Illinois State • Indiana State • Missouri State • North Dakota State • Northern IowaSouth Dakota State • Southern Illinois • Western Illinois • Youngstown State

1818 Chouteau Ave. • St. Louis, MO 63103 • (314) 421-2268 • FAX (314) 421-3505

For Immediate ReleaseSept. 7, 2009 Contact: Mike Kern

Conference Points Overall PointsTeam W L For Opp Pct. W L For Opp Pct.

Western Illinois 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 35 28 1.000South Dakota State 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000Illinois State 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 6 31 .000Missouri State 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 10 48 .000North Dakota State 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 17 34 .000Northern Iowa 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 16 17 .000Southern Illinois 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 28 31 .000Youngstown State 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 3 38 .000Indiana State 0 0 0 0 .000 0 2 30 56 .000

Last Week’s ResultsSaturday, Sept. 12 Illinois State at Illinois4 Champaign, Ill. • 6 p.m. CT TV: Big Ten Network Series: Illinois leads, 2-0 Last Meeting: Illinois, 49-22 (2003)

Eastern Illinois at Indiana State4 Terre Haute, Ind. • 12:05 p.m. ET Series: EIU leads, 42-37-4 Last Year: EIU, 38-3

Tenn.-Martin at Missouri State4 Springfield, Mo. • 3 p.m. CT Series: MSU leads, 5-0 Last Meeting: MSU, 51-44 (2007)

N. Dakota State at Sam Houston State4 Huntsville, Texas • 6 p.m. CT Series: NDSU leads, 1-0 Last Meeting: NDSU, 41-38 (2007)

South Dakota at #4 UNI4 Cedar Falls, Iowa • 4:05 p.m. CT TV: Panther Sports Network Series: UNI leads, 22-17-1 Last Year: UNI, 24-13

Ga. Southern at #21 South Dakota State4 Brookings, S.D. • 6 p.m. CT Series: GSU leads, 3-0 Last Meeting: GSU, 41-38 (2007)

Western Illinois at Northern Illinois4 DeKalb, Ill. • 6 p.m. CT TV: Comcast SportsNet Chicago Series: NIU, 20-17-1 Last Meeting: WIU, 29-26 (2002)

Austin Peay at Youngstown State4 Youngstown, Ohio • 4 p.m. ET Series: YSU leads, 6-2 Last Meeting: YSU, 20-18 (1987)

Valley Football (Sept. 5)Players of the Week

Co-Offense QB Matt Barr, Western Illinois QB Pat Grace, UNIDefense ILB Brandin Jordan, S. IllinoisSpecial Teams P Scott Ravanesi, Southern IllinoisOffensive Lineman TBD

2009 Valley Football Standings (thru Sept. 5)

2009 Upcoming Schedule, Last Week’s Results

Upcoming Schedule (Sept. 12) Last Week (Sept. 3/5)

Thursday, Sept. 3 North Dakota State 17Iowa State 34

RB Pat Paschall - career-high 146 rush yards

Illinois State 6Eastern Illinois 31

QB Drew Kiel completes 20-of-22 passes

Western Illinois 35Sam Houston State 28

QB Matt Barr - 437 yards passing for Western

Saturday, Sept. 5 Indiana State 10Louisville 30

ISU’s Santino Davis with two interceptions

Missouri State 10Arkansas 48

TE Clay Harbor - 4 catches for 61 yards

#4 UNI 16#21 Iowa 17

QB Pat Grace - career-high 270 pass yards

#7 Southern Illinois 28Marshall 31

LB Brandin Jordan - game-high 12 tackles

Youngstown State 3Pittsburgh 38

TB Kevin Smith - 47 rush yards on 17 carries

South Dakota State opens its season Sept. 12.

• • Media Services • • Players of the Week Each week a panel will select players of the week for offense, defense, offensive line and special teams.

Valley Football Radio Report Each week’s games are previewed on the Missouri Valley Football Conference Radio Report, produced by Jim Pow-ers. The report can be heard on most schools’ network affiliate station.

VideoStreaming Through its partnership with JumpTV, the league has a conference-wide subscription service available to view a number of games. Visit the league web site for additional information.

Weekly Coaches Call Teleconferences featuring the league’s head coaches are each Wednesday at 10 a.m. CT. Replays are accessible on the league web site.

Brock Spack, ILS, 10:05 a.m.Trent Miles, INS, 10:10 a.m.Terry Allen, MSU, 10:15 a.m.Craig Bohl, NDSU, 10:20 a.m.Mark Farley, UNI, 10:25 a.m.John Stiegelmeier, SDSU, 10:30 a.m.Dale Lennon, SIU, 10:35 a.m.Don Patterson, WIU, 10:40 a.m.Jon Heacock, YSU, 10:45 a.m.

913-312-1379

valley-football.org

2009 Missouri Valley Football Conference Weekly Release (Sept. 8)

Level Playing Field The Missouri Valley Football Conference has started the season with a 1-8 non-con-ference record, but that includes six games at FBS sites. Only one of the first nine non-conference games were at home. This week features six games (of eight) against FCS members, and five of those six are at home. In 2008, the MVFC had an 11-8 record at home against non-conference teams while posting just a 3-12 mark away from home.

Missouri Valley vs. Ohio Valley Three league games this week are against a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. Since 1985, the MVFC is 100-51-1 against the OVC, including a 3-3 record in 2008. Valley Football has a streak of seven-straight .500+ seasons against the OVC, going 38-15 in that span. Notably, Valley Football teams have won seven-straight playoff meetings against OVC members, dating back to 2001.

