Football Sunday, August 27, 2017 WIU Athletic Communications

Football Opens the 2017 Campaign at Tennessee Tech

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Cookeville on Thursday night

Game 1
WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS at TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES
August 31, 2017 • 6 pm • Cookeville, Tennessee • Tucker Stadium

TV: OVC Digital Network
RADIO: Announcers (Scott Kornberg, Dr. Tom Cody)
Beardstown - WRMS (94.3 FM); Macomb - WJEQ (102.7 FM); Galesburg - WAIK (1590 AM); Quincy - WPWQ (106.7 FM); Clinton, Iowa - (KCLN 1390 AM)
INTERNET: WRMSFM.com or Tune In Radio App (Google store and iTunes)
LIVE STATS: TTUSports.com
GAME NOTES: Western Illinois | Tennessee Tech

THE SERIES: Western Illinois will meet Tennessee Tech for the first time in program history.

THE RANKINGS: Western Illinois ranks 25th in the STATS FCS 'Top 25' poll and received 54 points (28th place) in the FCS Coaches poll... Tennessee Tech is not ranked in either poll.

OVC ROAD OPENER AGAIN: For the second straight year, Western Illinois opens the season on the road against an Ohio Valley Conference opponent... Last year Western defeated Eastern Illinois in Charleston, and in 2015 opened the year with a home win over EIU... This season the Leathernecks will face Tennessee Tech for the first time in program history.

FIRST SINCE 1935: You'd have to go back all the way to 1935 to find the last time Western opened the year with three consecutive road games. That year the Leathernecks opened at Parsons, at Knox and at Bradley... In 2017, Western opens at Tennessee Tech then will take a plane flight west to Northern Arizona then a plane flight east to Coastal Carolina... The total amount of miles traveled round-trip in non-conference play according to Google Maps is 5,730.

CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES: Western Illinois ranks among the top NCAA Division I Football programs with the number of student-athletes currently with a degree... Courtesy of the National Football Foundation, Western now ranks tied for sixth nationally with most players with a degree.
   Northwestern - 18
   Coastal Carolina - 17
   Cincinnati, Toledo, Sacred Heart - 13
   Western Illinois, UCF, Alabama, Oregon, TCU, Virginia - 12
Josh Baldus (Sr/OL)
Jarid Brown (Sr/WR... Ohio Univ.)
Trey Dunkelberger (Sr/TE... Syracuse)
Jordan Detweiler (Sr/OL)
Tony Harper (Sr/TE)
Lucas Holder (Sr/OL... Liberty)
Tyrin Holloway (Sr/DB... Liberty)
Jacob Judd (Sr/OL)
Brandon Mayes (Sr/DB... Northern Illinois)
Mick Nelson (Sr/DL)
Colin Olson (Sr/DL)
Brett Taylor (Sr/LB)

PRESEASON HONORS FOR TAYLOR: During the off-season Brett Taylor was named to the STATS and HERO Sports Preseason All-American First Team... STATS also tabbed Taylor as one of the Top 10 FCS Players to Watch in 2017... In early August Taylor was one of 21 defensive players nationally to earn a spot on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List, an honor given to the National Defensive Player of the Year.

NEW LOOK DEFENSE: The spring practice season saw Western welcome defensive coordinator Tony Grantham and welcome back former player and assistant coach Deion Melvin, along with a new-look 3-4 scheme... Grantham joins Western after working at Louisville for three seasons. He will work with the secondary... Melvin played for two years at Western then returned in an assistant coaching capacity from 1993-98 under Hall of Fame coach Randy Ball. He will coach the inside linebackers.

NEW FACES THIS SUMMER: Head coach Charlie Fisher welcomed some new names to the Leatherneck program from other four-year programs. They join spring transfers: Jarid Brown (WR), Sam Crosa (K), Trey Dunkelberger (TE) and Lucas Holder (OL).
• Safety Brandon Mayes joined Western from Northern Illinois. The senior defensive back actually set a career-high last year against the Leathernecks making 12 tackles.
• Cornerback Tyrin Holloway joined his former Liberty teammate Lucas Holder during the off-season. Holloway in 2016 started all 11 games making 36 tackles and was a four-year member of the Flames program. He was the team-leader with five interceptions totaling 81 yards, ranking him among the 'Top 15' in the FCS last year.
• Sophomore wide receiver Tony Tate played in 11 football games last season at Walsh University. He caught 41 passes for 371 yards in 2016. Tate will have to sit out this year but the speedster will also compete for the Leatherneck track & field team.
• Sophomore linebacker Lavall McNulty Jr. attended St. Joseph's College before the institution suspended operations last year and had to close its doors.
• Cornerback Leon Thornton III recently joined the Leathernecks after playing the last two years at Indiana. He played in 20 career games between wide receiver and defensive back.
• Junior wide receiver Izaiah Fuller was a three-year member of the Eastern Michigan program, redshirting his first season then playing in 15 games.

TEAM CAPTAINS: Western Illinois announced the team captains for the 2017 season... During the spring game, head coach Charlie Fisher announced junior quarterback Sean McGuire, senior offensive lineman Jacob Judd, senior linebacker Brett Taylor and junior linebacker Quentin Moon received the honor.

VALUABLE ROAD EXPERIENCE NEEDED: Having played six road games last year should benefit the 2017 Leathernecks... Not only will Western play its first three games on the road for the first time since 1935, the seven road games this year are the most in two years overall as the 2015 squad eventually played eight road games (two in the NCAA Playoffs)... The seven regular season road games currently scheduled are the most in program history.

