After a disappointing start to the season, Northwestern gets right back to action at Ryan Field in Week 2 against the Illinois State Redbirds. Out of Normal, Illinois (yes, that’s the name of the town), the Redbirds are located about two and a half hours from Evanston. Here’s what else we know about Brock Spack’ squad:

1. This is not your typical FCS cakewalk

Illinois State is good. By FCS standards, really good. In 2014, the Redbirds went 13-1 before falling to FCS powerhouse North Dakota State 29-27 in the National Championship game. Last year, they went 10-3, and played eventual Big Ten West champion Iowa to a respectable 31-14 game (though both touchdowns came late in the game).