Success Against the FBS Two league teams face members of the FBS this weekend (Sept. 12). The Missouri Valley Football Conference has a total of 27 victories against FBS schools since 1985, including at least one every year from 1996 through 2003, and three in the past three years. Southern Illinois (at Indiana in 2006, and at Northern Illinois in 2007) became the first league school since Western Illinois (2002 and 2003) to win against an FBS op-ponent in back-to-back years.

What is FBS & FCS Anyway? In 2006, the Division I Board of Directors approved a recommendation to delete the labels Division I-A, I-AA and I-AAA from NCAA use. Additionally, the Board adopted the title “NCAA Division I Football Championship” to replace the “Division I-AA Football Champi-onship”. And the Board adopted the terms “Football Bowl Subdivision” and “NCAA Football Championship Subdivision” to refer to the level of football played by Division I members. No more “I-AA” - we are the Foot-ball Championship Subdivision (FCS).

New Name, Same Game In June 2008, presidents of the nine-member Gateway Football Conference and the 10-member Missouri Valley Confer-ence approved a rebranding initiative that changed the football conference name from the Gateway Football Conference to the Mis-souri Valley Football Conference.

Tuning In Three games will be on regional cable systems Saturday, Sept. 12:

Illinois State at Illinois (Big Ten Network) 6 p.m. CT S. Dakota at UNI (Panther Sports Network) 4:05 p.m. CT Western Illinois at N. Illinois (Comcast) 6:30 p.m. CT

Even Kiel -- QB Hits 15 Straight QB Drew Kiel of Illinois State completed his first 15 passes en route to a 20-of-22 day at Eastern Illinois in ISU’s season opener. It is five completions shy of the league and FCS record for consecutive completions. The 15-straight completions is the most ever for a league quarterback his first career start.

*20, Austin Moherman, MSU, vs. Indiana St., 200019, Eric Sanders, UNI, vs. South Dakota St., 200717, Sean Payton, EIU, vs. Western Kentucky, 198617, Sam Clemons, WIU, vs. Indiana State, 200115, Tom Zetts, YSU, vs. Western Kentucky, 200415, Drew Kiel, ILS, vs. Eastern Illinois, 2009

* NCAA FCS record

Raising the Barr QB Matt Barr of Western Illinois threw for 437 yards in the season-opening win at Sam Houston State. It marks just the 19th time in league history that a QB had thrown for 400+ yards. It ranks eighth-best in league history for a single game and second-best all-time for Western Illinois.541, Ryan Helming, UNI, vs. Western Illinois, 1999509, Sean Payton, EIU, vs. Saginaw Valley, 1985472, Sam Clemons, WIU, vs. Indiana State, 2001460, A.J. Porter, MSU, vs. Illinois State, 2003457, Kevin Glenn, ILS, vs. UNI, 1998446, Kevin Glenn, ILS, vs. Western Illinois, 1997440, Luke Drone, ILS, vs. Indiana State, 2005437, Matt Barr, WIU, vs. Sam Houston State, 2009436, Nick Hill, SIU, vs. UNI, 2007

Senatus is Active in Week 1 WR Lilo Senatus had 235 receiving yards against Sam Houston State, marking just the 24th time in league history that a player had gained 200+ yards through the air. His 235-yard game is 14th-best all-time and fourth-best in a non-conference game.292, Laurént Robinson, ILS, vs. Indiana St., 2005286, Mike Furrey, UNI, vs. Western Illinois, 1999286, Frisman Jackson, WIU, vs. Indiana St., 2001266, Frisman Jackson, WIU, vs. S. Utah, 2001259, Rickey Garrett, ILS, vs. Southern Utah, 1998253, Chris Johnson, INS, vs. Illinois State, 1986251, Eddie Galles, UNI, vs. Southern Illinois, 2003249, Steven Rush, MSU, vs. Illinois State, 2003247, Dedric Ward, UNI, vs. Illinois State, 1996245, Dedric Ward, UNI, vs. William & Mary, 1996243, Dwayne Smith, ILS, vs. Illinois, 2003243, Laurént Robinson, ILS, vs. UNI, 2005238, Calvin Pierce, EIU, vs. Missouri State, 1986235, Lilo Senatus, WIU, vs. Sam Houston State, 2009

Co-Offense

QB Matt Barr, Western IllinoisJr., 6-2, 210, Belvidere (Ill.) High Barr threw for 437 yards in the season-opening win at Sam Houston State. He completed 18-of-26 passes for three touchdowns in the win. It marks just the 19th time in league history that a QB had thrown for 400+ yards. It ranks eighth-best in league history for a single game and second-best all-time for Western.

QB Pat Grace, UNISr., 6-2, 240, Sioux City (Iowa) Heelan High Grace passed for a career-high 270 yards and nearly led UNI to an upset over No. 21-ranked Iowa. Grace completed 23-of-37 passes and a score against the Hawkeyes. Grace engineered an 11-play, 68-yard drive in the final two minutes which ended with a pair of field goal at-tempts to close the game.

Defense

ILB Brandin Jordan, Southern IllinoisSr., 5-11, 230, Kenner (La.)John Curtis Christian High Jordan had a game-high 12 tackles against Marshall with one sack and another game-high two tackles for a loss. Jordan had a hand in forcing both of Mar-shall’s turnovers. He forced the fumble on MU’s second offensive drive of the game and caused the interception their first drive with his quarterback hurry.

