard rushing touchdown and a 50-plus yard receiving touchdown came in the 2024 season finale.
Kevin Barnett hauled in a deflected
Elijah Owens pass down the right sideline and went 73 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter inside the UNI-Dome at Northern Iowa on November 23, 2024.
Shen Butler-Lawson broke loose in the fourth quarter for a 68-yard touchdown run in the Sycamores' comeback attempt before falling to the Panthers, 41-34.
The Sycamores had to go back slightly longer to find the last time a player recorded at least two 50-plus yard rushing touchdowns, dating back to JaQuan Keys' effort at South Dakota State back on October 6, 2018. The Indiana State running back recorded 19 carries for 159 yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 54-51 loss to the Jackrabbits, including touchdown runs of 62 yards (third quarter) and 57 yards (fourth quarter) among his statistical totals on the day.
Games with 50-plus yard rushing touchdown and 50-plus yard receiving touchdown under Mallory
- September 20, 2025 at Montana – Rashad Rochelle (51-yard touchdown pass from Keegan Patterson), Nick Osho (55-yard touchdown run, 79-yard touchdown run)
- November 23, 2024 at Northern Iowa - Kevin Barnett (73-yard touchdown pass from Elijah Owens), Shen Butler-Lawson (68-yard touchdown run).
- October 15, 2022 at Youngstown State – Dakota Caton (53-yard touchdown reception from Cade Chambers), Justin Dinka (75-yard touchdown run)
Games with two 50-plus yard rushing touchdowns under Mallory
- September 20, 2025, at Montana – Nick Osho (55 yards, 79 yards)
- October 6, 2018, at South Dakota State - JaQuan Keys (62 yards, 57 yards)
Sycamores On the Road (2025 edition)
Indiana State football closes out a nearly 4,000-mile road trip that encompassed three states as the Sycamores travel to Carbondale, Ill. this upcoming weekend. The Sycamores' 2025 schedule is slightly unique with Indiana State traveling to six different states on the year without any repeat ventures heading to Indiana, Montana, Southern Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota State, and Youngstown State. Overall, Indiana State will make three flights in the 2025 season and will span 8,118 total miles over the course of the year.
2025 Road Trips (Miles Traveled)
Sept. 12 – Indiana State at Indiana (113 miles)
Sept. 20 - Indiana State at Montana (3,420 miles)
Oct. 4 – Indiana State at Southern Illinois (386 miles)
Oct. 25 – Indiana State at North Dakota (1,828 miles)
Nov. 2 – Indiana State at South Dakota State (1,529 miles)
Nov. 16 – Indiana State at Youngstown State (842 miles)
2025 Indiana State Single Game On Sale Now
Indiana State single game tickets went on sale in mid-July starting at $15 for adults, $5 for kids, and group rates of $5 for 15+ attendees. Single game rates are higher for the 2025 Homecoming Game against South Dakota on October 11 with prices rising to $18 for adults, $8 for kids, and a group rate of $8.
Indiana State will employ mobile ticketing as the default option for all home games during the 2024 football season, enabling contactless entry into athletics venues. Offering greater convenience and safety, fans can access their ticket online and transfer to family and friends. Fans will also have the option to get their tickets printed for an additional $5 charge.
For more information on season tickets, fans can contact Assistant Manager of Athletic Ticketing
Grant Manning by phone at 812-237-8972 or via email at Grant.Manning@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.
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.
