Indiana State is looking to snap a five-game skid in which the Sycamores have lost all of their Missouri Valley Football Conference games so far.
With those results, ISU is now 2-7 overall and 0-5 in MVFC play going into Saturday's 6 p.m. game vs. Southern Illinois (4-5, 2-3) at Memorial Stadium.
The next-to-last home contest for the Sycamores, this has been designated the PINK Game/Indiana State Faculty & Staff Day.
Elijah Owens returned at quarterback last week in the Sycamores' 45-23 loss at Northern Iowa. He had 27 completions on 47 attempts for 313 yards and two touchdowns. A wrist injury had kept Owens sidelined since ISU's last victory Sept. 19 over visiting Valparaiso.
Backup QB Brady Allen, a redshirt junior transfer from Louisville, stepped in as starter for the next four games and has completed 91 of 153 passes for 1,296 yards and nine TDs, with six interceptions.
Their primary target has been Jayden Reed, who leads the Sycamores in receiving with 48 catches for 696 yards with five touchdowns.
Braxton Sampson leads the ISU defense with 82 tackles, including five for a loss and 0.5 sacks.
Scouting Southern Illinois
• SIU quarterback DJ Williams has 121 completions on the season on 213 attempts for 1,449 yards with six passing touchdowns and four interceptions.
Chandler Chapman leads SIU in rushing with 587 yards on 122 attempts. However, Williams leads the team in rushing touchdowns with eight on 70 attempts for 186 yards.
Kyle Thomas leads the Salukis in the receiving category with 580 yards on 38 receptions for five touchdowns.
The Salukis (4-5, 2-3 MVFC) are coming off their bye week, but defeated Northern Iowa the week before that 20-17 in Carbondale. That may not bode too well for ISU as the Sycamores were trounced at Northern Iowa last week 45-23.
MVFC this week
• Illinois State at North Dakota is arguably the game of the week as the No. 10/8 Redbirds clash with the No. 11/15 Fighting Hawks in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Another matchup that could be interesting is No. 5 South Dakota State at Northern Iowa.
A total of five teams made the NCAA's Top 25 Football Championship Subdivision poll. Those five schools are Youngstown State (4), SDSU (5), Illinois State (8), South Dakota (10) and North Dakota (15). In the Stats Perform Poll, those same five institutions made it with YSU at 4, SDSU at 5, South Dakota at 8, Illinois State at 10 and North Dakota at 11.
Wabash Valley teams
• The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference title could be on the line at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Cincinnati, where first place Rose-Hulman (6-2 overall, 4-0 HCAC) clashes with second-place host Mount St. Joseph (7-1, 4-1).
Hanover (6-2, 3-1) is also in the title mix and plays at Manchester. All three of the top teams play one more conference game Nov. 14 and if they finish tied, the program with the top NCAA Division III power ranking would get the crown and the postseason playoff berth that goes with it. Mount St. Joseph currently has the best rating. So, the Engineers could take a big step toward their program's first HCAC title since 2021 by beating MSJ.
• Saint Mary-of-the-Woods has endured a tough first season of full-fledged NAIA football and Pomeroys officials understood SMWC's jump from weight-limited sprint football would be initially difficult. Coach Blaine Powell's squad stands 0-8 overall and 0-3 in the Mid-States Football Association.
But this week's game could be an opportunity to break into the win column. The Pomeroys play at 2 p.m. Saturday at Judson, where the host Eagles stand at 0-9 overall and 0-3 in the MSFA.
The Woods is coming off a 42-0 loss last week at Olivet Nazarene, where Judson lost 70-7 one week earlier.