Special TeamsP Scott Ravanesi, Southern IllinoisSr., 6-0, 195, Carol Stream (Ill.)Glenbard North High Ravanesi averaged 45.5 yards on his four punts with one being downed inside the 20-yard line in the three-point loss at Marshall. Ravanesi’s long punt on the day went for 50 yards and SIU netted 41.5 yards on his punts.

Players of the Week (Sept. 5)

2009 Missouri Valley Football Conference Weekly Release (Sept. 8)

(includes only the MVFC -produced package andothers targeted for regional or national distribution)

Network Air Time

Sept. 3 -- North Dakota State at Iowa State Mediacom (regional) 7 p.m. CT (LIVE)Sept. 3 -- Western Illinois at Sam Houston State Southland TV Network 6 p.m. CT (LIVE) FCS Central (Sept. 4) 6:30 p.m. CT (TD) Sept. 5 -- UNI at Iowa Big Ten Network 11 a.m. CT (LIVE)

Sept. 12 -- Illinois State at Illinois Big Ten Network 6 p.m. CT (LIVE)Sept. 12 -- South Dakota at UNI Panther Sports Network 4:05 p.m. CT (LIVE)Sept. 12 -- Western Illinois at Northern Illinois Comcast SportsNet Chicago 6:30 p.m. CT (LIVE)

Sept. 19 -- Austin Peay at Illinois State Comcast Spotlight 6:30 p.m. CT (LIVE)

Sept. 26 -- UNI at Missouri State MVFC Game of the Week 1 p.m. CT (LIVE)

Oct. 3 -- Southern Illinois at Western Illinois MVFC Game of the Week 6:05 p.m. CT (LIVE)Oct. 3 -- Illinois State at North Dakota State NBC North Dakota 1 p.m. CT (LIVE)

Oct. 10 -- UNI at North Dakota State MVFC Game of the Week 3 p.m. CT (LIVE)

Oct. 17 -- Indiana State at Illinois State MVFC Game of the Week 2 p.m. CT (LIVE)Oct. 17 -- South Dakota State at North Dakota St. NBC North Dakota 6 p.m. CT (LIVE)Oct. 17 -- Southern Illinois at Northern Iowa Mediacom 4:05 p.m. CT (LIVE) Oct. 24 -- UNI at South Dakota State Mediacom 2 p.m. CT (LIVE)

Oct. 31 -- North Dakota State at Western Illinois KVLY TV (NDSU) 1 p.m. CT (LIVE)Oct. 31 -- South Dakota State at Youngstown State MVFC Game of the Week 3 p.m. CT (LIVE)Oct. 31 -- Southern Illinois at Indiana State Mediacom 11 a.m. CT (LIVE)

Nov. 14 -- South Dakota State at Minnesota Big Ten Network (tentative) time TBDNov. 14 -- Western Illinois at UNI Panther Sports Network 6:35 p.m. CT (LIVE)Nov. 14 -- Missouri State at Southern Illinois Mediacom 2 p.m. CT (LIVE)

Nov. 21 -- Youngstown State at North Dakota State NBC North Dakota 1 p.m. CT (LIVE)Nov. 21 -- UNI at Illinois State Mediacom 12 p.m. CT (LIVE)

2009 Valley FB TelevisionSix Among Nation’s Top 50 Six Missouri Valley Football Conference players are among the Top 50 players in the FCS in rankings compiled by Josh Buchanan, who provides an NFL scouting service, work-ing in conjunction with coaches and scouts to compile the lists.

FCS TOP 50 OVERALL

11. DE James Ruffin, Northern Iowa, Sr.12. TE Clay Harbor, Missouri State, Sr.20. DT Mychal Savage, Youngstown State, Sr. 26. DE Danny Batten, South Dakota State, Sr. 41. C Austin Steichen, Northern Iowa, Sr. 50. CB Korey Lindsey, Southern Illinois, Jr.

Five on FCS Lists Five Valley football players are among 32 nationwide players listed by The Sports Network as official “Payton Watch” and “Bu-chanan Battle” members. The honors will be presented at the 23rd annual FCS College Football Awards in Chattanooga.

QB Pat Grace, UNI (Payton)DE Danny Batten, South Dakota State (Buchanan)LB Brandin Jordan, Southern Illinois (Buchanan)DE James Ruffin, UNI (Buchanan)DT Mychal Savage, Youngstown State (Buchanan)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Good Sports The NCAA and AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) decided to promote sportsmanship during the opening week of 2009, calling college football’s opening slate of games Respect Weekend. The NCAA encouraged teams to meet at midfield prior to the start of the game and have the teams participate in a pregame hand shake. Valley Football has taken a leadership role in the area of sportsmanship by becoming the first league in the NCAA to institute a full-team, pre-game handshake before all conference games. The handshake, done for one game in 2003 and as a conference-wide program in 2004, involves head coaches and all play-ers meeting at midfield.

Three Chosen for Good Works North Dakota State’s Richard Bowman, Northern Iowa’s Joshua Mahoney, and Youngstown State’s Aaron Pitts have been chosen for the 2009 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®. The 22 college football play-ers awarded this prestigious honor are se-lected by a special selection committee from 106 nominations. The award honors players that embody the true spirit of “teamwork” and “giving back” through selfless contribu-tions and commendable acts of kindness.

