2023 Illinois State
6–5 (4–4 Missouri Valley Football Conference). Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Dayton 41–0Sep 2
By 41 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Missouri State 36–35Nov 4
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs Dayton | W 41–0 | 53% |
| Sep 9 | at Western Illinois | W 34–18 | 70% |
| Sep 16 | at Eastern Illinois | L 13–14 | 63% |
| Sep 23 | vs Lindenwood | W 48–17 | 66% |
| Oct 7 | vs South Dakota State | L 21–40 | 29% |
| Oct 14 | vs Indiana State | W 44–7 | 82% |
| Oct 21 | at Youngstown State | L 38–41 | 40% |
| Oct 28 | vs Northern Iowa | L 21–24 | 52% |
| Nov 4 | at Missouri State | W 36–35 | 48% |
| Nov 11 | vs Murray State | W 44–7 | 80% |
| Nov 18 | at North Dakota | L 21–22 | 38% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to North Dakota 22–21; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 7th in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
In program history: The 17th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 57 on file).
- Record
- 6–5
- Conference
- 4–4 tied for 7th in Missouri Valley Football Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 361–225
- Coach
- —
- Elo
- 1353 +49 this season
- SP+ rating
- —
- SRS
- −13.2 No. 16 of 128 in FCS
- Recruiting class
- No. 179
- Offensive coordinator
- Tony Petersen
- Defensive coordinator
- Travis Niekamp
Leaders
| Passing yards | Zack Annexstad QB | 2,111 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Zack Annexstad QB | 17 TD |
| Rushing yards | Mason Blakemore RB | 940 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Mason Blakemore RB | 12 TD |
| Receiving yards | Daniel Sobkowicz WR | 923 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Daniel Sobkowicz WR | 10 TD |
| Interceptions | Mark Cannon Jr. S | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2023 class
| Joshua Robinson RB | ★★★ | No. 1953 |
| Steven Curtis ATH | ★★★ | No. 2529 |
| Teon Parks ATH | ★★ | No. 2678 |
| Brady Probst TE | ★★ | No. 3000 |
| Jamarcus Smith LB |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2023 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Receivers | 1 | 2.0 | 0.773 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 2.5 | 0.795 |
| Whole class | 4 | 2.5 | 0.798 |
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.
Transfers in 2
The 2023 portal D’Marion Alexander DE | ★★★ | from  Kansas |
 Ron Carr OT | ★★★ | from  Duke |
Transfers out 0
No transfers out.
2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State | 8–0 | 15–0 | |
 South Dakota | 7–1 | 10–3 | |
 North Dakota State | 5–3 | 11–4 | |
| Youngstown State | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| North Dakota | 5–3 | 7–5 | |
| Northern Iowa | 5–3 | 6–5 | |
 Southern Illinois | 4–4 | 8–5 | |
 Illinois State | 4–4 | 6–5 | |
| Missouri State | 3–5 | 4–7 | |
| Murray State | 1–7 | 2–9 | |
| Indiana State | 1–7 | 1–10 | |
| Western Illinois | 0–8 | 0–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.