Football Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Homecoming 2010 - Leathernecks Play Host to Indiana State

INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES (1-1, 0-0)
at WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS (2-1, 0-0)
HOMECOMING & HALL OF FAME 2010
Saturday, September 25 • 3 p.m. MACOMB

Hanson Field (Natural Grass/16,368 capacity)
All-Time Series: WIU leads 20-13
Last Meeting: @INDST 17, WIU 14 (10/24/09)

THE GAME: Western Illinois opens Missouri Valley Football Conference play at home for the second consecutive year... The Leathernecks have lost their last two MVFC openers. The last win came against Indiana State in 2007, a 19-7 win... The 2010 Hall of Fame Class will be introduced at halftime. Of the five inductees, three have football ties (Charlie Carey, Aaron Stecker and Curt Westen)... Western had won nine straight against the Sycamores from 2000-09 before falling last year in Terre Haute.
THE RANKINGS: Western received 83 points (37th place) in The Sports Network/Fathead.com 'Top 25 poll and 12 points in the FCS Coaches poll (37th place). Indiana State did not receive votes in either poll.

THE SCHEMES: Western Illinois will line up in a multiple formation on offense and 3-4 alignment on defense... Indiana State runs a multiple formation on offense and 4-3 defensive alignment.

THE COACHES: Mark Hendrickson is in his 12th year with the Leatherneck Football program, first as the head coach. He owns a 2-1 record this season, 7-11 record in three years (parts of two years as acting head coach... Trent Miles is in his third season at ISU and overall as a head coach, posting a 2-23 record.

HOMECOMING 2010: Western Illinois owns a 47-22-5 record on Homecoming, 5-5 over the last 10 years.

ALL-TIME SERIES: This is the 34th meeting between Western Illinois and Indiana State... The Fighting Leathernecks own a 9-1 mark over the last 10 meetings, the one Sycamore victory coming last season 17-14 in Terre Haute... Western owns a 16-7 record since the 1987 season, the first year as both playing as conference foes... The last meeting at Hanson Field was a 56-0 victory (2008).

SCOUTING THE SYCAMORES: Coming off a bye week, Indiana State opened with a 57-7 win over St. Joseph's (Ind.) then dropped a 40-7 decision at Cincinnati... The Sycamores enter the game ranked 15th nationally in rushing offense (232 yards per game), 24th in scoring offense (32 ppg), 11th in pass defense (134 ypg) and 10th in sacks recorded (3.0 p/g)... Shakir Bell and Darrius Gates both average 100 yards rushing per game. Gates has three touchdowns while Bell has one... Indiana State has rushed for seven TDs this season... Ronnie Fouch has completed 56 percent of his passes for 304 yards and a touchdown... Larry King leads the defense with 18 tackles... Rod Hardy has three sacks and Ben Obaseki has two.

500 AND COUNTING: Leatherneck Football hit a milestone in the 56-14 win over Sam Houston State. That marked the 500th career win in Western Illinois history (500-413-36)... Now in the 107th year of the storied program, the Fighting Leathernecks own the highest winning percentage of all the Division I programs in the state of Illinois... Head coach Mark Hendrickson receives the game ball from Vice President Dr. Garry Johnson (center) and Director of Athletics Dr. Tim Van Alstine (right).

LEATHERNECK TEAM CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED: Four seniors were voted on by their teammates as captains for the 2010 season... Quarterback Matt Barr (Belvidere/Belvidere) and linebacker Kyle Glazier (Geneseo/Geneseo) were repeat selections from 2009... Wide receiver Lito Senatus (Miami, FL/Southwest) and defensive lineman Mike Stieren (Springfield/Sacred Heart-Griffin) also represent the offense and defense, respectively.

SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS AGAINST FCS: The Leathernecks now own a 7-game winning streak in season-opening games against Football Championship Subdivision opponents. The last time Western dropped a season-opening game against a FCS program was 1993, a 29-16 loss to Montana State.
2010: 45-0 vs. Valparaiso
2009: 35-28 at Sam Houston State
2007: 29-26 OT win vs. #20 South Dakota State
2006: 31-6 vs. Morehead State
2002: 64-7 vs. Drake
2001: 17-13 vs. #3 Western Kentucky
1997: 41-0 vs. #6 Eastern Illinois
Since 2000 the Leathernecks have defeated Division II Wayne State (35-3 in 2003) and lost to Football Bowl Subdivision teams Missouri (50-20 in 2000), Nebraska (56-17 in 2004), Toledo (62-14 in 2005) and Arkansas (28-24 in 2008).

RETURNING ALL-MVFC: Western Illinois returns several All-Missouri Valley Football Conference performers in 2010... Todd Speight earned First Team accolades last year as a return specialist... Despite leading the Valley in tackles last year (and Western the past two seasons) Kyle Glazier was only a Second Team selection in 2009 and Honorable Mention his sophomore year... Fullback Josh Gabelmann and wide receiver Lito Senatus were selected Honorable Mention... Senior defensive lineman Victor Visoky earned Second Team honors his freshman year, and was a Honorable Mention selection in 2008.

