SETTING THE SCENE
Date: August 31, 2024
Time: 11 a.m. CT
Site: Iowa City, Iowa
Stadium: Kinnick Stadium
Capacity: 69,250
Series: Iowa leads, 1-0
Last: Iowa won 31-14 (Sept. 5, 2015)
Watch/Stream: Big Ten Network
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 93.7 FM / The Varsity Network
THE GAME
The 2024 season opener is a big opportunity for No. 19/20 Illinois State, as the Redbirds of the FCS take on the No. 25 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes of the FBS on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.
THE SERIES
Illinois State and Iowa will meet for the second time in program history, with the Hawkeyes picking up a win in the only other meeting on Sept. 5, 2015. Iowa took control of the game and held a 17-0 lead at halftime, before the Redbirds caught fire in the fourth quarter. The Redbirds finished the game on a high note with redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Kolbe finishing 11-of-15 for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the final quarter of play, with a touchdown pass touchdown toss to Brady Tibbits and Anthony Warrum.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 16th season as the head coach at Illinois State (101-70). 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 the ISU to five playoff appearances overall and became the program's all-time wins leader in 2021.
Iowa: Kirk Ferentz (UConn, 1978) is in his 26th year as the head coach at Iowa (196-119) and holds an overall record of 208-140 in 28 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Ferentz ranks first all-time at Iowa in coaching victories and he ranks third all-time in Big Ten conference wins (122) and overall wins (196).
THE REDBIRD FOOTBALL PROGRAM
- 8 FCS playoff appearances (1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019)
- 6-time FCS quarterfinalists (1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019)
- 2-time FCS semifinalists (1999, 2014)
- The team is 63-22 at home under Spack's guidance
- ISU is 46-16 at Hancock Stadium since 2013 renovation
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
- The University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and has an enrollment of 31,452. The Hawkeyes are members of the Big Ten Conference and play their home games at Kinnick Stadium (69,250).
- The Hawkeyes are ranked 25th in the preseason Associated Press and Coaches polls. Iowa has been ranked in the preseason poll in five consecutive seasons, matching the best streak in program history (1957-61).
- Iowa returns 19 starters -- nine on offense, eight on defense, two on special teams -- which are the most in the Big Ten.
- Head coach Kirk Ferentz and assistant coach Jon Budmayr will not coach in Saturday's game against the Redbirds, due to a school-imposed one game suspension for a past recruiting violation. Assistant Head Coach Seth Wallace will be the acting head coach for Saturday's game.
- Iowa has been ranked in the top six in the nation in scoring defense in four of the last five seasons and in the top 10 in total defense in four of the last six seasons. The unit led the country in fewest yards per play allowed in 2022 (3.99) and 2023 (4.08) and has allowed fewer than 20 points per game in eight consecutive seasons -- the longest active streak in the nation.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE HAWKEYES (SEPT. 5, 2015)
On a hot and steamy day in Iowa City, the Illinois State football team fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 31-14, in the 2015 season opener at Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes took control of the game early with a 13-play, 81-yard drive which ended with a six-yard rushing touchdown by C.J. Beathard to take a 7-0 lead. Iowa would eventually take a 17-0 lead into the break and led 31-0 into the fourth quarter. The Redbirds finished the game on a high note, with redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Kolbe finishing 11-of-15 for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the final quarter of play. Kolbe connected with Christian Gibbs on a 52-yard post route to set up a one-yard play action pass from the goal line for a touchdown to Brady Tibbits to cut the lead to 31-7, and he later hooked up with Anthony Warrum from 22 yards out with under a minute remaining to make it 31-14. DraShane Glass led the ISU defense with a career-best eight tackles, while Alec Kocour, Pat Meehan and Teddy Corwin each totaled seven tackles. Alejandro Rivera also set a career-best with six stops and he and David Perkins each added 0.5 tackles-for-loss.
