Getty Indiana State will honor three students, two football players, who were killed in a car accident on August 22.
Indiana State returns to the football field in the wake of tragedy to face North Alabama on Thursday, September 1.
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North Alabama vs Indiana State Preview
Indiana State will take the field against North Alabama on Thursday, as the Sycamores move forward from the deaths of two players who were killed in a car accident on August 22.
Sycamores linebacker Christian Eubanks and defensive back Caleb Vanhooser both died in the crash according to The Associated Press. Two other ISU players got injured in the crash — running back Omarion Dixon and linebacker John Moore.
“Both young men were quality individuals who were loved and respected by their teammates and this staff. To say they will be missed is an understatement,” Sycamores head coach Curt Mallory siad via a statement from the school per The Associated Press.
ISU cancelled practices on August 21 and 22 but resumed practices on August 23 according to CNHI News Indiana’s Todd Aaron Golden. Now, the Sycamores kick off their football season at home, coming off a 5-6 record in 2021. The team will wear all white and encourage fans to wear al white in honor of the players and students who died in the accident per ISU Athletics. ISU student Jayden Musili died in the accident with Eubanks and VanHooser per the Associated Press.
North Alabama head coach Chris Willis offered his condolences and called it “a tragedy” per David Glovach of Times Daily. Willis said he also that hopes his team “never has to” something like this per Glovach.
On the field, UNA is a team that’s newer to the FCS and went 3-8 in 2021. The Lions completed their transition to the FCS this year, meaning the program could qualify for the playoffs.
“You feel like there’s some type of accomplishment like you’ve made it and, you know, man, what an awesome deal,” Lions head coach Chris Willis said via FOX 54’s Simon Williams. “If you told everybody the outline of what it was going to be like to go through all the action, you laid it all down from resources that you have, the schedules and everything you got to do, a lot of people wouldn’t have signed up for this. And so I think what we feel around here is just like, man, we did it and we did it together.”
UNA beat a Missouri Valley Football Conference team last time when Lions beat Western Illinois in 2019. ISU went 3-5 in the MVFC last season, a conference the sent six teams to the playoffs, including national champion North Dakota State.