12 Pre-Season All-Americans Southern Illinois reeled in four of the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s 12 selections to The Sports Network pre-season All-America Team. Southern Illinois leads the league with four selections, while SIU LB Brandin Jordan is the Salukis’ representative on the first team. UNI also grabbed three selections, with center Austin Steichen on the first team. Youngstown State’s Mychal Savage is the league’s other first-team pick.

OC Austin Steichen, Northern Iowa (1st)DT Mychal Savage, Youngstown State (1st)LB Brandin Jordan, Southern Illinois (1st)TE Clay Harbor, Missouri State (2nd)DE James Ruffin, Northern Iowa (2nd)DE Danny Batten, South Dakota State (2nd)LB Josh Mahoney, Northern Iowa (3rd)OG David Arkin, Missouri State (3rd)OG Keith Buckman, North Dakota State (3rd)LB Chauncey Mixon, Southern Illinois (3rd)CB Korey Lindsey, Southern Illinois (3rd)P Scott Ravanesi, Southern Illinois (3rd)

Team Pre S7 S14 S21 S28 O5 O12 O19 O26 N2 N9 N16 N23 Final

Illinois State rv --Indiana St. -- --MSU rv --NDSU rv rvUNI 4 4SDSU 22 21S. Illinois 7 8W. Illinois rv rvYoungstown rv rv

*Rank represents highest position in either of two polls (Sports Network or FCS Coaches polls)

2009 Valley Football Teams in the Top 25

2009 Missouri Valley Football Conference Weekly Release (Sept. 8)

Crowd Control UNI played in front of 70,585 fans at Iowa in the season opener, matching a school record for its largest road crowd. Missouri State played in front of 55,572 at Arkansas (the second-largest road crowd ever for MSU), while North Dakota State’s crowd of 48,831 at Iowa State was the third-largest road crowd for the Bison:

ALL-GAME ATTENDANCE MARKS(current members only)

Illinois State -- 56,304 at Illinois (2003)Indiana State -- 74,199 at Oklahoma (1999)Missouri State -- 66,424 at Arkansas (2005)North Dakota State -- 63,008 at Minnesota (2007)UNI -- 70,585 at Iowa (2005, 2009)South Dakota State -- 46,617 at Iowa State (2008)Southern Illinois -- 51,233 at Florida St. (1992)Western Illinois -- 87,164 at LSU (2003)Youngstown State -- 105,038 at Ohio State (2007)

League Expands for 2008 In March 2007, conference presidents voted to extend membership to both North Dakota State and South Dakota State, effec-tive for the 2008 season. NDSU and -SDSU previously competed in the Great West Conference. With the addition of the two Dakota schools, the Missouri Valley Football Conference has its largest membership (nine schools) in its history.

Panthers Picked to Win Title Missouri Valley Football Conference defending co-champions UNI and South-ern Illinois have been picked at the top of the league again in 2009. The Panthers received the top spot in a poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports informa-tion directors.

Team (First-Place Votes) Points

1. Northern Iowa (26) 314 2. Southern Illinois (9) 281 3. South Dakota State 231 4. North Dakota State (1) 206 5. Western Illinois 174 6. Youngstown State 171 7. Missouri State 111 8. Illinois State 90 9. Indiana State 42

Home: 0-1 / Away: 1-7

NCAA FCS Teams (1-1)Colonial .................................................. 0-0 Northeastern ..............................................0-0Great West ............................................. 0-0 Cal Poly .......................................................0-0 South Dakota ..............................................0-0Ohio Valley ............................................. 0-1 Austin Peay .................................................0-0 Eastern Illinois ............................................0-1 Murray State ...............................................0-0 Southeast Missouri State ..........................0-0 Tennessee-Martin ......................................0-0Southern ................................................ 0-0 Georgia Southern .......................................0-0Southland .............................................. 1-0 Sam Houston State ....................................1-0 Stephen F. Austin .......................................0-0

NCAA FBS Teams (0-6)Big East .................................................. 0-2 Louisville .....................................................0-1 Pittsburgh ...................................................0-1Big Ten ................................................... 0-1 Illinois ..........................................................0-0 Iowa .............................................................0-1 Minnesota .................................................. -0-0Big 12 ..................................................... 0-1 Iowa State ...................................................0-1Conference USA .................................... 0-1 Marshall ......................................................0-1Mid-American ........................................ 0-0 Northern Illinois ..........................................0-0Southeastern ......................................... 0-1 Arkansas .....................................................0-1

Non-Division I Teams (0-1) Quincy .........................................................0-1 St. Francis (Pa.) ..........................................0-0 Southwest Baptist ......................................0-0 Wagner ........................................................0-0

vs. Ranked (FCS) Teams (0-0) x

vs. Ranked (FBS) Teams (0-1) vs. #21 Iowa (Northern Iowa) .......................L, 16-17

Vs. Non-League (1-8) Working Overtime Indiana State lost its season opener to Quincy in overtime, yet the Sycamores still have more OT wins than any other league member (6). Here are the overtime records for current league members (only counts their OT records while playing in the league).

Team Record Last OT result

Illinois State 4-5 lost, vs. S. Illinois, 2008Indiana State 6-5 lost, vs. Quincy, 2008Missouri State 1-7 won, vs. Indiana St., 2008NDSU 0-0 none as MVFC memberUNI 4-4 won, vs. Western Ky., 2005SDSU 0-1 lost, vs. McNeese St., 2008S. Illinois 3-3 won, vs. Missouri St., 2005W. Illinois 5-2 won, vs. Illinois State, 2008Youngstown St. 4-1 lost, Fla. International, 2004

Happy Birthday To Us Founded in 1985 as the Gateway Football Confer-ence, the Missouri Valley Football Conference is cel-ebrating its 25th season of FCS football in 2009. Dur-ing the season, fan voting

will be conducted to help select a “Silver An-niversary Team,” recognizing the league’s all-time greats. Voting can be accessed at www.valley-football25.org. Fans can also vote to determine an Offensive and Defensive MVP of the league’s All-Select NFL Team.

