Eastern Illinois and Illinois State, rivals since 1901, will play for the 112th time Saturday at Hancock Stadium in Normal. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. (Photo by EIUPanthers.com)
By Dan Verdun
As each team closes out its non-conference schedule, Saturday’s Eastern Illinois-Illinois State rivalry game features two teams with FCS postseason aspirations.
Host Illinois State (2-1) is ranked No. 15 in the American Football Coaches Association poll and No. 17 in the Stats Perform FCS poll. The Redbirds are fresh off a 51-34 victory over rival Western Illinois.
Visiting Eastern Illinois (1-2) is listed among those receiving votes in both polls. The Panthers’ losses are to Big Ten Conference opponents, Illinois and Northwestern. EIU’s win came against Indiana State.
The annual winner of the rivalry game – rebranded as the Mid-America Classic in 2011 – gets possession of a traveling trophy.
EIU snapped a five-game series losing streak last fall with a 14-13 win at Charleston’s O’Brien Field.
“We’ve had the trophy here for a while, but it hasn’t been here for a year. That stings a little bit,” 16th-year ISU head coach Brock Spack said. “It would mean a lot (to get it back). There’s a lot on the line.”
Spack noted that he has been on the other side, having served as an EIU assistant coach under all-time Panther wins leader Bob Spoo from 1987 to 1990.
“I know what that game means to them (EIU),” Spack said.
The Redbird coach, in fact, helped to recruit EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson to Eastern as a defensive lineman out of Indianapolis during Spack’s time in Charleston.
“We’ve known each other a long, long time,” Wilkerson said. “Brock Spack has done a phenomenal job. The success and the sustainability that they’ve been able to have under his leadership is extremely impressive.”
Since becoming Illinois State head coach in 2009, Spack has faced Spoo or a former Spoo assistant every year the game was played with the exception of when former Northwestern assistant Adam Cushing led the Panthers (2019-21).
Kickoff: 6 p.m.; TV: Marquee; Radio: WEIU.net/hitmix (EIU); WJBC.com (ISU)
Key matchups
EIU offensive line vs. ISU pass rush: Panther quarterback Pierce Holley was sacked eight times in last year’s game.
ISU running back Wenkers Wright vs. EIU defense: Wright has rushed for over 100 yards in back-to-back games.
What’s at stake: For Illinois State, it’s the opportunity to win a third straight game heading into its Sept. 28 MVFC opener with North Dakota State. … For Eastern Illinois, it’s the opportunity to knock off a Top 20 team heading into its Sept. 28 Big South-OVC opener with Lindenwood.
“Winning this game kind of sets up the rest of your season. You always love to win trophy games,” Spack said.
“It’s big time,” Wilkerson said, “It’s about 90 minutes between the two schools. There’s not a lot of love for each other.
“There are bragging rights in the state. There certainly are personal relationships with the schools. There’s recruiting battles within the state of Illinois and bragging rights for your conference. They want to represent the Missouri Valley, and we want to represent the Big South-OVC the best that we can.”
Rivalry revelry
Illinois State leads the all-time series, 59-43-9. … The Redbirds have won seven of the last 10 meetings. … The rivalry is the eighth longest played non-Ivy League FCS series between schools (14th overall among FCS schools counting the Ivy League). … The schools began playing for the traveling trophy to commemorate the 100th meeting of the series on Sept. 1, 2011. Eastern, coached by Spoo, defeated ISU, coached by Spack, 33-26. … The two schools first met in 1901 with a 28-0 EIU victory and have met one time in the FCS playoffs with Illinois State winning that 2006 matchup, 24-13. … The programs did not meet in 2020 as both schools elected to only play conference games because of the worldwide pandemic, marking the first time since 2001 the two schools did not play. It was the third time since World War II with the other being 1996 when EIU left the Gateway Athletic Conference for the Ohio Valley Conference. … Illinois State is holding a 10th-year reunion for its 2014 Redbirds that won a share of the MVFC crown and finished as the national FCS runner-up.
LAST TEN MEETINGS
Sept. 16, 2023 EIU 14, ISU 13 (at Charleston)
Sept. 17, 2022 ISU 35, EIU 7 (at Normal)
Sept. 18, 2021 ISU 31, EIU 24 (at Charleston)
Sept. 14, 2019 ISU 21, EIU 3 (at Charleston)
Sept. 8, 2018 ISU 48, EIU 10 (at Normal)
Sept. 16, 2017 ISU 44, EIU 13 (at Charleston)
Sept. 17, 2016 EIU 24, ISU 21 (at Normal)
Sept. 19, 2015 ISU 36, EIU 33 (ot) (at Charleston)
Sept. 13, 2014 ISU 34, EIU 15 (at Normal)
Sept. 14, 2013 EIU 57, ISU 24 (at Charleston)
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
Find us on social media!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PSPigskin
Facebook: Prairie State Pigskin
Instagram: Prairiestatepigskin
Prairie State Pigskin 
Leave a comment