BALANCED RUSHING ATTACK: Known for its rushing attack, Western Illinois kept that trend going in the season-opener against Valparaiso. Three running backs rushed for at least 80 yards - Bryce Flowers 121 (21 carries), Caulton Ray 86 (16 carries) and Lamor Hickman 80 (12 carries) in the win... The last time Western had three running backs each register at least 80 yards on the ground came against Quincy in September 2008... Thanks to Matt Barr's record performance against Sam Houston State, all three backs are within 70 yards of one another - Flowers (247), Ray (228) and Barr (177).

PROTECT THE BALL: Western Illinois has allowed only one turnover all season, and that came on a kickoff return fumble... Thanks to the Leatherneck offense's perfect ball protection, and the defense recording five takeaways, Western enters this week ranked first in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and eighth nationally in turnover margin (+5/1.7 pg). Last year Western finished at minus-12 in turnovers.

AS BARR GOES, SO DOES THE OFFENSE: Thanks to Matt Barr's quick start this season, Western Illinois ranks among the nation's elite in several offensive categories... Barr stands 21st in passing efficiency (142.24) and seventh in total offense (304.7 ypg) while the offense is sixth in rushing offense (254.7), fifth in total offense (505.7), seventh in scoring offense (40.7) and 20th in passing offense (251.0).

BARR EARNS MVFC, NATIONAL AWARD: Senior quarterback Matt Barr, who played only three quarters in the win over Sam Houston State, was named Missouri Valley Football Conference 'Offensive Player of the Week' and 'National FCS Offensive Player of the Week' by the College Football Performance Awards... Barr set a Western Illinois record with 125 rushing yards by a quarterback - breaking his own mark set against South Dakota State in the 2007 season opener... Barr rushed just seven times in the win, including a career-long 69-yard touchdown run... He completed 12-of-26 passes for 221 yards and matched a personal-best with three TD passes, also done last year in the win at Sam Houston to kick off the 2009 campaign... Both of Barr's weekly MVFC awards came following a win over Sam Houston State (2009).

TIME TO START TALKING PAYTON AWARD: Even though he is not on the Payton Award Watch List (given to the nation's top offensive player), quarterback Matt Barr is making a push to join that elite group... Through the first three games, Barr has completed 52-of-94 passes (55.3 percent) for 737 yards and six touchdowns to no interceptions. He owns a 142.24 passing efficiency mark. Barr has also rushed for 177 yards on 22 carries (8.0 apc) this year with a TD... Here how Barr stacks up against the other quarterbacks listed on the Payton Watch List in total offense.
NCAA DIVISION I TOTAL OFFENSE (FCS LEADERS)
6. Steve Valentino (Dayton), 312 ypg
7. MATT BARR, 304 ypg
9. Thomas DeMarco (Old Dominion), 299 ypg
13. Scott Riddle (Elon), 287 ypg
18. Cameron Higgins (Weber State), 276 ypg
19. Jeremy Moses (Stephen F. Austin), 276 ypg
66. Andrew Selle (Montana), 176 ypg
80. Michael Herrick (Northern Arizona), 157 ypg
82. Chris Whitney (Villanova), 154 ypg
---------------------------------
K.J. Black (Prairie View A&M), not ranked Top 100
Pat Devlin (Delaware), not ranked Top 100
Malcolm Long (South Carolina State), not ranked Top 100

Barr ranks: 18th in total passing yards, 24th in points responsible for and 21st in passing efficiency while the entire offense ranks fifth in total offense and seventh in scoring offense.

BARR CRACKS TOP 10 AGAIN: Senior quarterback Matt Barr added his name again to the Western Illinois 'Top 10' passing record book early in the 2010 season. In the Valparaiso game, Barr reached 10th place in passing yards all-time. During the Purdue game he moved from 10th to seventh place among the career leaders. After his performance against Sam Houston State he moved into sixth place all-time with 4,303 yards... His 25 completions and 286 yards at Purdue were both the second-highest totals of his career... Barr matched a career-high throwing three touchdown passes against Sam Houston State... He also ranks among the 'Top 10' in: completions (325/5th), attempts (600/T-6th), percentage (.542/7th), yards per game (153.7/8th) and touchdowns (24/9th)... His passing yards versus Sam Houston State marked the ninth time in his career he has thrown for 200-plus yards.
- CAREER 200-YARD PASSING GAMES -
437 - at Sam Houston State (2009)
286 - at Purdue (2010)
284 - at South Dakota State (2008)
276 - Youngstown State (2007)
270 - Stephen F. Austin (2009)
247 - at Stephen F. Austin (2008)
230 - Valparaiso (2010)
221 - Sam Houston State (2010)
208 - Southern Illinois (2007)
- TOP COMPLETIONS -
27 - at South Dakota State (2008)
25 - at Purdue (2010)
20 - Stephen F. Austin (2009)
18 - South Dakota State (2007)
18 - North Dakota State (2007)
18 - at Sam Houston State (2009)
- MULTI-TOUCHDOWN GAMES -
3 - Sam Houston State (2010)
3 - at Sam Houston State (2009)
2 - on four occasions

