GAME 2

DATE: Saturday, September 8

TIME: 3 p.m.

LOCATION: Macomb

STADIUM: Hanson Field (16,368)

SURFACE: Matrix Turf

ALL-TIME SERIES: First Meeting

LAST MEETING: First Meeting

LIVE STATS: www.GoLeathernecks.com

LIVE AUDIO: Click Here

RADIO (Leatherneck Sports Network)

ANNOUNCERS.... Beau Spencer/Mark Bloom (pregame starts 45 minutes before kickoff)

Macomb: WIUS 88.3 FM (Flagship)

Macomb: WJEQ 102.7 FM

Galesburg: WAIK 1590 AM

Quincy: WPWQ 106.7 FM

Clinton, Iowa: KCLN 1390 AM

Monroe City, Missouri: KWBZ 107.5 FM

TELEVISION                                        

NETWORK................... WIU-TV3 (tape delay)

ANNOUNCERS... Aaron Viner/Josh Gleason

VIDEO                                                  

Available pay-per-view on Rocky Vision

MOBILE                                                

Audio/Stats available on iPhone and Android phones with mobile app download. Search WIU Leathernecks app on iTunes and Google Play.

THE GAME: Western Illinois will do something not seen since the 1997 season, play its first two games to start a season both at Hanson Field... The Leathernecks will face Indianapolis for the first time in program history... It will mark the first meeting against a Division II program since the 2008 home-opening win over Quincy... Western owns a 26-4 record against non-Division I opponents dating back to 1985.

THE RANKINGS: Western Illinois received one vote in the Sports Network 'Top 25' poll.

THE COACHES: Mark Hendrickson is in third year as full-time head coach with an 11-14 record, and his 14th year with the Leatherneck Football program (16-24 overall record including parts of 2008/2009 season as acting head coach)... Bob Bartolomeo is 13-10 in his third year with the Greyhounds, and 27-17-1 in five years overall as a head coach.

LEATHERNECK FOOTBALL
• All-time winningest Division I program in the state of Illinois (.543).
• Nine appearances in the Division I Playoffs (1988, '91, '96, '97, '98, 2000, '02, '03, '10).
• In 2012, the Leathernecks will face all three non-conference foes for the first time.
• Western will square off against the second of three teams from Indiana this year.
• Since Mark Hendrickson's arrival in 1999, the Leathernecks are 26-4 against non-Missouri Valley Football Conference teams at Hanson Field.
• The Leathernecks own a 222-106-7 record at Hanson Field (since 1950).
• Western is 28-15 all-time against teams from the state of Indiana.
• Of the 6 times in Missouri Valley Football Conference history an offensive/defensive 'Player of the Year' earned First Team Academic All-Conference honors, four have been a Leatherneck (Russ Michna: Offensive 2002, 2003), Herb Donaldson (Offensive 2008), Matt Barr (Offensive 2010), Kyle Glazier (Defensive 2010).

QUICK HITTERS:
• The Leathernecks offensive line did not allow a sack in the Butler  game. That was the first occurrence since the Northern Iowa game in November 2010.
• In addition to sacks allowed, Western also shares the national lead in fourth down conversions (3-for-3), and redzone offense (5-for-5)... The Leathernecks stand third nationally in time of possession (37:20) and eighth in net punting (43.67).
• Pat Smith is in a four-way tie for the national lead with three field goals, but a two-way tie in percentage at 3-for-3... With only three punts he did not factor into the national stats (3.7 punts/game) but he ranks third in the MVFC (43.7).
• Keith Enderlein is tied for the MVFC lead and tied for third nationally with his interception. It was his second career INT.
• Kevin Kintzel stands second in the conference and tied for 21st nationally in tackles for loss (2.5).
• Ryan Demming is tied for second in sacks (1.0) and tied for 25th in the country.
• Caulton Ray is 33rd nationally in rushing (106.0), tied for 15th in scoring (12.0 ppg), and tied for 89th in all-purpose yards (106.0).
• Six players made their first start as a Leatherneck: Brandon De La Cruz (R-Fr/OL), Alie Walker (Sr/TE), Nate Bowman (Jr/FB), Gino Durley, Jr. (Soph/DL), J.J. Raffelson (R-Fr/LB) and Devon Butler (Jr/LB).
• Western put together two 16-play scoring drives against Butler. Those are the longest since a 17-play TD drive (82 yds/7:06) in the rainstorm versus Indiana State at home in 2010.
• The Leathernecks matched another 2011 total in the Butler game... scoring on their first drive. Western accomplished the feat five times in 2010, but only against Southern Illinois last year did it score on the opening drive.

ALL-TIME AT HANSON FIELD: On September 23, 1950, Hanson Field was dedicated and became the home of Leatherneck Football... In those 61 years, Western has compiled a 222-106-7 record at home. In 48 of those years Western finished at least .500 at home, including a perfect 6-0 at home in 2010.

HANSON FIELD TOUGH ON NON-CONFERENCE TEAMS: Playing at Hanson Field has been a tough thing for non-conference teams in recent years... The Leathernecks are 26-4 against non-MVFC teams since Mark Hendrickson arrived at Western in 1999.

DEFENSE PITCHES FIRST HALF SHUTOUT, LOWEST TOTAL: In his debut, first-year defensive coordinator Brian Ward and the Leathernecks held Butler off the scoreboard in the first half. The last time Western put up a first-half shutout came in November 2010 during the first round of the NCAA playoffs at Coastal Carolina (17-10 win)... In fact, the 15 points allowed by Western was the lowest total given up since that 2010 opening round playoff game.

LEATHERNECKS DEBUT: Several Western Illinois players made their debut in the season-opener against Butler. Those included: offensive linemen Brandon De La Cruz (redshirt) and Sean Sullivan (redshirt); linebackers J.J. Raffelson (redshirt) and Devon Butler (FBS transfer); defensive backs Trey Garvey (JUCO transfer), Anthony Ventrella (redshirt), and Dave Nicholson (true freshman); defensive linemen Jeremy Curry (FBS transfer), Jean-Marc Charles (true-freshman), Gavin Ricketts (true-freshman) and Jacoby Sessions (JUCO transfer); fullback Larry Harris (redshirt); wide receiver Fredson Salomon (JUCO transfer); and tight end Taylor Hill (redshirt)... Raffelson, Butler and De La Cruz all earned the start in their first game.


SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS: Indianapolis cut a 10-point deficit down to 17-14 early in the second half, but Ashford scored 21 unanswered points to pull away for a 37-14 victory on Thursday night...  Klay Fiechter rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the game, averaging 6.1 yards per carry... Chris Mills passed for 184 yards, completing 22-of-38 passes but he threw two interceptions... Mar'Quone Edmonds (44 yds) and Greg Johnson (97 yds) led with eight and seven receptions, respectively... Max Davis led the defense with 13 tackles... John Strickland (11) and Tyler Peterman (10) also finished in double-digits for tackles... UIndy allowed 207 rushing yards and another 216 through the air... The Greyhounds did record three sacks and held a 19-18 edge in first downs.