It's halfway through the season and the games only continue to get more important starting with this weekend's matchup between No. 25 Illinois State (4-2, 2-1 MVFC) and Youngstown State where future playoff implications loom large for both the Redbirds and the Penguins.

Youngstown State dropped a heart breaking 34-31 decision to No. 10 South Dakota at the DakotaDome last weekend. YSU trailed 31-10 in the second half before scoring three unanswered touchdowns to tie the contest. Will Leyland kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired to pull out the win for the Coyotes.

Redbird quarterback Zack Annexstad set career highs with four touchdown passes and 79 yards rushing. He threw touchdown passes to four different receivers, but also picked up several key first downs with his legs including a career-long 41-yard run that set up a Redbird score.

Game time is 1 pm local time.