Long-Time Rivals Before Eastern Illinois left the league after the 1995 season, the Illinois State-Eastern Illinois series numbered 85 games, with ISU holding a 41-35-9 advantage. That series be-gan in 1901, and counting the 2009 season opener, the teams have played one another 98 times. The oldest series between current league members is 95 - between newest members South Dakota State and North Dakota State (starting in 1903).Most Played Rivalries, by number of games

110 - North Dakota State vs. North Dakota (began in 1894)104 - South Dakota State vs. South Dakota (began in 1889)*98 - Illinois State vs. Eastern Illinois (began in 1901)*95 - North Dakota St. vs. South Dakota St. (began in 1903)*90 - Illinois State vs. Western Illinois (began in 1904)83 - South Dakota State vs. North Dakota (began in 1906)*83 - Indiana State vs. Eastern Illinois (began in 1901)78 - Illinois State vs. Illinois Wesleyan (began in 1887)76 - North Dakota State vs. South Dakota (began in 1900)75 - South Dakota State vs. Morningside (began in 1922)*74 - Southern Illinois vs. SE Missouri State (began in 1913)74 - Missouri State vs. SE Missouri State (began in 1917)*71 - Illinois State vs. Southern Illinois (began in 1929)71 - North Dakota State vs. Morningside (began in 1922)65 - Western Illinois vs. Eastern Illinois (began in 1930)

*played or will play in 2009

2009 Missouri Valley Football Conference Weekly Release (Sept. 8)

Sept. 5*Co-Offense -- QB Matt Barr, Western IllinoisCo-Offense -- QB Pat Grace, UNIDefense -- ILB Brandin Jordan, S. IllinoisSp. Teams -- P Scott Ravanesi, S. IllinoisLineman -- TBDSept. 12Offense -- Defense -- Sp. Teams -- Lineman -- Sept. 19Offense -- Defense -- Sp. Teams -- Lineman -- Sept. 26Offense -- Defense -- Sp. Teams -- Lineman -- Oct. 3Offense -- Defense -- Sp. Teams -- Lineman -- Oct. 10Offense -- Defense -- Sp. Teams -- Lineman -- Oct. 17Offense -- Defense -- Sp. Teams -- Lineman -- Oct. 24Offense -- Defense -- Sp. Teams -- Lineman -- Oct. 31Offense -- Defense -- Sp. Teams -- Lineman -- Nov. 7Offense -- Defense -- Sp. Teams -- Lineman -- Nov. 14Offense -- Defense -- Sp. Teams -- Lineman -- Nov. 21Offense -- Defense -- Sp. Teams -- Lineman --

* - denotes National Player of the Week

2009 Players of the WeekFCS Game of the Week Two Valley Football games will be featured as part of the 4th annual FCS Game of the Week. The Oct. 3 Southern Illinois-Western Illinois contest (at Macomb) and the Oct. 17 Southern Illinois-UNI game (at Cedar Falls) are part of the 11-game schedule. The games will air at 10 pm CT and will be broadcast by WCKY, AM 1530, Cincinnati, over WCKY’s 50,000 watt nighttime sky-wave signal, which, geographically, covers the eastern half of the United States and Canada at night.

Consecutive Ranks in Top 25 Including the Sept. 6 poll, Southern Illinois has been ranked in 80-straight polls. It’s the second-longest-such streak in league history. UNI, meanwhile, has the third-longest streak (56), and it is also current. The league record is 96 (UNI, 1990-97).

Top-10 Teams Valley Football has had at least two teams in the Top 10 in 35 of the last 38 regular-season polls. UNI and Southern Illinois rep-resent the league this week as the Panthers hold the No. 4 spot, while Southern Illinois is ranked No. 8.

Three Teams in Top 25 Three Missouri Valley Football Conference teams are ranked in the Top 25 this week, including UNI (5/4), Southern Illinois (7/8), and South Dakota State (21/25). [Coaches poll is listed first, followed by The Sports Network rankings.] North Dakota State, Western Illinois, and Youngstown State all received votes in the Sports Network poll. Defending champion Richmond re-claimed the No. 1 spot in both polls this week.

(Sept. 6) TSN Coaches

Richmond (CAA) 1 1Appalachian State (Southern) 2 2Villanova (CAA) 3 3Northern Iowa (MVFC) 4 5Montana (Big Sky) 5 4

James Madison (CAA) 6 6William & Mary (CAA) 7 7Southern Illinois (MVFC) 8 8New Hampshire (CAA) 9 9Elon (Southern) 10 11

Weber State (Big Sky) 11 10Cal Poly (Great West) 12 13Central Arkansas (Southland) 13 12Wofford (Southern) 14 14South Carolina State (MEAC) 15 15

McNeese State (Southland) 16 16Massachusetts (CAA) 17 18Eastern Washington (Big Sky) 18 17Texas State (Southland) 19 19Maine (CAA) 20 20

South Dakota State (MVFC) 21 25Eastern Kentucky (OVC) 22 23Jacksonville State (OVC) 23 21Harvard (Ivy) 24 22Holy Cross (Patriot) 25 rvLiberty (Big South) rv 24

