McLean County Times

No. 9/10 Illinois State Redbirds will travel to Kentucky for a Missouri Valley Conference football game against the Murray State Racers on October 11, 2025. The matchup is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Kentucky, which has a capacity of 16,800.

The Redbirds (3-2, 0-1 MVFC) are seeking their first conference win of the season after facing the top-ranked team in the country last weekend. Their opponent, Murray State (0-5, 0-1 MVFC), is also looking for its first league victory this year.

Illinois State leads the all-time series with Murray State 7-1. The Redbirds have won seven consecutive games against the Racers since dropping their initial meeting in 2001. In games played in Kentucky, Illinois State holds a 3-1 advantage and is undefeated against Murray State since they joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Head coach Brock Spack leads Illinois State in his 17th season with a record of 114-76. Under Spack's guidance, the team has achieved back-to-back shares of the MVFC title in 2014 and 2015 and reached the FCS Championship game in 2014. The Redbirds have made six playoff appearances during his tenure and he became ISU’s all-time wins leader in 2021.

Murray State is led by Jody Wright, who is in his second season as head coach with a record of 1-16. Wright has experience working under several notable coaches including Nick Saban and others such as Shane Beamer and Lane Kiffin.

The Illinois State football program has appeared in nine FCS playoffs and was an FCS Championship game qualifier once in school history. Since Spack took over as head coach, ISU teams have compiled a strong home record.

Murray State University enrolls just over eight thousand students and competes as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Last week, they lost their conference opener to South Dakota by a score of 49-24. Quarterback Jim Ogle completed sixteen passes for one touchdown while former Redbird JK Carter caught and threw touchdown passes—an achievement not seen at Murray State for twelve years. Safety Dylan Rowsey ranks second in conference tackles this season.

In their last meeting on October 19, 2024, Illinois State defeated Murray State on the road by a score of 40-32. Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse accounted for three touchdowns and totaled a career-high performance with both passing and rushing yards as part of one of ISU’s top offensive outings historically.

Recent highlights for Illinois State include recording its first safety since 2018 during their game against North Dakota State when Tye Niekamp tackled an opponent in their own end zone on NDSU’s opening play from scrimmage.

Wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz continues to climb up school records with his recent performances; he now stands fourth all-time at ISU for receiving yards and is closing in on third place.

Defensive back Shadwel Nkuba II has recorded interceptions in each of his first four games this season—a mark that ties him nationally—and earned him MVFC Newcomer of the Week honors after his performance against North Alabama.

Redshirt freshman Luke Mailander has stepped up at wide receiver following roster changes; he currently ranks second among Redbird receivers this year with three touchdowns across five games.

Illinois State retained possession of the Mid-America Classic Trophy again after defeating Eastern Illinois for their seventh win out of eight meetings between these rivals.

Running back Wenkers Wright led the team to victory over Eastern Illinois with three rushing touchdowns—a new personal best—and remains ISU’s leading rusher this season with five touchdowns so far.

Under Coach Spack’s leadership, ISU teams have scored at least one defensive touchdown every year for seventeen consecutive seasons; Cam Wilson extended that streak earlier this year with a fumble return touchdown against Morehead State.

Several players recorded milestone moments early this season: Luke Mailander scored his first career touchdown reception; tight end Nick True caught his first pass as a Redbird for another score; Cam Wilson returned his first fumble recovery for points; quarterback Beckham Pellant threw his inaugural touchdown pass to Daniel Sobkowicz.