TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State football opens Missouri Valley Football play this weekend as the Sycamores welcome No. 8/7 North Dakota to Memorial Stadium on Saturday, September 26. Kickoff for the Valley opener between the two teams 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
2026 Indiana State Football Tickets On Sale Now
For information on season tickets, fans can contact Assistant Manager of Athletic Ticketing
Mason LaGrange by phone at 812-237-8972 or via email at
Mason.LaGrange@indstate.edu. Fans can also call 877-ISU-TIXS or email
ISU-Tickets@indstate.edu.
Game Day Activities and Promotions
Gates Open at Noon
Memorial Stadium Games will open one hour prior to kickoff this season with the exception of Homecoming (90 minutes prior).
Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce Day/Community Day
Indiana State Athletics welcomes business members and staff from the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce.
Honorary Captain
Indiana State Athletics welcomes back Sycamore Baseball alum Carter Beck to campus as the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) First Round selection will be on the field for the coin toss prior to kickoff.
Track & Field Recognition
Indiana State Athletics will recognize the 2026 Sycamore women's track and field program that swept both the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships this past spring with a brief presentation on the field between the first and second quarters. The Sycamores will also recognize 2026 NCAA All-American Rachel Mehringer on the field during a media timeout in the first quarter.
Game Day Sponsor – Toyota
Toyota of Terre Haute is Saturday's game day sponsor. Looking to make car shopping easy, while providing exception customer service and keeping you going, Toyota of Terre Haute provides a vast selection of new and used vehicles, exceptional car care, and customer service with a smile.
Click Here to find out more.
Game Preview
About the Matchup
Saturday afternoon's contest features just the fifth meeting all-time between Indiana State and North Dakota in the two programs' respective histories. North Dakota leads the series, 3-1, with Indiana State claiming their first win in the series in the last matchup at Memorial Stadium in the 2024 season, 35-31.
Indiana State's 35-31 win over the No. 15/15 Fighting Hawks came back on November 2, 2024, as the tail-end of back-to-back conference wins after a 20-17 victory over Southern Illinois the week before. At the time, the Sycamores' win over the ranked Hawks marked Indiana State's first win over a top-15 ranked opponent since the 2016 season. The Sycamores have since defeated No. 4/5 South Dakota State on Nov. 1, 2025, with a 24-12 win over the Jackrabbits in Brookings, S.D.
Last Five Contests
- Nov. 5, 2022 – L, 42-7 (at Terre Haute)
- Oct. 28, 2023 – L, 36-33 (OT) (at Grand Forks)
- Nov. 2, 2024 – W, 35-31 (at Terre Haute)
- Oct. 25, 2025 – L, 46-17 (at Grand Forks)
Last Season's Recap
No. 8/10 North Dakota pulled away from Indiana State in the second half following a 20-point third quarter as the Sycamores fell on the road in Missouri Valley Football play on October 25, 2025, inside the Alerus Center, 46-17.
Rashad Rochelle recorded his first 100-yard receiving game of the 2025 season with four catches for 113 yards, while
Keshon Singleton hauled in a seven-yard touchdown pass for the Sycamores during a third quarter swing that featured two Indiana State defensive turnovers.
BJ Wuest added a tipped punt and returned the ball 16 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to highlight the Indiana State scoring efforts.
North Dakota utilized a balanced offensive attack in the game recording 300 passing yards from Jerry Kaminski and 104 rushing yards from Sawyer Seidl to control the MVFC matchup. Kaminski added four touchdown passes, targeting Caden Dennis, BJ Fleming, Seidl, and Nathan Hromadka for scores, while Seidl and Kaminski both recorded rushing scores on the ground.
Against the Missouri Valley Football Conference
Indiana State enters the weekend with an 87-158-2 all-time record against current members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference heading into the Saturday matchup against North Dakota.
Sycamores in the FCS Top 25 Statistical Leaderboards
Through the first four weeks of the 2026 season, the Sycamores are making their mark on the NCAA FCS statistical standings sitting inside the Top 40 in multiple team and Top 50 in multiple individual categories.
Team Rankings
- 1st – Fumbles Lost (0)
- 13th – Rushing Defense(101.8)
- 14th – 3rd Down Conversion Pct (0.474)
- 14th – Team Tackles for Loss (7.3)
- 17th – Passing Yards per Completion (13.93)
- 18th – Team Sacks (2.75)
- 20th – Passing Offense (261.3)
- 23rd – Blocked Kicks (1)
- 23rd – Red Zone Offense (0.923)
- 25th – Team Passing Efficiency (149.74)
- 25th – Total Offense (422.5)
- 35th – First Downs Offense (78)
- 38th – Fewest Penalties Per Game (5.50)
- 38th – Scoring Offense (30.3)
- 38th – Turnovers Lost (4)
- 40th – Completion Percentage (0.620)
Individual Rankings
Valley Players of the Week
Indiana State football was well-decorated by the Missouri Valley Football office following their 39-16 win over Valparaiso this past Saturday as
Alex Rose (Defense),
Aaron Ball (Newcomer), and
Andy Hertlein (Offensive Line) received conference honors. Rose earned his first MVFC Defensive Player of the Week nod, while Ball received his first Newcomer selection after the duo led the way in Indiana State's 39-16 win over Valparaiso on Saturday afternoon. Hertlein added his first MVFC weekly recognition as the Sycamores received their second Valley Offensive Lineman of the Week nod in as many weeks.