BATTLING THE BIG TEN
Illinois State was 0-8 in school history against Big Ten Conference foes until the 2016 season, when the Redbirds shocked Northwestern to come away with a 9-7 win. The 2024 season opener against Iowa will give the Redbirds another chance to play against one of the best teams in the Big Ten. Illinois State has played five current members of the Big Ten Conference and has a pair of losses each to Illinois, Minnesota and Purdue and a lone loss each to the Wildcats, Wisconsin and Iowa. Overall, ISU head coach Brock Spack is 1-4 in his time as head coach against Big Ten opponents, but has posted three wins (Eastern Michigan, Northwestern and Colorado State) over FBS programs in his time at ISU.
13 REDBIRDS EARN PRESEASON HONORS
The Missouri Valley Football Conference announced a total of 13 Illinois State Redbirds were named to the preseason All-Conference team and Illinois State was selected sixth in the preseason poll voted on by league coaches, media, and sports information directors. Running back Mason King, wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz, offensive lineman Hunter Zambrano and linebacker Amir Abdullah were each named First-Team selections, while defensive lineman Jake Anderson, linebacker Tye Niekamp and safety Keondre Jackson were named to the Second Team. Wide receiver Eddie Kasper, fullback/tight end Scotty Presson Jr., defensive lineman Jake Siegal, linebackers Lavoise-Deontae McCoy and Jalan Gaines and defensive back Mark Cannon Jr. rounded out the Redbird honorees as Honorable Mention team members.
FOUR REDBIRDS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Illinois State football standouts Amir Abdullah and Mason King were recognized as two of the top returning players in the Football Championship Subdivision, as the duo was named to the 2024 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team by the organization. Abdullah was picked as a First-Team selection in the annual preseason list, while King was tabbed a Third-Team selection. They are among 24 Missouri Valley Football Conference players named as part of this year's team. They also joined teammates Daniel Sobkowicz and Hunter Zambrano on Phil Steele's annual FCS Preseason All-America team.
LOTS OF FAMILIAR FACES
Fans who got to see the Redbirds in person last fall will notice a lot of familiar faces and names on the field Saturday in the season opener at Iowa. ISU returns 54 letterwinners and 17 starters (8 offense, 9 defense) from last year's team. Many of those players saw significant action last season and with a full offseason in the weight room and work put in during spring and fall camp, this roster is expected to outperform the heartbreaking 6-5 record from last season.
O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Voted on by the team at the conclusion of fall camp, the Redbirds selected senior safety Keondre Jackson, junior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse and junior placekicker Ian Wagner as their captains for the 2024 season. They will be joined at midfield by selected seniors voted on each week by the coaching staff as game captains.
REDBIRD TRIO NAMED TO POSTSEASON ALL-STAR WATCH LISTS
A talented trio of Illinois State football standouts have been named to the prestigious East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List, as offensive lineman Hunter Zambrano, linebacker Amir Adbullah and wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz were each recognized among some of the best draft-eligible players in the country. In addition, Zambrano was added to the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch list, as he looks to become just the second Redbird player in school history to play in the prestigious senior all-star game (Christian Uphoff - 2019).
SPACK HITS THE CENTURY MARK
Now in his 16th season at the helm of the Illinois State football program, Brock Spack has set nearly every coaching record in program history and hit another milestone against Missouri State in 2023. Already Illinois State's program wins record holder, Spack picked up the 100th win of his career in the Redbirds' thrilling 36-35 victory over the Bears. With an overall record of 101-70 (.591), Spack is just the fourth head coach in Missouri Valley Conference history with 100 wins at a member school. With one more league victory, Spack would also move into a tie for third in MVFC history for most wins by a MVFC head coach.
