Illinois State announces fall 2021 football schedule

By Brian Wilmer -

The Illinois State Redbirds have announced their fall 2021 football schedule, which features five home games and six road contests.

The Redbirds break the seal on the 2021 slate by welcoming the Butler Bulldogs to Hancock Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 4. A trio of road games then ensues, beginning with a trip to Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference (Sept. 11), before in-state road affairs at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 18) and Southern Illinois (Sept. 25).

Illinois State will then spend the first half of the tenth month in Normal, with a bye week sandwiched around Missouri Valley Football Conference visits from Missouri State (Oct. 2) and North Dakota State (Oct. 16). The latter visit from the Bison will be ISU’s Homecoming game. Road trips to South Dakota (Oct. 23) and Western Illinois (Oct. 30) bring the month to a close.

Two of the three scheduled November games will take place near the intersection of Interstates 55 and 74, as Northern Iowa kicks off the month with a visit on Saturday, Nov. 6. The final road contest for the Redbirds will require a trek to Grand Forks to play North Dakota (Nov. 13), before Indiana State closes the MVFC slate and the regular season at Hancock Stadium Nov. 20.

Below is Illinois State’s complete schedule for the 2021 season, plus a link to their schedule page which will be updated with kickoff times and TV as they are announced:

2021 Illinois State Football Schedule

  • 09/04 – Butler
  • 09/11 – at Western Michigan
  • 09/18 – at Eastern Illinois
  • 09/25 – at Southern Illinois
  • 10/02 – Missouri State
  • 10/09 – OFF
  • 10/16 – North Dakota State
  • 10/23 – at South Dakota
  • 10/30 – at Western Illinois
  • 11/06 – Northern Iowa
  • 11/13 – at North Dakota
  • 11/20 – Indiana State

The Redbirds closed out the spring 2021 campaign with a 1-3 record, choosing to conclude their season on March 22.