Sycamore MVFC Players of the Week
500 is the Mark
Indiana State's offense was in fine form this past weekend against Valparaiso as the Sycamores eclipsed the 500-yard mark for just the sixth time in the
Curt Mallory coaching era. After nearly achieving the feat against Eastern Illinois in the previous week (492), the Sycamores utilized 313 rushing yards and 255 passing yards in racking up 568 yards in the 39-16 win over the Beacons.
The 568 yards of offense was one yard off the Sycamores' high of 569 yards set back on October 6, 2018, in the triple overtime loss to South Dakota State. Overall, it was Indiana State's first 500-yard game since September 7, 2019, when the Sycamores recorded 505 total yards against Dayton.
The last time Indiana State recorded 500 yards of total offense in back-to-back games came back in the 2013 season when the Sycamores recorded 671 yards on Sept. 14 against Quincy, before following up with a 554-yard effort on Sept. 28, 2013, at Tennessee Tech.
Games with 500 yards of Total Offense Under Mallory
- 569 (293 rushing, 276 passing) at South Dakota State (Oct. 6, 2018)
- 568 (313 rushing, 255 passing) vs. Valparaiso (Sept. 19, 2026)
- 543 (107 rushing, 436 passing) at Liberty (Sept. 16, 2017)
- 537 (328 rushing, 209 passing) at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 15, 2018)
- 509 (316 rushing, 193 passing) vs. South Dakota (Nov. 3, 2018)
- 505 (358 rushing, 147 passing) vs. Dayton (Sept. 7, 2019)
In the Negative Numbers
Indiana State football set what is believed to be a new mark defensively in the September 19 game against Valparaiso when the Sycamores held the Beacons to negative-seven rushing yards on 24 carries. The Sycamore defensive effort was highlighted by 5.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles-for-loss in shutting down the Valparaiso offense.
The negative rushing yardage by far marked the lowest mark allowed by an Indiana State defense and broke the previous low allowed by the Sycamores in the
Curt Mallory coaching era. The previous mark of allowing just eight yards came back on September 1, 2022, when Indiana State surrendered just eight rushing yards against North Alabama in the overtime win over the Lions.
Fewest Rushing Yards Allowed Under Mallory
- -7 vs. Valparaiso (Sept. 19, 2026)
- 8 vs. North Alabama (Sept. 1, 2022)
- 9 at Western Illinois (Nov. 12, 2022)
- 28 vs. Western Illinois (Oct. 9, 2021)
- 35 vs. Dayton (Sept. 14, 2024)
Owens in the Top 10
Indiana State quarterback
Elijah Owens entered rare air in the Sycamore career annals as the redshirt junior quarterback became just the eighth player in program history to sit in the Top 10 in both career total offensive yards and career passing yards. Following an injury suffered against Valparaiso, Owens will miss an undetermined amount of time as he goes through the rehab process with hopes to be back on the field prior to the end of the season.
Top 10 Career Offensive Yards
1. Jeff Miller (1982-85) 7,519 yards
6. Vincent Allen (1973-77) 4,381 yards
7. Shakir Bell (2010-13) 4,214 yards
8. Elijah Owens (2023-pres.) 4,188 yards
9. Ronnie Fouch (2011-12) 4,182 yards
Top 10 Career Passing Yards
1. Mike Perish (2012-14) 6,716 yards
5. Ronnie Fouch (2010-11) 4,316 yards
6. Kip Hennelly (1991-93) 3,158 yards
7.
Elijah Owens (2023-pres.) 3,132 yards
8. Julian Reese (2001-02) 2,961 yards
At the time of his injury, Owens was third in the Valley in total offense (255.00), second in offensive plays (149), fourth in total offensive touchdowns (8), sixth in yards per carry (4.46), fifth in rush yards (232), sixth in passing per game (197.0), and fifth in passing touchdowns (6).
Scoring First Touchdowns
Indiana State continues to spread the offensive love around the field this season with seven different players recording their first offensive touchdown with the Sycamores through the first four games.
Ashton Hayes (SEMO),
Jayden Reed (SEMO),
Max McCool (Purdue),
Aaron Ball (EIU),
Dane Pardridge (EIU), and
BJ Wuest (EIU) were joined by
Jaylan Johnson this past weekend after Johnson's 19-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter against Valparaiso.
First Indiana State Touchdowns
Big Play Receiving Threats
four games into the season and the big play potential from the Indiana State offense has never been more apparent as seven different Sycamores have recorded a catch of at least 40 yards this year. After
BJ Wuest (43) and
Torey French (42) all posted long receptions in the opener against SEMO,
Jayden Reed (45),
Thomas Amankwaa (55), and
Tyler Nansel (41) also eclipsed the mark at Purdue.
BJ Wuest (42) joined the club at EIU, before
Manny Ellis posted a team-high 63-yard reception in the final nonconference matchup against Valparaiso.
Indiana State's seven different receivers with a 40-plus yard reception surpasses last season's mark of six players with 40-yard catches. Overall, the Sycamores recorded 13 total receptions of 40 or more yards in the 2025 season.
40-plus yard receptions in 2026
First Starts in 2026
Over the first four games of the 2026 season, Indiana State has featured multiple players making their initial starts in the Sycamore Blue and White.
- First Starts 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 Starts Against Purdue – Aaron Ball (RB), Jayden Reed (WR), Justice Musser (OL), Micah McNair (LB)
- First Starts Against Valparaiso – Jacob Soley (TE)
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.
