By Adam Studzinski
NORMAL – For coach Brock Spack and the Illinois State football team, “it’s been one of those seasons.”
Following a 27-24 road loss to South Dakota last week, Spack and the Redbirds (3-5, 1-4 Missouri Valley Football Conference) now prepare for Saturday’s home match against conference leading South Dakota State (5-2, 4-0).
“(We) need to make our own breaks and take advantage of the opportunities in front of us,” said Spack. “It’s kind of been a broken record this fall. Some of those guys are young players, I get it, but you’re in week, now, 10. So (they’ve) got to start figuring that out.”
The Jackrabbits bring with them receiver Jake Wieneke, who sits at third in the MVFC in receiving per game (101.8). Added to that are his 24 catches, 407 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.
Spack said ISU will have to play with great technique against Wieneke.
“Do a good job of disrupting routes and being able to play the ball in the air very well,” said Spack. “He’s very tall and strong.”
SDSU wields the best passing offense in the Valley at 329.8 yards per game, but Spack said they’re not one dimensional.
“They can run power football. They can run the quarterback. They can run the back. They run power, inside zone,” said Spack. “They have a way of getting back to that.”
Kick-off at Hancock Stadium is 2 p.m. Saturday. Pregame on WJBC and wjbc.com is 1 p.m.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].
