TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State football welcomes Murray State to Memorial Stadium for the final home game of the 2026 season as the Sycamores host the Racers on Saturday, November 14. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Tickets & Tailgating
Tailgating and Clear Bag Policies
Indiana State Athletics tailgating and clear bag policies are in effect for the 2025-26 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
Game Day Activities and Promotions
Gates Open at Noon
Memorial Stadium Games will open one hour prior to kickoff this weekend.
Kids Get In Free
Kids can get in free at all home Indiana State football games in the 2026 season.
Senior Day
Indiana State will recognize its 2026 Senior Class in a pregame, on-field ceremony set to start around 12:30 p.m.
Military Appreciation Day
All active or retired military members will be able to purchase $5 general admission tickets at the Memorial Stadium box office gate with proof of valid ID.
Men's Basketball Ticket Package
All fans who purchase a ticket to Saturday's Indiana State football game can receive a voucher for a $5 upper-level ticket for Saturday night's men's basketball game against Earlham (7 p.m.) inside the Hulman Center.
Game Preview
About the Matchup
Saturday afternoon's contest features the 13th meeting all-time between Indiana State and Murray State dating back to the inaugural contest in 1990. Indiana State and Murray State are tied 6-6 all-time in the respective series history between the two programs.
Murray State has won four of the last five contests, including last season's 31-17 victory in Terre Haute on November 22, 2025. Overall, Indiana State is 5-3 all-time in games played inside Memorial Stadium against the Racers.
The Sycamores and Murray State renewed the series in 2023 with the Racers joining the Valley Football Conference as full members in the 2024 season.
Last Five Games
- Sept. 17, 2005 – Murray State (L, 27-15)
- Sept. 16, 2006 – Murray State (L, 59-40)
- Sept. 30, 2023 – at Murray State (L, 30-28)
- Oct. 12, 2024 – Murray State (W, 31-27)
- Nov. 22, 2025 – Murray State (L, 31-17)
Last Time They Met
A 10-point second quarter swung the advantage to Murray State and the Racers held off host Indiana State down the stretch at Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Indiana State's 2025 season came to an end following the 31-17 loss.
The Sycamores' offense was highlighted by a number of explosive plays once again on Saturday afternoon as Indiana State featured touchdown passes of 72 and 66 yards, while
Talan White-Hatch hauled in a 40-yard reception in the fourth quarter to highlight
Keegan Patterson's second consecutive 300-yard passing effort.
Deion Brown added 78 rushing yards on the ground in the loss.
Murray State countered with Jawaun Northington's 232-yard two-touchdown effort on the ground, while quarterback Baxter Wright connected with Darius Cannon for nine receptions and 110 yards as the Racers secured the season-ending win.
Indiana State got on the board early as Patterson found
Rashad Rochelle behind the Murray State defense for a 66-yard touchdown pass on the Sycamores' first play from scrimmage. The Racers battled back with a pair of Northington touchdown runs and Murray State kicker Jack Tannehill added a 26-yard field goal to make it a 17-7 Racer lead at the break. The Sycamores battled back in the second half with
Spencer Conrad converting a 27-yard field goal and Patterson found a wide-open
Torey French down the right sideline for a 72-yard score to keep it a 24-17 game.
Indiana State's defense kept the Sycamores in the game late with
Kimal Clark and
Braxton Sampson both forcing fumbles late, but Murray State was able to close out the contest as J'Kalon Carter hauled in a six-yard touchdown pass from Wright to provide the final scoring margin.
Against the Missouri Valley Football Conference
Indiana State enters the weekend with an 87-164-2 all-time record against current members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference heading into the Saturday contest against Murray State.
Sycamores in the FCS Top 30 Statistical Leaderboards
Through the first 11 weeks of the 2026 season, the Sycamores are making their mark on the NCAA FCS statistical standings sitting inside the Top 45 in multiple team and individual categories.
Team Rankings
- 21st – Passing Offense (258.4)
- 22nd – Passing Yards Per Completion (13.18)
- 31st – Blocked Kicks (2)
- 32nd – Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game (48.20)
- 33rd – Net Punting (37.90)
Individual Rankings
Big Play Receiving Threats
Ten games into the season and the big play potential from the Indiana State offense has never been more apparent with eight different Sycamores have recorded a catch of at least 40 yards this year.
Indiana State's eight different receivers with a 40-plus yard reception surpasses last season's mark of six players with 40-yard catches. The Sycamores currently have posted 12 receptions of 40 or more yards in the 2026 season after recording 13 catches of the length in 2025.
