UNI football opponent breakdown: Illinois State

No. 7 Northern Iowa returns to action this week after its bye week. On a two-game win streak after victories against then-No. 7 Eastern Washington and then-No. 17 Cal Poly, the Panthers (2-1) head to Normal, Ill. and Hancock Stadium to face No. 4 Illinois State. This marks the third time in less than a year than these teams will play, and even with 11 new starters for the Redbirds (2-1), there's plenty of familiarity here.

Each week we'll have the Panthers' opponents schedule and results, its offensive and defensive outlook, highlight key players and offer a prediction with the help of a beat writer for the opposing team. This week it's Randy Reinhardt, who covers Illinois State for The Pantagraph in Bloomington/Normal, Ill.

ILLINOIS STATE SCHEDULE/RESULTS

Sept. 5 at Iowa, L, 31-14

Sept. 12 vs Morgan State, W, 67-14

Sept. 19 at Eastern Illinois, W, 34-31

Oct. 3 vs No. 7 UNI

Oct. 10 at No. 10 Youngstown State

Oct. 17 at Missouri State

Oct. 24 vs Western Illinois

Oct. 31 vs No. 21 Indiana State

Nov. 7 at No. 5 South Dakota State

Nov. 14 at Southern Illinois

Nov. 21 vs South Dakota

OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK

The combination of Tre Roberson and Marshaun Coprich is as deadly a quarterback-running back combination as you'll find in FCS. The list of superlatives for those two and the rest of the ILS offense is impressive and lengthy, and it's certainly what carried the Redbirds on their run to the FCS national championship game last season.

ILS runs a lot of read-option and is run-heavy without a doubt, but Roberson can throw, too. He had 30 touchdown passes last season (a school record) and has five through three games this season while throwing at a 50 percent clip and for an average of 170.7 yards per game. When he's not trying to find leading receivers Anthony Warrum and Christian Gibbs, it's a heavy dose of Coprich.

Coprich is great on the ground as an every-down back and can catch out of the backfield, too. ILS will run out of a mix of offensive sets, looking to misdirect opposing defenses into where the ball will go. There are very few secrets here, rather extremely talented players who execute at a high level.

From Reinhardt on Illinois State's offensive outlook:

'The Redbirds are heavily dependent on senior quarterback Tre Roberson and All-American senior tailback Marshaun Coprich. Junior Anthony Warrum leads an inexperienced receiving corps that has been thinned by injuries. An all-junior offensive line that returned just two starters is beginning to gel.'

DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK

The Redbirds line up in a standard-looking 4-3 defense that will remind UNI fans a lot of what Mark Farley and Jeremiah Johnson have the Panthers do. Coach Brock Spack was once the defensive coordinator at Purdue, so, like Farley, his team takes pride in defense. Key returners Pat Meehan and Teddy Corwin are joined by Ohio State transfer David Perkins and Oregon transfer Oshay Dunmore, though it appears Corwin may still be out with an injury.

To that end, ILS has struggled in the run game this season defensively, if just a bit. The Redbirds give up an average of 361 total yards per game — 172.7 yards through the air and 188.3 on the ground. In the season-opener, Iowa ran for 210 and threw for 221 in the 31-14 win, the only loss for the Redbirds this season.

ILS throws in some unique looks, but in general, UNI shouldn't be surprised by what it sees on Saturday. Still, quality players running a system they know well is tough to get past. They shut down the Panthers in the playoff game, and go against an offense very similar in style to what the Redbirds see each day in practice.

From Reinhardt on Illinois State's defensive outlook:

'ISU was disappointed in its tackling in an overtime victory over Eastern Illinois two weeks ago. The Redbirds, especially linebackers Pat Meehan and Alex Donnelly, must be more sound against the rushing talents of UNI quarterback Aaron Bailey. ISU will likely be without all-MVFC end Teddy Corwin because of a foot injury that caused him to miss the past two games.'

KEY PLAYERS

Marshaun Coprich, RB — There's a reason Coprich was up for the Walter Payton Award last season. He rushed for 2,274 yards and 27 touchdowns. And he's at it again this season with 340 yards and five touchdowns through three games, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. That's almost a letdown after last season. He's contributing on the ground and through the air, with six catches for 41 yards. He's also got a new lease of life, if you will, after avoiding suspension after an off-season run-in with the law. Stopping him is priority No. 1 for the UNI defense.

David Perkins, DE — Any time a team adds an FBS transfer (and ILS does this at a very high rate, looking at its roster), that player almost always makes an impact. That's even more so if that player comes from a team that just won the national title, and that's certainly the case here. The Ohio State transfer is second on the team in tackles with 19, second in tackles for loss with 2.5 and leads the team in sacks with two. He's also batted down two passes at the line. He affects the game in every way, and makes for a tall task on the edge for the UNI offensive line.

From Reinhardt on Illinois State's key players;

'If Roberson is on his game throwing the football, the Redbirds are difficult to stop with Coprich capable of inflicting damage on the ground. Speedy receivers Anthony Fowler and Bryce Jefferson could be bigger factors than over the first three games if injuries to other pass catchers boost their roles. Defensive end David Perkins can alter a game with his pass rushing skills.'

PREDICTION

Yes, the Redbirds are highly ranked. Yes, the Redbirds sport two extremely talented players on offense. Yes, they have some standout players on defense. But so far this season, they've not shown the form they had by the end of last year. ILS didn't live up to the billing against Iowa, and needed overtime to beat Eastern Illinois two weeks ago.

If UNI can limit, even a little, what Coprich and Roberson do on offense, and keep Perkins out of the backfield, it could be a good day for the Panthers. Ultimately, it comes down to whose new players step up quicker, and UNI's have done that in a bigger way so far this season. Northern Iowa 31, Illinois State 27.

From Reinhardt:

Northern Iowa 27, Illinois State 23.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com