McLean County Times

Illinois State University’s football team will close out its non-conference schedule on September 20, 2025, by hosting North Alabama at Jay and Lori Bergman Field at Hancock Stadium. The game is scheduled for noon Central Time and marks the second meeting between the two programs. Illinois State leads the series 1-0, following a 24-17 win last season in Florence, Alabama.

The Redbirds, ranked No. 4/6 nationally with a 2-1 record this season, face a North Alabama squad that is currently 1-2. The matchup also serves as part of Family Weekend festivities in Normal, Illinois.

Head coach Brock Spack is leading Illinois State in his 17th season and holds a record of 113-75. Spack has guided the Redbirds to six playoff appearances and became the program's all-time wins leader in 2021. “Spack guided the Redbirds to back-to-back shares of the MVFC title in 2014-15 and an appearance in the 2014 FCS Championship game. He has led ISU to six playoff appearances overall and became the program's all-time wins leader in 2021,” according to team information.

North Alabama’s head coach Brent Dearmon is now in his third year at UNA with an overall collegiate head coaching record of 17-20. “In his first two seasons at UNA, Dearmon's teams won six games, including the program's first-ever win over a ranked Division I opponent with a 47-34 homecoming win over No. 10 Abilene Christian in 2024,” states information provided by Illinois State Athletics.

Illinois State has made nine FCS playoff appearances since its first berth in 1998 and reached the quarterfinals six times under Spack’s leadership. The team has played well at home during his tenure, posting a record of 68-24 at Hancock Stadium.

North Alabama enters Saturday’s contest after earning its first victory of the season last week against Northeastern State with a score of 49-21. The Lions have been effective on offense so far this year, averaging nearly 245 rushing yards per game and scoring most touchdowns via their ground attack.

In their previous meeting last September, Illinois State quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse rushed for a career-high and accounted for three total touchdowns as ISU secured its victory over North Alabama. Running back Wenkers Wright contributed significantly on offense while Keondre Jackson led defensively.

Several players have received recognition early this season for their performances:

“Illinois State junior middle linebacker Tye Niekamp had a career day in the Redbirds' 42-30 win over in-state rival Eastern Illinois in the 113th Mid-America Classic. For his efforts, Niekamp was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week by the league office.”

Transfer defensive back Shadwel Nkuba II has started strong: “Nkuba II has recorded an interception in each of the first three games of the season and has accumulated ten tackles to start the year for the Redbirds.”

On offense, redshirt freshman Luke Mailander leads ISU receivers through three games: “Redshirt freshman Luke Mailander has made the most out of that opportunity, as he leads the Redbirds with 180 yards on nine receptions through the first three games of the year.”

Wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz continues to climb school records: “With his ninety-five yards receiving against Eastern Illinois, wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz now has two thousand five hundred ninety-seven receiving yards... That puts him fifth place overall on ISU career receiving yards list...”

Several newcomers scored their first touchdowns as Redbirds during this season’s home opener against Morehead State—among them were Mailander (receiving), Nick True (tight end), Cam Wilson (defensive return), and Beckham Pellant (quarterback).

Illinois State boasts consistent success at home openers under Coach Spack: “Thanks to their forty-one-thirteen win over Morehead State to open [the] twenty-twenty-five slate, ISU is sixteen-one in [its] first home game... under [his] leadership.”

The defense also extended its streak: “Thanks to a twenty-seven-yard fumble return for touchdown... by Cam Wilson, [ISU] extended their streak to seventeen straight seasons with at least one defensive score.”

Earlier this year when visiting Oklahoma for their opener, ISU played before its largest crowd ever—over eighty-three thousand fans—topping previous attendance records set at Wisconsin (2022) and Iowa (2023).

Returning experience remains high for Illinois State; they bring back forty-three letterwinners and twelve starters from last year’s squad that advanced into postseason play.

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