Illinois State: FCS Victories Over FBS/On to Missouri State

Illinois State added-to the total of FCS victories over FBS teams in 2018 with a 35-19 victory at Colorado State.

This is the seventh such victory this year for FCS teams.  Illinois State led 14-6 at half and never trailed in the game after taking the lead 7-6 in the second quarter.  The Redbirds had two interceptions and did not turn the ball over themselves.  Illinois State rolled-up 538 yards of total offense to 391 for Colorado State.  Illinois State is undefeated at 3-0.  They lambasted their other two opponents.  Illinois State travels to a potentially rising Missouri State this Saturday.

It remains to be seen what is going on at Colorado State

The Rams are 1-4 on the season with a late win against struggling Arkansas that looked to be going to overtime in Fort Collins.  That was then, but this is now:  the FCS loss.  It should be said that Colorado State has played a tough non-conference slate with three Power Five teams, Arkansas and Florida of the SEC, and Colorado of the Pac-12.  Florida was on the road and Colorado was in Denver.  Plus, Illinois State has been a top notch FCS team in recent years, going as far as reaching the national title game within recent memory.  The Rams looked lost for most of the game in their opener, a league game hosting fellow Mountain West member, Hawaii.  A big comeback with big passing numbers from K.J. Carta-Samuels made that game look more respectable than it really was.

So now Illinois State travels to Missouri State

It is both teams’ Missouri Valley opener Saturday afternoon.  Missouri State was something of an enigma after their to-be-expected trouncing at FBS, Power Five, and Big 12, Oklahoma State and their to-be-expected trouncing of Lincoln, a struggling Division II outfit.  Both games were a fait accompli barring something unusual, which did not happen, and the scores were virtually the same, a 58-17 loss and a 52-24 win, respectively.  It was hard to divine much about the Bears’ fortunes from these largely predictable outcomes.

Then Northern Arizona came to Springfield ranked 20th in the nation.  Despite four turnovers in the first half, Missouri State led 23-6 at the half.  NAU had two turnovers attempting to field punts at the 10 yard line.  Missouri State ultimately capitalized on both of those by scoring touchdowns on very short-field possessions.  The 40-8 win is the signature win in the tenure of Missouri State’s Head Coach Dave Steckel, now in his fourth season at the helm of the Bears.  Quarterback, Peyton Huslig, is a gamer and has some moxie in his repertoire.

The Northern Arizona win has Springfield media talking big

All of this has then had some of the media covering Missouri State whipping the faithful into a frenzy of playoff talk.  After all, that was what dreams were made of when the Bears swiped Steckel from big-boy Missouri where he was the defensive coordinator during the very successful Gary Pinkel era.

“Playoffs?” screamed the large-font, bold headline of the Springfield News-Leader which has yet to carry a box score in Bears football print-coverage this season.  The whimsical publication also boldly predicted Lincoln should register neither a first down nor a point against the Bears and raised the possibility of the cancellation of the program based on the Lincoln game outcome.  Lincoln had 18 first downs and 24 points, a far cry from the neither/nor so carelessly advanced, and, at last glance, the program is still intact and has been so since its first game, a 29-0 win against Springfield High School on October 6, 1909.  Yes, cancellation of something is an issue, but many people have birdcages.  Ah, fundamentals.

The ball is stuffed for sure

However, not knowing whether the ball is pumped or stuffed, while highly amusing, does not mean you do not know it is a football.  It is a football indeed, and the Bears could go to the FCS playoffs, but to do so will likely require at least .500 record in Valley play, and more likely, a winning record.  The Missouri Valley holds a legitimate claim to be the toughest of the FCS leagues what with Illinois State and Youngstown State each making the national championship game in recent years, plus a little FCS herd called North Dakota State which has literally stampeded to the national championship six out of the last seven years.  Meaning it will be very difficult.

Although Missouri State has recently been something of a coaches’ graveyard in football, there is a pretty good chance that Steckel can get it done sometime in the near future.  One thing in his favor is that the Bears’ top brass has not been quick to fire coaches.  There have been some good coaches before him that were given plenty of time, but never reached the playoffs.  Missouri State last reached the FCS playoffs last century (1990), the longest drought for any team in the Missouri Valley by a very long margin.  Steckel has been adamant about his commitment to MSU football and, according to rumor-mongering in the Springfield media, has dismissed at least one coordinator overture from a nearby FBS team recently.

Dream a little dream come true

Dreams can be fantasies and dreams can be delusions.  Missouri State fans and local media, at times, can live in their own little world.  But dreams can also come true.  Without hope, you have nothing.

Here’s hoping that a certain local rag will carry a box score for the big game.  Or as Aerosmith put it, “Dream on.”