FIREPOWER ON OFFENSE
The once potent Redbird offense was back with a vengeance in 2023 and looks to continue that success this season. Last year, ISU ranked No. 12 in the FCS in scoring offense averaging 32.8 points per game and No. 10 in total offense. Eight starters return from that group, including preseason All-Americans Hunter Zambrano, Mason King and Daniel Sobkowicz. The team's top three receivers also return, with quarterbacks Tommy Rittenhouse and Jake Rubley having plenty of options to throw to in the passing game.
KING MEETS PAYTON
Senior running back Mason King has earned a spot on the preseason watch list for the 2024 Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football. Stats Perform selected King as part of the 35-player preseason watch list for the award named for legendary running back Walter Payton and affectionately known as the Heisman of the FCS. King was named the 2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Year and an All-MVFC First-Team selection at running back, after he led the team with 983 yards rushing, 14 rushing touchdowns and 84 points scored.
THIN MARGIN FOR ERROR
The 2023 Illinois State football season was marred by four heartbreaking losses that kept the Redbirds outside of the playoffs. Four of ISU's five losses on the season were by a combined eight points, with one-point losses to Eastern Illinois and North Dakota on the road and three-point losses to ranked teams in Youngstown State and UNI. Any one of those losses flipped in the opposite direction could have resulted in the Redbirds making the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
ABDULLAH IS BACK ON THE BUCHANAN
Senior linebacker Amir Abdullah has earned a spot on the preseason watch list for the 2024 Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented annually to the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football. All 13 FCS conferences are represented on the watch list, which includes 10 past finalists like Abdullah, who will look to become the second Redbird to earn the honor following Zeke Vandenburgh's Buchanan Award win in 2022. Abdullah finished ninth in the voting for the 2023 Buck Buchanan Award and earned FCS All-America honors from Stats Perform, FCS Football Central, the Associated Press and Phil Steele in his first season with the Redbirds. The Chicago native was an All-MVFC First-Team and All-Newcomer Team selection at linebacker, after he ranked No. 6 in the FCS in sacks per game (0.86) and No. 26 nationally in tackles for loss per game (1.3).
FEELING THE PRESSURE
The Illinois State defense ranked in the top 25 in the country in total defense in 2024 and much of that was due to the amount of success the Redbirds had getting to the quarterback and bringing down ballcarriers in the backfield. ISU ranked No. 3 in the country in team sacks per game at 3.27 per contest and was No. 16 in the country in tackles for loss per game at 7.0. A total of 27 of the team's 36 sacks return from last season, with All-American Amir Abdullah returning with 9.5 and Jalan Gaines bringing back 5.5. ISU also returns its seven top tacklers from last year and nine of its top 11 overall, with linebackers Abdullah, Tye Niekamp, Lavoise-Deontae McCoy and Gaines leading the way to keep the Redbird defense one of the best in the country.
THE STREAK CONTINUES
Redbird teams have been very successful in scoring on defense under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack. Thanks to a 30-yard pick six by Keondre Jackson in the victory over Indiana State in 2023, the Redbirds extended their streak to 15 straight seasons with at least one defensive score.
BROWN TO JOIN ILLINOIS STATE'S BEST ON HOMECOMING
One of Illinois State's football's best will take his place amongst the University's all-time greats in September, as former quarterback Matt Brown will be inducted as part of the 2024 ISU Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame class during Homecoming festivities. Brown finished his career as the school leader in pass attempts (1,455), completions (927), passing yards (10,591), passing touchdowns (78), completion percentage (63.7), passing yards per game (230.2), total offense yards (10,952) and touchdowns responsible for (87). He also finished his career as the Missouri Valley Football Conference all-time leader in five different passing categories. A four-time All-MVFC selection at quarterback, Brown was the 2012 MVFC Offensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-MVFC selection after he started all 13 games at quarterback for the Redbirds and led the Redbirds to a thrilling FCS playoff win at Appalachian State. As a senior, Brown set seven school single-season records with pass attempts (439), completions (272), passing yards (3,370), passing touchdowns (27), completion percentage (65.0), total offense yards (3,522) and touchdowns responsible for (34).
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