Western Illinois (MVFC) rv rvNorth Dakota State (MVFC) rv rvYoungstown State (MVFC) rv --

OffenseQB Chris Dieker, SIU -- accounted for all 4 TDs in SIU’s 31-28 loss at Marshall. 22-of-37 passing for 206 yards, with two TD passes and two TD rushes QB Drew Kiel, ILS -- 20-of-22 passes for 140 yards, 1 TD (set school record with 90.9 completion pct.RB Pat Paschall, NDSU -- 21 rushes, career-high 146 yards, 1 TD at Iowa State, also 2 catches, 32 yds.WR Lilo Senatus, WIU -- 235 receiving yards (third-most in Western history) against Sam Houston State

DefenseDL Ben Boothby, UNI -- 5 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, two TFLs, and a QB sack. UNI’s defense held Iowa to 87 rushing yards and just 329 yards of total offense in a 17-16 win by No. 21 IowaLB Santino Davis, INS -- two INTs at Louisville - most for an ISU player in 30 years, 3 tacklesDB Kieron James, WIU -- 5 tackles (all solos), forced a fumble and broke up two passesDE Doni Phelps, ILS -- career-high 9 tackles (4 solo), 1 sackLB Antoine Wilkinson, MSU -- Game-high 11 tackles (8 solo), and added one TFL

Special TeamsP Chris Fuchs, WIU -- 2 punts, 49.0 average in 35-28 win at Sam Houston StatePK Billy Hallgren, UNI -- Kicked a trio of field goals in a 17-16 loss at No. 21 Iowa.PK Matt Hottelman, MSU -- Career-long 53-yard FG in the first quarter (sixth-longest at MSU)P Gabe Mullane, INS -- 5 punts, 41.0 average, two downed inside the 20-yard line, long of 49

Last Week’s Other Top Stars

ILLINOIS STATE

Record: 0-1, 0-0Last Week: L, at E. Illinois, 6-31

This Week: at Illinois

Kiel’s Complete Effort QB Drew Kiel completed his first 15 pass attempts en route to a 20-for-22 effort in the season opening loss at Eastern Illinois. Kiel’s .909 percent completion percentage is the best ever by a Redbird QB in a single game (20+ attempts). The mark surpassed Dusty Burk’s 31-of-37 effort against Hofstra in the quarterfinals of the 1999 play-offs.

Malcolm Responds Illinois State safety Jermaine Malcolm started just his second contest Thursday at Eastern Illinois, but notched a career-high and team-best 10 stops. Malcolm had three solo tackles and seven assists. Malcolm’s previous career high in tackles was eight, set in his only other career start last season at Western Illinois.

X-Factor Xzavier Stewart, a junior transfer from Kansas State who joined the Red-birds after fall camp, notched three tackles, including a tackle-for-loss upon entering the game as a reserve in the third quarter. The 6-foot-1, 315-pounder brought down Eastern Illinois running back Mon Williams for a three-yard loss to record his first tackle at ISU. Stewart had posted three tackles in each of the previous two seasons at Kansas State.

Illinois State (0-1,0-0) ---------------------------------------------- 09-03 at Eastern Illinois, L, 6-31 09-12 at Illinois 09-19 AUSTIN PEAY 09-26 *SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 10-03 *at North Dakota State 10-10 *at Southern Illinois 10-17 *INDIANA STATE 10-31 *at Missouri State 11-07 *WESTERN ILLINOIS 11-14 *at Youngstown State 11-21 *NORTHERN IOWA

INDIANA STATE

Record: 0-2, 0-0Last Week: L, at Louisville, 10-30

This Week: Eastern Illinois

Young Guns Of the 85 players on the current Indiana State roster, a total of 65 student-athletes are underclassmen -- or just over 76 percent. There are 38 true or redshirt freshmen on the roster currently. A total of 16 student-athletes saw their first action in a Sycamore uni-form versus Quincy, including 11 true or redshirt freshmen.

Open the Flood Gates Junior RB Darrius Gates opened the season against Quincy by rushing for a team-best 102 yards. He closed out the 2008 campaign against Missouri State by rushing for 237 yards. He is the first Sycamore with back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances since Jake Shields accomplished the feat in the first two games of 2003. To add to his success on the ground, Gates also completed a 75-yard TD pass to Bryant Kent in the first quarter against Quincy, which was the second pass completion of his career (both were TDs).

Davis Gets Two Picks LB Santino Davis hauled in a pair of interceptions at Louisville. With the Cardinals threatening to score before the half, Davis pulled in a pass over the middle to keep the Sycamores within striking distance at 17-7. His two inter-ceptions vs. Louisville are the most in a single-game for the Sycamores ever against an FBS foe and the most by a Sycamore in any contest since 1979.

