>>ISU Enters Top 10 Of FCS Football Polls
Coming off a thrilling come-from-behind 20-18 win on the road against nationally-ranked Indiana State, Illinois State (5-0, 2-0 MVFC) soared into the Top 10 in both national Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) polls released Monday.
The Redbirds, one of just five remaining FCS teams still undefeated in 2014, moved up six spots to No. 9 in the FCS Coaches Poll and moved up five spots to No. 10 in The Sports Network FCS Top 25 after the tough road win against the Sycamores.
The win Saturday was the third of the season over a ranked FCS opponent for the Redbirds.
Illinois State made the biggest jump in the FCS Coaches Poll, moving up six spots after the 20-18 defeat of the then No. 22-ranked Sycamores, who dropped one spot in this week's poll to No. 23. Fellow Missouri Valley Football Conference member North Dakota State (6-0, 2-0 MVFC) was the unanimous No. 1 pick this week, receiving all 26 first-place votes for a total of 650 points. South Dakota State moved up to No. 16, following a 32-28 win at Missouri State, and Southern Illinois (No.17) and Youngstown State (No. 19) both dropped after losses last weekend. Northern Iowa rounds out the MVFC representatives in the FCS Coaches Poll at No. 21.
>>ISU Kicker Named Special Teams Player of the Week
Illinois State senior place kicker Nick Aussieker was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week Sunday, after nailing a game-winning field goal in the Redbirds' 20-18 win at No. 20 Indiana State on Saturday.
The honor is the first for Aussieker in his career at Illinois State and the fifth for a Redbird player this season.
Aussieker kicked the game-winning 20-yard field goal with three seconds left in the contest to lift the No. 15 Redbirds past the Sycamores on Homecoming at Memorial Stadium.
The Wildwood, Missouri, native also added a 34-yard field goal early in the third quarter, which put the first three points of the day on the scoreboard for Illinois State.
With his two field goals, Aussieker is now 7-for-7 on the season in field goal attempts for the Redbirds.