ELITE 5,000 CLUB: In addition to his rewriting of the passing record books, senior Matt Barr joined another elite group... Following the win over Sam Houston State, he surpassed 5,000 yards of total offense... Barr (5,032) became the fifth Leatherneck ever to reach the 5,000 plateau joining Paul Singer (7,816), Russ Michna (6,713), Steve LaFalce (6,683) and Jeff Hecklinski (5,728).

RAY WELCOME ADDITION: Sophomore running back Caulton Ray has been a welcome addition since joining the program in January after two years in the Michigan State program... Ray has rushed for a touchdown in all three games, totaling 228 yards on the ground (averaging 4.5 yards per rush)... Ray leads the team with 51 rushing attempts... In addition he has caught three passes for 30 yards.

CRUMP LEADING RECEIVERS: Junior Terriun Crump moved into the team lead with 13 receptions totaling 180 yards. He hauled in his first TD of the season, a 43-yarder against Sam Houston State... Crump's TD receptions was his first as a Leatherneck... He is close to matching last year's totals in just three games (18 rec./235 yds).

HELT TURNING IN CAREER YEAR: Senior tight end Drew Helt is turning into a valuable offensive threat for the Leathernecks, matching his previous three-year career totals... In three games, Helt currently ranks fourth on the team in receptions, totaling seven catches for 115 yards. In fact, three of his catches have gone for 24 or more yards... During his previous three years, Helt had seven receptions for 118 yards.

TD FIRSTS: Western Illinois' offense has accounted for seven passing touchdowns through the first three games. Those seven passes have gone to six different receivers... Of the six, five recorded their first-ever touchdown reception - Terriun Crump, Justin Morgan, Charles Chestnut, Aaron Muhammad and Josh Gabelmann.

GLAZIER HITS DOUBLE-DIGITS AGAIN: Senior linebacker Kyle Glazier led the defense once again, making 10 tackles in the win over Sam Houston State. That marked the 13th time in his career he reached double-digits for tackles... Glazier had four games in 2008, seven last year and twice this season... Glazier leads the defense with 4.0 tackles for a loss and he shares the lead with fellow senior Mike Stieren making two sacks.

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Players Mentioned

#85 Aaron Muhammad: TE; 6' 3"; Junior

#26 Lamor Hickman: RB; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#1 Lito Senatus: WR; 6' 3"; Senior

#12 Kyle Glazier: LB; 6' 1"; Senior

#9 Mike Stieren: DL; 6' 1"; Senior

#4 Matt Barr: QB; 6' 2"; Senior

#49 Drew Helt: TE; 6' 4"; Senior

#71 Victor Visoky: DL; 6' 4"; Senior

#33 Josh Gabelmann: FB; 6' 0"; Junior

#7 Todd Speight: WR; 5' 8"; Senior

#2 Charles Chestnut: WR; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#82 Justin Morgan: WR; 6' 3"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#85 Aaron Muhammad
: 6' 3"; Junior
: TE

#26 Lamor Hickman
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: RB

#1 Lito Senatus
: 6' 3"; Senior
: WR

#12 Kyle Glazier
: 6' 1"; Senior
: LB

#9 Mike Stieren
: 6' 1"; Senior
: DL

#4 Matt Barr
: 6' 2"; Senior
: QB

#49 Drew Helt
: 6' 4"; Senior
: TE

#71 Victor Visoky
: 6' 4"; Senior
: DL

#33 Josh Gabelmann
: 6' 0"; Junior
: FB

#7 Todd Speight
: 5' 8"; Senior
: WR

#2 Charles Chestnut
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: WR

#82 Justin Morgan
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: WR

Upcoming Events and Recent Results

Western Illinois University Athletics

Homecoming 2010 - Leathernecks Play Host to Indiana State

Players Mentioned

#85 Aaron Muhammad

#26 Lamor Hickman

#1 Lito Senatus

#12 Kyle Glazier

#9 Mike Stieren

#4 Matt Barr

#49 Drew Helt

#71 Victor Visoky

#33 Josh Gabelmann

#7 Todd Speight

#2 Charles Chestnut

#82 Justin Morgan

Players Mentioned

#85 Aaron Muhammad

#26 Lamor Hickman

#1 Lito Senatus

#12 Kyle Glazier

#9 Mike Stieren

#4 Matt Barr

#49 Drew Helt

#71 Victor Visoky

#33 Josh Gabelmann

#7 Todd Speight

#2 Charles Chestnut

#82 Justin Morgan