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| SportsSaturday, October 13, 2007 7:03 PM CDT |
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ISU's Stewart: 'We need to improve a lot'
NORMAL — Senior linebacker Kye Stewart believes Illinois State needs to “try to get around the ball, go out and have fun” in today’s 1:30 p.m. homecoming football game against Indiana State at Hancock Stadium. What wasn’t a bit of fun was reviewing video of last week’s 58-41 loss to Missouri State. Stewart realizes another disappointing loss easily could be the result if the Redbird defense doesn’t show significant progress. “We need to improve a lot,” said Stewart, the Gateway Conference’s tackles leader. “After watching the film and seeing things we didn’t do right, we made a vow to ourselves not to ever let that happen to us again.” Illinois State has lost three consecutive games to slip to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the Gateway. The Redbirds face the only other winless Gateway team in reeling Indiana State (0-6, 0-2). “We have spent exhaustive time looking at films from the last several games trying to find some answers to right our ship, particularly defensively,” Redbird coach Denver Johnson said. “We have to try to examine what we can do — whether it’s personnel moves, scheme adjustments or modes of operation — to give ourselves a better chance of being successful.” Success has been an infrequent flavor in the Sycamores’ mouths. Since Oct. 9, 2004, Indiana State has won one of 33 games. Coach Lou West was fired after the first four games of the current season. Dennis Raetz, who coached the Sycamores from 1981 to ’97, has taken over on an interim basis. “I’ve seen a lot of improvement. They’ve got some talent on that team,” Johnson said. “The last game they played much better against Western Illinois (a 19-7 loss). I see maybe some things that are coming around there.” The Sycamores have used both Reilly Murphy and Charles Dowdell at quarterback. The pair has combined to complete 71 of 148 passes for 793 yards. “Like Missouri State, they do a lot of spread stuff,” Stewart said. “If you don’t read your keys and aren’t assignment correct, they can hurt you just like Missouri State. The biggest thing is being disciplined. If we do our job, we’ll be just fine.” Although ISU quarterback Luke Drone leads the Gateway with 12 interceptions, the senior also has passed for 1,096 yards and eight touchdowns. Geno Blow (490 yards) and Rafael Rice (482) form a potent rushing tandem. “It’s really hard to get a handle on Illinois State. They played Missouri a lot better than Nebraska,” said Raetz. “And they played right there with Northern Iowa, one of the best teams in I-AA. I really don’t know which is the real Illinois State.” ISU center Jonathan St-Pierre believes the Redbirds need to concentrate on each play individually. “I love what Vince Lombardi said. ‘The scoreboard is for the fans. What really matters is winning the battle with the guy in front of you,’ ” St-Pierre said. “That’s what I think we need to focus on right now. The rest will take care of itself.” Illinois State vs. Indiana State When: 1:30 p.m., today Where: Hancock Stadium, Normal Records: Indiana State 0-6, 0-2; Illinois State 2-4, 0-2 Radio: WJBC-AM (1230) Redbird essentialsIndiana State vs. Illinois State Site: Hancock Stadium, Normal Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. today Records: Indiana State 0-6, 0-2 in Gateway; Illinois State 2-4, 0-2 Coaches: Illinois State’s Denver Johnson has a 43-43 record in his eighth season as coach of the Redbirds and is 64-55 in his 11th season as a head coach. Indiana State coach Dennis Raetz was 94-106-1 as coach of the Sycamores from 1981 to ’97. He is serving as interim coach after Lou West was fired after four games. Indiana State injuries: Linebacker Brandon Pence (shoulder) is questionable. Illinois State injuries: Defensive end Jarek Thomas will miss the rest of the season with a broken leg. Indiana State leaders: Passing – Reilly Murphy (59 of 120, 647 yards, 3 TDs); Rushing – Bryan McCulley (241 yards, 0 TDs); Receiving – Brian Jackson (20 catches, 281 yards, 2 TDs) ISU leaders: Passing – Luke Drone (96 of 164, 1,096 yards, 8 TDs); Rushing – Geno Blow (490 yards, 5 TDs); Receiving – Jason Horton (20 catches, 304 yards, 2 TDs) What to watch for -- The Redbirds try to snap a three-game losing streak against an Indiana State team that owns one win over the past two and a half seasons. -- Riding a string of three straight 100-yard rushing games, Redbird sophomore Geno Blow goes against an Indiana State defense that ranks last in the Gateway at 279.5 yards per game. Points of interest It is homecoming at Hancock Stadium. The Redbirds are 42-39-6 in past homecoming games and 4-3 under Johnson. Illinois State defensive coordinator and former player Galen Scott, Frank Purdy (tennis) and Jackie Ryan-Beck (golf) will be honored at halftime as new members of the school’s athletics Hall of Fame. Redbird linebacker Kye Stewart needs seven tackles to move into 10th place on the school’s career tackles list. Talking the talk -- “We find ourselves in a spot we did not expect to be in. Obviously, we’ve got some issues, especially on the defensive side of the ball. We can still achieve some positive things out of this season.” – Illinois State coach Denver Johnson -- “They have been effective offensively all along. Blow is a great back. It seems like we see a great back every week.” – Indiana State coach Dennis Raetz Compiled by Randy Reinhardt Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports. 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To: You Got wrote on Oct 13, 2007 11:30 AM:
You Got wrote on Oct 13, 2007 1:07 AM:
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