ISU Sycamores to battle Panthers under lights Saturday

CHARLESTON, IL (9-09-2006) – The Indiana State Sycamores continue year two of the “Lou West Era” on Saturday, Sept. 9 when they travel to Charleston to face the Eastern Illinois Panthers in the I-AA opener for both squads. The game is set for a 6:00 p.m. (CT) / 7:00 p.m. (ET) kick in Eastern Illinois’ O’Brien Stadium (10,000) on ESPN Radio 1130 & 1300. Brian Fritz and Pete Emmert will call the action once again for the WTWO NewsChannel 2 Radio Network. The game can also be heard live on www.usa-365.com, with coverage beginning at 5:40 p.m., CT. Tonight’s contest is also being regionally televised on FSN Midwest. Willy Daunic and Richard Baldringer will call the action for TV.

GAME NOTES

A Little History: This is the 102nd season of college football at Indiana State University, dating back to 1896. The university did not field teams from 1899-1900; 1908 or from 1910-1919. ISU owns an all-time record of 337 wins, 423 losses and 22 ties on the gridiron. Indiana State is competing for the 21st consecutive season as a member of the Gateway Football Conference.

Long Running Series: Tonight, Indiana State and Eastern Illinois meet for the 81st time on the gridiron, with the Panthers holding a slim 39-37-4 advantage. Eastern Illinois won last year’s meeting, a 24-13 season opening victory, that was the first game as a head coach for ISU skipper Lou West. Before last year’s EIU victory, the Sycamores had won the previous two meetings between the clubs, including a 33-30 overtime victory in 2004 at Charleston. Eastern Illinois had won each of the previous seven meetings in the series before the Sycamores pair of wins in 2003 & 2004. ISU has won just twice in Charleston since 1983.

Familiar Face: Second-year EIU defensive line coach Shannon Jackson is a 2000 graduate of ISU. He finished his career as the Sycamore all-time sacks leader before his record was broken by Kyle Mitchell. He spent four additional seasons as an ISU assistant coach.

The Indiana State Coach — Indiana State head coach Lou West is 0-12 with the Sycamores as a collegiate head coach. He is 0-1 all-time against Eastern Illinois. Tonight’s game versus the Panthers marks the first time in coach West’s career that he has faced a team for the second time. His Sycamore team fell to Eastern Illinois in last year’s season opener by a count of 24-13 in Memorial Stadium. West is 0-2 versus members of the Ohio Valley Conference, including a mark of 0-1 on the road against the OVC.

The Eastern Illinois Head Coach — One of the true legends in I-AA college football is EIU head coach Bob Spoo. He is 119-99-1 in his 21st season as a collegiate head coach, all of which have come in Charleston. Spoo will not be on the sidelines tonight recovering from surgery on August 30. Mark Hutson will serve in that capacity tonight. Spoo is 12-5 all-time versus the Sycamores, including a mark of 7-1 in O’Brien Stadium.

The Series — Indiana State and Eastern Illinois will meet for the 81st time on the gridiron this Saturday ... EIU holds a 39-37-4 advantage in the all-time series, having won the previous meeting ... The Sycamores last loss to EIU was a 24-13 decision in Terre Haute last season ... ISU defeated Eastern Illinois during 2003 (23-7 in Terre Haute) & 2004 (33-30 overtime in Charleston). ISU has won just twice in Charleston since 1983.

The Injury Report — Out for today’s game are WR Markus Naves (foot) and WR Bryant Kent (neck). Doubtful for today’s game is RB Darrius Gates (shoulder). Probable are DE Dan Millington (arm) and DE Will McDonald (fatigue).

The Scouting Report — Eastern Illinois is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference and play their home contests at O’Brien Stadium in Charleston, Ill. The Panthers posted a 9-3 overall record last season and won the OVC Championship. EIU made an appearance in the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs, losing at home by a score of 21-6 to Southern Illinois in the first round. In 2006 the Panthers are 0-1, dropping a 42-17 decision at Illinois on September 2.

What’s Transpired — Indiana State started off the 2006 campaign with a valiant effort at Purdue on September 2. Although the Sycamores fell to the Big Ten Boilers by a count of 60-35, Indiana State trailed just 26-21 at the half, and were within five points (33-28) late in the third quarter.

For Starters — Freshman Donye McCleskey picked the right spot to make the most of his special teams’ assignment in his first collegiate game with the Sycamores. McCleskey blocked a Boilermaker punt attempt late in the second quarter and fell on the ball in the end zone to get ISU within striking distance, 26-14, as time began to wind down in the first half. McCleskey’s blocked punt for a TD was the first for the Sycamores since LaDrelle Bryant blocked a Murray State punt in 2004, allowing Markus Naves to scoop the ball and score. For his efforts, McCleskey becomes the first-ever Sycamore to earn Gateway Special Teams Player of the Week honors following his collegiate debut.

