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Redbirds crack top 25 poll
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[SEPT. 23, 2003]
NORMAL
-- With a 21-14 win over No. 18 Eastern Illinois on Saturday, the
Illinois State football team earned national recognition by being
ranked in both The Sports Network/College Sports Television and
ESPN/USA Today polls on Monday.
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The Redbirds, 3-1 overall, will enter
Saturday's game against Florida Atlantic with a No. 23 ranking in
the TSN/CSTV poll and No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Head coach Denver Johnson is flattered
with the selection but feels there is still more work to do.
"It's always a great honor for our team
and staff to be recognized for their hard work and accomplishments
on the field," Johnson said. "But on the other hand, we still have a
lot of things left to accomplish. In I-AA football, championships
are won on the field, not in the polls. So even though it is nice to
be recognized, we need to focus on our next opponent and continue to
work hard for that Gateway Football Conference championship."
[to top of second column in this
article]
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The national ranking is the first for
the Redbirds since Oct. 28, 2002, when No. 25 Illinois State dropped
a 9-0 decision at No. 21, and eventual national champion, Western
Kentucky.
Illinois
State's first game this season as a ranked team will be a challenge.
FAU owns a 2-2 mark on the season with wins over Gateway rival
Youngstown State (13-6) and Division I-A Middle Tennessee (20-19).
The Owls are also coached by Howard Schnellenberger, who served as
the head coach at Miami, Oklahoma and Louisville before starting the
Owl program.
[Todd Kober, director of
athletics media relations,
Illinois State University]
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