The 2019 Illinois State Redbirds football team represented Illinois State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 11th-year head coach Brock Spack, the Redbirds compiled an overall record of 10–5 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the MVFC. Illinois State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Redbirds beat Southeast Missouri State in the first round and Central Arkansas in the second round before losing to the eventual national champion, North Dakota State, in the quarterfinals. The team played home games at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois.
Preseason
MVFC poll In the MVFC preseason poll released on July 29, 2019, the Redbirds were predicted to finish in third place.
Preseason All–MVFC team The Redbirds had four players selected to the preseason all-MVFC team.
Offense
James Robinson – RB
Drew Himmelman – OL
Defense
Luther Kirk – DB
Devin Taylor – DB
Schedule
Game summaries
At Northern Illinois
Morehead State
At Eastern Illinois
Northern Arizona
North Dakota State
At Southern Illinois
At Western Illinois
Indiana State
Northern Iowa
At South Dakota State
Missouri State
At Youngstown State
At Southeast Missouri State—NCAA Division I First Round The Redbirds were selected for the postseason tournament, with a first-round pairing against Southeast Missouri State.
At Central Arkansas—NCAA Division I Second Round
At North Dakota State—NCAA Division I Quarterfinal
Ranking movements
References