Freshman
Jayden Reed has been the primary beneficiary of the deep ball this year with a team-high four receptions of 40 or more yards, while
Torey French (2) and
BJ Wuest (2) have also posted multiple catches with the distance.
40-plus yard receptions in 2026
- 63 yards (TD) – Torey French (3rd Quarter at South Dakota)
- 63 yards – Manny Ellis (2nd Quarter vs. Valparaiso)
- 55 yards – Thomas Amankwaa (4th Quarter at Purdue)
- 55 yards – Jayden Reed (1st Quarter vs. Youngstown State)
- 50 yards – Jayden Reed (4th Quarter at South Dakota)
- 49 yards – Jayden Reed (3rd Quarter vs. North Dakota)
- 45 yards (TD) – Jayden Reed (4th Quarter at Purdue)
- 43 yards – BJ Wuest (3rd Quarter vs. SEMO)
- 43 yards – KeShon Singleton (2nd Quarter vs. North Dakota)
- 42 yards – Torey French (1st Quarter vs. SEMO)
- 42 yards (TD) – BJ Wuest (3rd Quarter at EIU)
- 41 yards – Tyler Nansel (2nd Quarter vs. Purdue)
Consecutive Games with Passing Touchdowns
Indiana State has continued to find a way to score through the air in the 2026 season and enters the weekend against Illinois State with at least one passing touchdown in each of the last 17 games. The Sycamores recording passing scores in each of the last seven games of the 2025 season, while adding touchdowns in the first 10 games of 2026.
Overall, four different Sycamore quarterbacks have been involved in the streak with
Keegan Patterson (2025),
Brock Riddle (2025),
Elijah Owens (2026), and
Brady Allen (2026) finding a receiver in the end zone. The 17 consecutive games with a passing touchdown is the longest streak by the Sycamores in recent history.
99-Yard House Call
Zechariah Prince broke one of Indiana State's longest standing records this past weekend as the Sycamore running back broke free against Southern Illinois in the fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon. The redshirt junior running back split the gap in the right side of the offensive line and passed the first row of defenders into daylight for the 99-yard touchdown run for Indiana State's first touchdown against the Salukis on Saturday night.
Prince's 99-yard touchdown run marked the first 90-yard rush since Ryan Roberts scored on a 91-yard carry against Western Illinois back on October 24, 2009. The 99-yard carry also surpassed the previous Indiana State record 93-yard carry set by Bob Wilbur back on September 17, 1955, against Franklin.
Longest Offensive Plays by Sycamores Under Mallory
- 99 yards (rush) – Zechariah Prince (Nov. 7, 2026 vs. Southern Illinois)
- 89 yards (rush) – Plez Lawrence (Sept. 28, 2024 vs. Houston Christian)
- 88 yards (pass) – Phazione McClurge (Oct. 9, 2021 vs. Western Illinois)
- 82 yards (rush) – Justin Dinka (Sept. 8, 2022 vs. North Dakota State)
- 79 yards (rush) – Nick Osho (Sept. 20, 2025 at Montana)
- 78 yards (pass) – Rashad Rochelle (Nov. 15, 2025 at Youngstown State)
- 77 yards (rush) – LeMonte Booker (Nov. 4, 2017 vs. Youngstown State)
- 75 yards (rush) – Justin Dinka (Oct. 15, 2022 at Youngstown State)
- 73 yards (pass) – Kevin Barnett (Nov. 23, 2024 at Northern Iowa)
- 73 yards (pass) – Jacquet McClendon (Nov. 4, 2017 vs. Youngstown State)
- 70 yards (pass) – Dante Hendrix (Nov. 23, 2019 at Missouri State)
First Starts in 2026
Over the first 10 games of the 2026 season, Indiana State has featured multiple players making their initial starts in the Sycamore Blue and White.
- First Start Against SEMO - Andy Hertlein (OL), BJ Wuest (WR), Dane Pardridge (WR), Devin Johnson (DB), Mason Keifer (DL), Prinz Guitian (OL), Ashton Hayes (RB), Tyler Nansel (TE), Anthony Walk Jr. (DB).
- First Start Against Purdue – Aaron Ball (RB), Jayden Reed (WR), Justice Musser (OL), Micah McNair (LB)
- First Start Against Valparaiso – Jacob Soley (TE)
- First Start Against North Dakota – Brady Allen (QB)
- First Start against Youngstown State – Max McCool (RB), Jacek Blaszynski (OL), Xavier McIntyre (S)
- First Start Against Illinois State – Zach Coleman (DB), Arison Walker (S)
- First Start Against Northern Iowa – Robert Beasley (DL)
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.
