Illinois State outside linebacker Dexter Niekamp recovers the fumble he forced during Saturday’s loss to South Dakota State at Hancock Stadium. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
NORMAL – At the end of Saturday night’s postgame media address, Illinois State head coach Brock Spack was asked about what it meant to have members of last year’s national FCS runners-up on hand for the current Redbirds’ matchup with No. 2 South Dakota State.
“A lot of those (current) guys played with them (2025 teammates) and were excited to see them,” Spack said. “I feel bad that we played so poorly.”
Saturday’s outcome was a far cry from last fall’s game in Brookings. In that Missouri Valley Football Conference tilt, the Redbirds scored the first 35 points en route to a 35-21 victory.
This time around, South Dakota State rode a second-half surge to a 31-14 win. The common denominator in both games was the absence of SDSU quarterback Chase Mason.
“I was really happy to see them,” Spack said of the approximately 15 members of last year’s title game finalists who were honored on the field at the end of the first quarter. “Those are great memories. They were tough.
“They had a few bumps in the road like this last year,” Spack said. “What made them different is . . . “
Then the 18th-year head coach caught himself and brought his comments back to this year’s Redbirds.
“We’re not different yet. We haven’t seen our team yet. This really, in the whole scope of things, is very fixable.”
Running back Victor Dawson, who solidified his star status during last year’s playoff run, has been slowed by an ankle injury this season.
‘Two weeks to get it together’
Dawson, a fifth-year senior, led ISU with 67 rushing yards on a game-high 22 carries Saturday.
“We know the goals that we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year, and we’re just not executing that,” he said. “I feel like that’s a little bit frustrating, but we’ve still got plenty of games left.
“Obviously, the countdown is going. We’ve got two weeks to get it together.”
Two weeks ago, Illinois State was flying high. The Redbirds were riding the crest of an FCS-best 11-game road winning streak that dated back to last year. ISU rose to No. 3 in the national polls.
Then came the 28-21 defeat at unranked Northern Iowa to open the MVFC schedule. Saturday’s loss to South Dakota State dropped ISU to 4-2 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
“We haven’t quite played to our standard the last two weeks, which we pride ourselves on with practice and showing it out on Saturday,” outside linebacker Dexter Niekamp said, “but really at the end of the day, it’s disappointing we can’t squeak out the W.
“At the end of the day, all that really matters is the win.”
Illinois State entered Saturday ranked 10th and 11th in the two national FCS polls. The Redbirds will certainly drop when the new rankings launch Monday.
Humbled and hurt
ISU enters its bye week humbled and hurt. Junior Dylan Lord, the team’s top receiver, became the latest injury concern when he pulled a hamstring in the first half against SDSU.
“It’s good for us,” Dawson said of the bye week. “It gives us time to really dial in on who we’re playing next.”
ISU travels downstate to Carbondale Oct. 17 to face rival Southern Illinois, a team that proved to be a bump in the road last season. The Salukis spanked the Redbirds, 37-7, in the regular-season finale at Hancock Stadium.
That late loss cast some doubt on whether ISU would even make the 2025 playoff field. In fact, the Redbirds were the last team selected for the 24-team bracket.
Yet history will remember the Redbirds’ remarkable run in which Illinois State won a record-four road games to earn its berth in the FCS national championship game and come within a whisper of winning it all.
“We get to watch a lot of film and for ourselves, we’ve got time to think about what needs to be done,” Dawson said. “That’s pretty much it.”
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.
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