Redbird Football
NORMAL, Ill.- Illinois State football’s cinderella run to the FCS national championship ended in heartbreak Monday night, as the Redbirds fell 35–34 to Montana State in overtime, the first title game in the FCS’ 48-year history to be decided beyond regulation. The Redbirds, who entered the FCS playoffs unranked and have been road underdogs throughout […]
Image Courtesy of Illinois State Athletics NORMAL, Ill. -Illinois State punched its ticket to Nashville in emphatic fashion, rolling to a 30–14 victory in the FCS semifinals over Villanova. After truly embracing the road warrior mentality and winning 4 games on the road, the Redbirds have done everything necessary to earn a spot in the […]
Image courtesy of Illinois State football NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State football travels to Villanova Stadium to battle No. 12 Villanova at noon on Saturday for a spot in the Football Championship Subdivision National Championship Game. The Redbirds have not been in the semi-finals since 2014, when they beat the University of New Hampshire and […]
Image courtesy of Illinois State Athletics. NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State Redbird football team delivered its most impressive and complete game of the season Saturday night. They knocked off No. 8-ranked UC Davis 42-31 at UC Davis Health Stadium to earn a spot in the FCS semifinals for the first time since 2014. The […]
Image courtesy of Illinois State football. NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State football turned the horns down and defeated No. 1 ranked North Dakota State University 29-28 in the second-round of the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs on Saturday. The Redbirds marched into the Fargodome and ended the Bison’s 20 home-game win streak with under one minute […]
Image courtesy of Illinois State Athletics NORMAL, Ill. –The Illinois State Redbirds delivered one of their most complete performances of the 2025 season on Saturday with a 21–3 win over Southeastern Louisiana. A dominant defensive effort and well-timed offensive execution helped the Redbirds secure a first-round FCS playoff victory and improve to 6-0 on the […]
Image Courtesy of Illinois State Athletics NORMAL, Ill. -Illinois State headed into its regular-season finale on a 5-game winning streak and an 8-3 record, aiming for a lower seed heading into the FCS playoffs. That was the hope and thought process of the Redbirds on their Senior Day, but the Salukis of Southern Illinois had […]
IMAGE COURTESY OF BLOOMINGTON BISON MEDIA TEAM NORMAL, Ill. – Callum Tung’s 36-save performance anchored the Bison on the road, powering Bloomington to a 3-1 win over the Iowa Heartlanders at Xtream Arena on Saturday and completing the sweep of the home-and-home series. Much like Friday night’s contest, the Bison came out aggressive and in […]
Image Courtesy of Illinois State Athletics NORMAL, Ill.-November has been very welcoming to the Redbirds over the last two years, with Illinois State going 8-0 in the month, including playoff games. Most recently, the Redbirds traveled to South Dakota to face the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State, one of the premier programs in the FCS […]
Imagine courtesy of Illinois State Athletics NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State Redbirds delivered yet another impressive road victory last weekend, defeating 15th-ranked South Dakota State Jackrabbits 35-21. The now number 11-ranked Redbirds opened up the game in ridiculous fashion with impressive offensive schemes and immense pressure on defense. Before halftime, the Redbirds were up 35-0 […]