All-Star Wide Out — Senior wide receiver Sam Logan earned Preseason All-Gateway Football Conference honors earlier this summer after setting an Indiana State record with 77 pass receptions in 2005. On Sept. 17, 2005, Logan took the field less than 48 hours after being released from a Terre Haute hospital after suffering from kidney stones, to catch a school and Gateway Football Conference record 17 passes at Murray State, including 12 in the first quarter. He finished 2005 ranked fifth in the nation and first in the Gateway by averaging 7.3 receptions per game. He has posted seven 100-yard receiving games in his career. Last year against Texas Tech (Sept. 24), Logan failed to catch a single pass which broke a 14-game consecutive games with a catch streak. He started the 2006 campaign in grand fashion by leading the Sycamores with eight pass reception for 93 yards versus Purdue. Logan has 155 career pass receptions, which are a Sycamore record. He amassed 194 receiving yards at Missouri State last season, which was the third-best single season effort in school history. Logan needs eight pass receptions tonight to crack the Gateway’s Top Five all-time. Illinois State’s Rickey Garrett (1996-99) is currently No. 5 with 162 career catches. Logan also needs 106 receiving yards tonight to become the Sycamores’ all-time yards leader. He currently has 1,943 career receiving yards, and the ISU school record is 2,048 by Terry Bell (1982-85).

ISU Top 5 Career Pass Receptions
1. 155 Sam Logan (2003-)
2. 135 Rodney Porter (1986-89)
3. 132 Terry Bell (1982-85)
4. 115 Joe Downing (1983-85)
5. 110 Eddie Ruffin (1978-81)

Hooper Is Perfect — Indiana State senior kicker Kyle Hooper is a perfect 74-of-74 on PAT attempts for his career, which is a school record. The most consecutive PATs in a career before a miss is 80, by Scott Bridges from 1983-85. Hooper also holds the school record for highest field goal percentage in a career, having made 35-of-48 attempts, for a percentage of .729. He knocked a career-best 47-yard attempt through the uprights versus Southern Illinois. Hooper needs just 22 more points scored this season to break the school record of 200, currently held by Vincent Allen.

Coming Out Party — Junior quarterback Reilly Murphy became just the sixth signal caller in the history of the school to pass for at least 200 yards in a season opening game last Saturday at Purdue. Murphy finished the day against the Boilermakers by hitting 23-of-36 passes for 235 yards. His 235 yards through the air are the fourth-most in the history of the program for a season opener. Of the six times that an ISU quarterback has eclipsed the 200-yard mark in a season opener, two of them have occurred under head coach Lou West.

200 Yard Passing Games In Season Openers:
266 Jeff Miller vs. St. Cloud State (1985)
260 Blayne Baggett vs. Eastern Illinois (2005)
241 John Stites vs. Central Missouri State (1990)
235 Reilly Murphy at Purdue (2006)
206 John Sahm vs. Salem College (1987)
205 John Sahm vs. Central Missouri State (1989)

West Is Best In Backfield -- Indiana State junior Tony West, rushed for 125 yards on 19 attempts in his first game as a Sycamore. The transfer from Western Kentucky found the end zone twice in a 60-35 loss at Big Ten opponent Purdue. His first score came late in the first half, following a botched long snap by the Boilermakers. ISU took over at the Purdue 14-yard line, and gained nine yards on his first attempt, then punched the ball in from the five to trim the Boilermaker lead down to 26-21 heading into halftime. Trailing by 12 points late in the third quarter, West burst through the line and sprinted free for his second score of the day, a 42-yard scoring scamper. West’s 125-yard rushing effort in the game were the most rushing yards in a season opener since Jake Shields posted 127 yards on the ground at Ball State in 2003. The effort represented the fifth-best ever season-opening total on the ground for a Sycamore in school history, and his 125 rushing yards on the most ever in the history of the program by a player in the first game of his Sycamore career.

Byrne Is Best On Line -- Sophomore right guard Jack Byrne graded out at over 95% following Saturday’s 60-35 effort at Purdue on Saturday. Byrne was a key blocker on an offensive unit that tallied 387 yards of total offense versus the Boilermakers. Byrne opened the key hole for Tony West to scamper 42 yards down the middle of the Rose-Ade Stadium turn to pay dirt as the Sycamores got within 33-28 of the Boilermakers late in the third quarter. Byrne was a key blocker for the Sycamores for an offensive unit that allowed just one sack and averaged 5.7 yards per play versus the Big Ten Boilers. ISU posted 20 first downs in the contest, as they recorded 35 points in the road season opener, the most for the Sycamores in such a game since the 1966 road opener at Eastern Illinois.

Scoring Sycamores -- Indiana State’s 35 points scored at Purdue marked the most they have ever scored versus a Big Ten foe and the most it has scored against a NCAA Division I-A opponent since hanging 40 on Cincinnati in 1987. The 35 points were the most in a road season opener for the Sycamores since scoring 32 at Eastern Illinois in 1966. Ironically, on the day ISU scored its 35 against Purdue, the Boilermakers honored their 1966 Rose Bowl Championship team at halftime.

Versus Ranked Opponents -- Indiana State enters tonights battle against Eastern Illinois, facing the Panthers with a No. 20 national ranking by The Sports Network. All-time the Sycamores are 8-52 against ranked opponents, including a mark of 2-13 versus ranked non-conference opponents. ISU’s best victory against a highly ranked opponent was over No. 10 Northern Iowa in 1990. The last time ISU defeated a ranked opponent came in 1999, when the Sycamores topped No. 19 Western Illinois on October 23 by a score of 39-36.