2008 Illinois State Redbirds football team

The 2008 Illinois State Redbirds football team represented Illinois State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by Denver Johnson in his ninth and final season as head coach, the Redbirds compiled an overall record of 3–8 with a mark of 2–6 in conference play, placing eighth in the MVFC.^[1] Illinois State played home games at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois.

2008 Illinois State Redbirds football
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Record	3–8 (2–6 MVFC)
Head coach	Denver Johnson (9th season)
MVP	Walter Mendenhall, Tom Nelson
Captain	Game captains
Home stadium	Hancock Stadium
Seasons ← 2007 2009 →

2008 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 4 Northern Iowa +^		7	–	1					12	–	3
No. 11 Southern Illinois +^		7	–	1					9	–	3
South Dakota State		6	–	2					7	–	5
Western Illinois		4	–	4					6	–	5
North Dakota State		4	–	4					6	–	5
Missouri State		3	–	5					4	–	7
Youngstown State		3	–	5					4	–	8
Illinois State		2	–	6					3	–	8
Indiana State		0	–	8					0	–	12
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

After the team's final game, a loss to Southern Illinois, Johnson resigned from the head coaching position.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	3:30 p.m.	at Marshall*	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV	ESPN+	L 10–35	25,661	[3]
September 13		at Murray State*	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY		W 42–23	5,225	[4]
September 20		No. 22 Eastern Illinois*	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL (rivalry)		L 21–25	14,023	[5]
October 4		at Indiana State	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN		W 57–6	3,971	[6]
October 11	4:05 p.m.	at No. 8 Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	CFU/Mediacom	L 17–31	16,100	[7]
October 18		Missouri State	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL		L 28–34	13,292	[8]
October 25	1:30 p.m.	No. 25 North Dakota State	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL		L 7–25	8,004	[9]
November 1		Youngstown State	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL		W 54–44	11,615	[10]
November 8		at South Dakota State	Coughlin–Alumni Stadium Brookings, SD		L 21–52	3,276	[11]
November 15		at No. 25 Western Illinois	Hanson Field Macomb, IL		L 45–48 OT	4,991	[12]
November 22		No. 10 Southern Illinois	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL		L 10–17 OT	6,023	[2]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[13][14]

References

1. "2021 Redbird Football Media Guide" (PDF). Illinois State University Athletics Department. p. 71. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
2. Reinhardt, Randy (November 23, 2008). "Another OT Loss Ends Johnson's Era". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Reinhardt, Randy (August 31, 2008). "Illinois State Falls Against Marshall". Herald and Review. Lee News Service. p. C6. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Luthy, Dusty (September 14, 2008). "Offensive Woes Induce Racers' Loss". The Paducah Sun. p. 1B. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Reinhardt, Randy (September 21, 2008). "ISU Falters In Last Quarter". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Illinois State 57, Indiana State 6". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Associated Press. October 5, 2008. p. C4. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Gray, Rob (October 12, 2008). "Unlikely Reception Sparks Panthers". The Des Moines Register. p. 1C. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Scranton, Lyndal (October 19, 2008). "Bears Capture Elusive Road Win". The Springfield News-Leader. p. 1D. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Reinhardt, Randy (October 26, 2008). "ISU Leveled By Bison Stampede". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Reinhardt, Randy (November 2, 2008). "Hancock Shootout". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Reinhardt, Randy (November 9, 2008). "Beating ISU Proves A Breeze". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Western Illinois Outlasts Illinois State In Overtime". The Southern Illinoisan. Associated Press. November 16, 2008. p. 5C. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Illinois State Redbirds Schedule 2008". ESPN. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
14. "2008 Football Schedule". Illinois State University. Retrieved November 29, 2022.