Indiana State (0-2,0-0) ---------------------------------------------- 08-27 QUINCY, L, 20-26 (ot) 09-05 at Louisville, L, 10-30 09-12 EASTERN ILLINOIS 09-19 *at South Dakota State 09-26 *YOUNGSTOWN STATE 10-03 *at Northern Iowa 10-17 *at Illinois State 10-24 *WESTERN ILLINOIS 10-31 *SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 11-07 *at Missouri State 11-14 *NORTH DAKOTA STATE

MISSOURI STATE

Record: 0-1, 0-0Last Week: L, at Arkansas, 10-48

This Week: Tenn.-Martin

Harbor Extends Streak Senior TE Clay Harbor extended his streak to 23 consecutive games with a pass reception, collecting four passes for 61 yards against Arkan-sas. He also surpassed 1,200 career receiving yards in the game, making him the 11th Bear to do so. Big Crowds at Arkansas The attendance of 55,572 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock was the second-largest MSU football crowd ever. The largest crowd of 66,424 was also against the Razor-backs in Fayetteville in 2005, making Arkansas the MSU opponent in all of its top three single-game crowds. Vs. Non-Conference Despite dropping to 1-23 all-time against FBS schools, the Bears have now scored in double figures against their last five FBS opponents. Mis-souri State, meanwhile, is 5-0 all-time against Tennesse-Martin, the Bears’ opponent in their home opener this Saturday at Plaster Field.

Missouri State (0-1,0-0) ---------------------------------------------- 09-05 vs Arkansas, L, 10-48 09-12 TENN.-MARTIN 09-19 MURRAY STATE 09-26 *NORTHERN IOWA 10-03 *at Youngstown State 10-10 *SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 10-17 *at Western Illinois 10-24 *at North Dakota State 10-31 *ILLINOIS STATE 11-07 *INDIANA STATE 11-14 *at Southern Illinois

NORTH DAKOTA STATE

Record: 0-1, 0-0Last Week: L, at Iowa State, 17-34This Week: at Sam Houston State

Career Days For Bison • WR Warren Holloway caught a career-high four passes for 68 yards, doubling the numbers he posted during the 2008 season when catching a pair of passes for 17 yards. • LB Preston Evans recorded a career-high 11 tackles including seven solos and two tackles for loss, topping his previous best of seven tackles by the third quarter against the Cyclones. • RB Pat Paschall rushed 21 times for a career-high 146 yards and one TD. His previous best rushing effort was 133 yards at Illinois State last season. He has 5 career 100-yard games.

Anderson Gets a Pair LB Matt Anderson recovered a pair of fumbles at Iowa State. That was one fumble recovery away from matching the NDSU single-game record of three set by defensive tackle Don Meyer against Northern Michigan in 1976.

New Bison Make an Impact True freshman RB Mike Sigers will remember his first collegiate rushing attempt, a 42-yard burst down the left sideline to the 1 yardline against Iowa State on Sept. 3. Sigers finished with three carries for 53 yards for an aver-age of 17.7 yards per attempt. Sigers was one of four true freshmen who saw action at Iowa State including linebacker Brandon Jemison, fullback Garrett Bruhn and strong safety Bobby Ollman. Two others, CB Brendin Pierre and QB Brock Jensen, traveled but didn’t play.

North Dakota State (0-1,0-0) ---------------------------------------------- 09-03 at Iowa State, L, 17-34 09-12 at Sam Houston State 09-19 WAGNER 09-26 *at Southern Illinois 10-03 *ILLINOIS STATE 10-10 *NORTHERN IOWA 10-17 *at South Dakota State 10-24 *MISSOURI STATE 10-31 *at Western Illinois 11-14 *at Indiana State 11-21 *YOUNGSTOWN STATE

NORTHERN IOWA

Record: 0-1, 0-0Last Week: L, at #21 Iowa, 16-17

This Week: South Dakota

Herring Tops Century Mark Sophomore WR Jarred Herring surpassed the 100-yard receiving mark for the second time in his career Saturday after notching a career-high six pass receptions for 100 yards. Herring caught a 50-yard bomb from Pat Grace in the third quarter to set up a field goal, which gave the Panthers a 13-3 lead over the No. 21-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. Herring’s only previ-ous 100-plus receiving effort came in the 2008 NCAA FCS first-round playoff matchup with Maine. Herring caught three passes for 102 yards and two scores against the Black Bears.

Panthers Saying Grace Senior quarterback Pat Grace passed for a career-high 270 yards on 23-of-37 passing against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Grace connected with tight end Ryan Mahaffey on a 14-yard scor-ing strike in the second quarter.

Sack Attack The Panthers registered four sacks of Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi on Saturday. Senior defensive lineman Wes Lane led the way with 1 1/2 sacks. Senior linebacker Josh Mahon-ey and sophomore defensive end Ben Boothby each tallied one quarterback sack, while senior DT Chuck Kinney was credited with 1/2 sack.

Northern Iowa (0-1,0-0) ---------------------------------------------- 09-05 at #21 Iowa, L, 16-17 09-12 SOUTH DAKOTA 09-19 SAINT FRANCIS 09-26 *at Missouri State 10-03 *INDIANA STATE 10-10 *at North Dakota State 10-17 *SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 10-24 *at South Dakota State 11-07 *YOUNGSTOWN STATE 11-14 *WESTERN ILLINOIS 11-21 *at Illinois State

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE

Record: 0-0, 0-0Last Week: idle

This Week: Georgia Southern

Jackrabbits Open Season South Dakota State hosts Georgia Southern in the 14th Annual Cereal Bowl Saturday night at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. SDSU is 10-3 in its previous Cereal Bowl games.

This Time, At Our Place The Jackrabbits are 0-3 all-time against Georgia Southern. In the last meeting, on Oct. 6, 2007, in Statesboro, Ga., SDSU trailed 31-7 at halftime, but rallied to tie the game at 38-all before Jesse Hartley kicked a 54-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Eagles to a 41-38 victory.

