← Matchups

Illinois State

· 3-0 · power +13.0 · #67
Our numberILST -7.7 no book has priced this game

Youngstown State

· 2-1 · power +2.8 · #141
Our side
MoneylineILST to win ours 32%
Projected score 36–28 ILST – YSU
2026-11-14 · 12:00 PM Stambaugh Stadium · Youngstown, OH Conference game Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series Youngstown State lead 12–11 · 23 meetings since 1979
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge Illinois State Redbirds 66 ranks
Illinois State Redbirds #123 rush offense Youngstown State Penguins #189 run defense
Pass game edge Illinois State Redbirds 140 ranks
Illinois State Redbirds #79 pass offense Youngstown State Penguins #219 pass defense
Run game edge Youngstown State Penguins 112 ranks
Youngstown State Penguins #30 rush offense Illinois State Redbirds #142 run defense
Pass game edge Youngstown State Penguins 100 ranks
Youngstown State Penguins #34 pass offense Illinois State Redbirds #134 pass defense
Illinois State Redbirds Balanced · 55% run Avg pace Youngstown State Penguins Balanced · 52% run Avg pace Dual-threat QB · 113 rush ypg

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
Illinois State Redbirds
DB Jack Oliver 6 tkl · 2 PD · 1 INT #47 DB
LB Tye Niekamp 14 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 4.0 TFL #64 LB
TE Alex Herrera 4 rec · 49 yds · 2 TD #43 TE
WR Dylan Lord 13 rec · 134 yds · 1 TD #134 WR
Youngstown State Penguins
WR Lynn Wyche-El 18 rec · 229 yds · 4 TD #16 WR
QB Beau Brungard 765 pass yds · 10 TD · 1 INT #10 QB
P Evan Anderson 5 punts · 47.0 yd avg #6 P
RB Jaden Gilbert 129 rush yds · 2 TD · 8 rec #44 RB

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
Illinois State Redbirds +13.0 +7.6 +5.4 #67
Youngstown State Penguins +2.8 +8.1 -5.4 #141

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
Illinois State offense vs Youngstown State defense+12.9 pts
Youngstown State offense vs Illinois State defense+2.7 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 438 mi

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.