McLean County Times

Illinois State University's football team, ranked No. 16 nationally, will travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, to face Indiana State University on November 8 at Memorial Stadium. The Redbirds hold a 6-3 overall record and are 3-2 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), while Indiana State enters the matchup with a 3-6 record and 1-4 in conference play.

The game marks the 76th meeting between the two programs. Illinois State leads the all-time series with a record of 41-32-2 and has won the last three games against Indiana State. Under head coach Brock Spack, who is in his 17th season and became the program's all-time wins leader in 2021, Illinois State has posted a strong record against Indiana State, winning 12 out of their last 15 matchups.

"Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 17th season as the head coach at Illinois State (117-77). 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."

Indiana State is coming off a significant road win over No. 4 South Dakota State, ending a six-game losing streak. Kick returner and wide receiver Rashad Rochelle was named MVFC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring on a kickoff return and catching two touchdown passes for a total of 179 all-purpose yards. Defensive back Nic Yatsko earned Newcomer of the Week honors following his performance that included a career-high 14 tackles.

Last year’s meeting saw Illinois State score 31 consecutive points after falling behind early, resulting in a final score of 31-19. Wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz recorded eight receptions for a season-best 156 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse threw for over 300 yards and matched his career high with three touchdown passes.

This season, running back Victor Dawson made an impact since transferring from Cincinnati by rushing for over 100 yards against Northern Iowa—marking both his first such performance at Illinois State and the team's first this year. Offensive guard Landon Woodard was recognized as MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week for helping lead an offense that gained over 400 total yards against UNI.

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Dylan Lord has stepped up during Daniel Sobkowicz’s absence due to injury, recording new career highs in receptions over consecutive weeks. On defense, lineman Garret Steffen achieved personal bests with seven tackles and two sacks against UNI after missing last season due to injury.

Fullback Scotty Presson Jr. caught his first two career touchdown passes during Illinois State’s win at South Dakota earlier this season. Junior linebacker Tye Niekamp tied his career high with fourteen tackles in that same game, earning him Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this year.

Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse recently set new personal records by throwing five touchdown passes during Homecoming against South Dakota State—the most by an Illinois State quarterback since Matt Brown accomplished it in a playoff game in 2012.

Senior running back Wenkers Wright surpassed the milestone of 2,500 career rushing yards this season; he now ranks seventh on Illinois State’s all-time list but could move up further with just four more yards.

The Redbird football program has appeared nine times in FCS playoffs—including six quarterfinals—and played once for an FCS Championship under Coach Spack’s leadership.