Defense to Lead An experienced Jackrabbit defense returns its top eight tacklers from a year ago. The top three tacklers are the team’s projected starters at linebacker: Jimmy Rogers (93 tackles), Chris John-son (82 tackles) and Derek Domino (80 tackles). Also returning are defensive end Danny Batten (75 tackles), line-backer Isaiah Jackson (63), safety Con-rad Kjerstad (51) and cornerbacks Cole Brodie (47) and General Parnell (45).

Ryan Replaces Ryan Ryan Crawford has been selected as the Jackrabbits’ starting quarter-back, winning a four-way battle for the position during fall camp. Crawford replaces Ryan Berry, who was the league’s first-team all-league pick.

South Dakota State (0-0,0-0) ---------------------------------------------- 09-12 GEORGIA SOUTHERN 09-19 *INDIANA STATE 09-26 *at Illinois State 10-03 at Cal Poly 10-10 *at Missouri State 10-17 *NORTH DAKOTA STATE 10-24 *NORTHERN IOWA 10-31 *at Youngstown State 11-07 *SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 11-14 at Minnesota 11-21 *at Western Illinois

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

Record: 0-1, 0-0Last Week: L, at Marshall, 28-31

This Week: idle

Salukis 0-1 Start is Rare Southern Illinois lost its season opener for the first time in the last eight years, falling by 3 points at Marshall.

Getting the Lead The Salukis have been the first to score in 16 out of their last 17 games.

Jordan Ranks No. 7 Senior inside linebacker Bran-din Jordan has moved into a tie for seventh in school history with 30.0 career tackles for a loss, moving ahead of NFL Pro Bowler Bart Scott in the record books. Jordan was instru-mental in two turnovers on Saturday at Marshall, and now Southern Illinois has forced at least two turnovers in its last six games, dating back to last season.

Southern Illinois (0-1,0-0) ---------------------------------------------- 09-05 at Marshall, L, 28-31 09-19 SOUTHWEST BAPTIST 09-26 *NORTH DAKOTA STATE 10-03 *at Western Illinois 10-10 *ILLINOIS STATE 10-17 *at Northern Iowa 10-24 *YOUNGSTOWN STATE 10-31 *at Indiana State 11-07 *at South Dakota State 11-14 *MISSOURI STATE 11-21 at Southeast Mo. State

WESTERN ILLINOIS

Record: 1-0, 0-0Last Week: W, Sam Houston, 35-28

This Week: at Northern Illinois

On The Offensive Western Illinois defeated Sam Houston State, 35-28. The last time the Leathernecks put up 35 points in a season opener was during the 2003 season when Western defeated Wayne State, 35-3. The Leathernecks held possession for 34:41 to Sam Houston State’s 25:19 and converted 5-of-11 attempts on third downs.

Star-Studded Day • Matt Barr completed 18 passes for 437 yards, the second-most pass-ing yards in a game in Western Illinois history. The most was 472 yards completed by Sam Clemons in the 2001 season.• Lito Senatus entered the Western Illinois record books with 235 receiv-ing yards, the third most in a game. Leatherneck coach Frisman Jackson set the record in 2001 with 286 yards against Indiana State. • Dre Gibbs recorded the third 100-yard game of his career as he rushed for 109 yards on 29 carries.

Taking a Second-Straight The Leathernecks defeat over the Bearkats was the second-straight win in the series dating back to 1986, neither team had ever won two in a row until this season.

Western Illinois (1-0,0-0) ---------------------------------------------- 09-03 at Sam Houston, W, 35-28 09-12 at Northern Illinois 09-19 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 10-03 *SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 10-10 *at Youngstown State 10-17 *MISSOURI STATE 10-24 *at Indiana State 10-31 *NORTH DAKOTA STATE 11-07 *at Illinois State 11-14 *at Northern Iowa 11-21 *SOUTH DAKOTA STATE

YOUNGSTOWN STATE

Record: 0-1, 0-0Last Week: L, at Pittsburgh, 3-38

This Week: Austin Peay

Blose Connects From Deep YSU junior placekicker Stephen Blose is now 2-for-2 on career field-goal attempts. Blose converted a 48-yard kick in the second quarter against the Panthers. It marks the longest field goal made by a Penguin kicker since Nick Terracina’s 56-yard-er against Liberty on Sept. 27, 2003. Blose’s previous make came at Ohio State in 2007.

The Newest Penguins YSU had five first-time starters against the Panthers, three of which were on the offensive line. First time starters for the Guins this past Saturday were LB Taylor Hill, SS Sir DeMarco Bledsoe, OT Bill Dugan, OG Tyler Figueroa and C Andy Kowicki. In addition to those five players, 10 others made their Penguin debuts, including true freshmen TB Jamaine Cook and WR Jelani Berassa.

Home Sweet Home YSU plays its first home game of the 2009 season on Saturday, Sept. 12, against Austin Peay. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. The Governors, out of the Ohio Valley Conference, are making their first trip to Youngstown since 1987. This is the Guins’ first contest against an OVC school since 1994 (Eastern Kentucky). The Penguins lead the all-time series against Austin Peay by a 6-2 margin.

Youngstown State (0-1,0-0) ---------------------------------------------- 09-05 at Pittsburgh, L, 3-38 09-12 AUSTIN PEAY 09-19 at Northeastern 09-26 *at Indiana State 10-03 *MISSOURI STATE 10-10 *WESTERN ILLINOIS 10-24 *at Southern Illinois 10-31 *SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 11-07 *at Northern Iowa 11-14 *ILLINOIS STATE 11-21 *at North Dakota State