CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2018 Illinois State

6–⁠5 (3–⁠5 Missouri Valley Football Conference).

Schedule and results

Illinois State in 2018, game by game: won vs. Saint Xavier 46–0; won vs. Eastern Illinois 48–10; won at Colorado State 35–19; lost at Missouri State 21–24; won vs. Western Illinois 33–16; won vs. Southern Illinois 51–3; lost at North Dakota State 14–28; lost vs. South Dakota State 28–38; lost at Northern Iowa 16–26; lost at Indiana State 23–28; won vs. Youngstown State 35–28+48−14Won 46–0 vs. Saint Xavier+46Saint XavierWon 48–10 vs. Eastern Illinois+38Eastern IllinoisWon 35–19 at Colorado State+16Colorado StateLost 21–24 at Missouri State-3Missouri StateWon 33–16 vs. Western Illinois+17Western IllinoisWon 51–3 vs. Southern Illinois+48Southern Illino…Lost 14–28 at North Dakota State-14North Dakota St…Lost 28–38 vs. South Dakota State-10South Dakota St…Lost 16–26 at Northern Iowa-10Northern IowaLost 23–28 at Indiana State-5Indiana StateWon 35–28 vs. Youngstown State+7Youngstown State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 1vsSaint XavierW 46–⁠079%
Sep 8vsEastern IllinoisW 48–⁠1072%
Sep 22atColorado StateW 35–⁠1937%
Sep 29atMissouri StateL 21–⁠2460%
Oct 6vsWestern IllinoisW 33–⁠1660%
Oct 13vsSouthern IllinoisW 51–⁠379%
Oct 20atNorth Dakota StateL 14–⁠2821%
Oct 27vsSouth Dakota StateL 28–⁠3853%
Nov 3atNorthern IowaL 16–⁠2640%
Nov 10atIndiana StateL 23–⁠2857%
Nov 17vsYoungstown StateW 35–⁠2861%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Youngstown State 35–⁠28; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

In program history: The 11th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 57 on file).

Record
6–⁠5
Conference
3–⁠5 tied for 6th in Missouri Valley Football Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
350–⁠220
Coach
—
Elo
1391 +32 this season
SP+ rating
—
SRS
−9.5 No. 7 of 125 in FCS
Recruiting class
No. 163
Offensive coordinator
Kurt Beathard
Defensive coordinator
Travis Niekamp
Captains
Luther Kirk, Spencer Schnell and Nick Kielbasa
Most valuable player
Zackary Mathews and Spencer Schnell

Leaders

Passing yardsBrady Davis QB271 yds
Passing touchdownsBrady Davis QB2 TD
Rushing yardsJames Robinson RB184 yds
Rushing touchdownsJames Robinson RB2 TD
Receiving yardsAndrew Edgar WR111 yds
Receiving touchdownsMarkel Smith RB1 TD
TacklesZackary Mathews LB10 tkl
SacksRomeo McKnight DE2 sacks
InterceptionsChristian Uphoff DB1 INT

Top recruits in the 2018 class

Bryce Jefferson DUAL★★No. 2527
Kenton Wilhoit S★★No. 2794
Mike Gardner S★★No. 3188
Peter Bussone OG★★No. 3615
Eliki Tanuvasa OG★★No. 3595

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2018 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.790
Offensive line32.00.726
Defensive backs22.00.773
Whole class62.00.752

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
North Dakota State8–⁠015–⁠0
South Dakota State6–⁠210–⁠3
Indiana State5–⁠37–⁠4
Northern Iowa5–⁠37–⁠6
Western Illinois4–⁠45–⁠6
Illinois State3–⁠56–⁠5
South Dakota3–⁠54–⁠7
Youngstown State3–⁠54–⁠7
Missouri State2–⁠64–⁠7
Southern Illinois1–⁠72–⁠9

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.