2017 NATIONAL PRESEASON 'TOP 25' RANKING: Western Illinois picked up its first preseason national 'Top 25' ranking when Athlon pegged the Leathernecks 19th... Another tough schedule awaits Western with opponents ranked in the 'Top 25": North Dakota State (1st), South Dakota State (3rd) and UNI (13th). Two other opponents were mentioned as ones to watch - Northern Arizona and Illinois State... Western earned a #25 ranking from STATS FCS and received votes in the FCS Coaches poll.

TWO NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: Senior linebacker Brett Taylor earned several preseason All-American honors and is an unanimous First Team pick (Athlon, STATS, HERO Sports to name a couple). A First Team selection last year, Taylor is the first linebacker to earn preseason All-American honors since Kyle Glazier in 2010... Senior offensive lineman Jacob Judd earned Second Team preseason All-American honors from STATS.

LEATHERNECKS PICKED SIXTH IN MVFC PRESEASON: It's not too often that a team gets picked to finish sixth in the conference preseason poll yet still get ranked as high as No. 19 in the preseason national 'Top 25' poll, but that is what the Leathernecks saw this summer... Western, ranked 19th in the Athlon Sports preseason 'Top 25', was picked to finish sixth in a vote by the Missouri Valley Football Conference coaches, sports information directors and select media... North Dakota State (21 first-place votes) edged South Dakota State (19 first-place votes) for first place, tallying 380 points to the Jackrabbits' 379. Youngstown State, the 2016 national runner-up, came in third with 290 points. UNI (255) and Illinois State (246) rounded out the top five. Western received 188 points for sixth place, just ahead of South Dakota (182). Southern Illinois (132) was picked eighth while Missouri State (81) and Indiana State (67) rounded out the poll.

PRESEASON ALL-MVFC HONORS: Six members of the Western Illinois football team were voted to the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason team as voted on by the head coaches, sports information directors and selected media... Western tied for the fourth-most selections overall. The MVFC announced a preseason team and those named Honorable Mention preseason. All six Leathernecks earned MVFC postseason accolades following the 2016 campaign... Linebacker Brett Taylor and offensive lineman Jacob Judd, both senior captains, along with junior running back Steve McShane were voted to the preseason team. A trio of juniors earned enough votes to be named Honorable Mention – linebacker Quentin Moon, defensive lineman Khalen Saunders and quarterback Sean McGuire.
   Taylor, already named a preseason All-American by Athlon, was tabbed as one of the preseason 'Top 10' players in the FCS by STATS. As a junior, he led the Leathernecks with 134 total tackles (94 solos). His 8.5 solo tackles per game led the nation and his 12.2 tackles per game ranked third in the country. Following the 2016 season, Taylor earned several All-America honors. He finished seventh in the Buck Buchanan Award voting (National Defensive Player of the Year) and First Team All-MVFC.
   McShane's 83.4 rushing yards per game is tops among all returning running backs. A Second Team pick last year, McShane averaged 5.0 yards per carry and scored eight touchdowns on the ground. He added 234 receiving yards on 23 receptions with a touchdown.
   Judd earned Second Team honors for the second straight year, and Western's starting center brings a streak of 24 consecutive starts into the 2017 season. Judd and Western's offense ended the 2016 regular season ranked 22nd nationally in fewest tackles for a loss allowed and 31st in sacks allowed.
   McGuire set a Western Illinois season record averaging 264.9 passing yards per game, completing 230-of-396 passes for 2,914 yards and 20 touchdowns. The junior quarterback, an Honorable Mention All-MVFC pick last year, added five rushing touchdowns and 207 yards on the ground.
   Moon ranked second on the team behind Taylor making 88 tackles (46 solo stops). His 8.0 tackles per game average ranked him seventh in the MVFC. Moon, also an Honorable Mention All-MVFC pick in 2016, added six tackles for a loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries (tied for second in the MVFC), an interception and five quarterback hurries.
   Saunders helped anchor the defensive line starting in all 11 games last year and earned Honorable Mention All-MVFC accolades. He recorded 48 tackles last year, including five for a loss. Saunders broke up two passes and blocked a kick.

DUAL SPORT ATHLETES: Three members of the football team are dual-sport athletes for the Leathernecks. All-MVFC running back Steve McShane has played in 23 career football games and 68 baseball games (44 starts) through two years. Defensive back Justin Fitzpatrick has 20 career football games and 53 career baseball games (32 starts). Both juniors played in each sport as a true-freshman, and both are outfielders on the baseball team... Fitzpatrick owns a career .181 average with four doubles and a triple while making 76 putouts in the outfield, including several highlight reel catches... McShane owns a .218 career average with two doubles and two triples. He has swiped 17 career bases, scored 31 runs and recorded 88 putouts... Sophomore transfer Tony Tate is also listed to participate for the track & field team this year.

CAREER STARTS LEADERS: Senior James Torgerson leads all active Leathernecks with 30 career starts, all consecutive... Brett Taylor is next with 27 starts, also all consecutive... David Griffith has 26 starts, 25 of those consecutive... Jacob Judd owns 24 straight starts... Josh Baldus has 24 career starts, 15 consecutive... Xavier Rowe has made 20 career starts.

LEATHERNECK QUICK HITTERS:
• Co-Offensive Coordinator Doug Malone knows Tennessee Tech very well. The second-year WIU assistant coach worked at Tech from 1999-2006. In fact, Malone served as Tech's interim head coach during the 2006 season and led the program to the most Ohio Valley Conference wins since 2000 and most road wins in seven years.

• Sean McGuire surpassed 4,000 career passing yards (4,073) during last year's season finale at Southern Illinois. In eight of his 15 career starts, McGuire has thrown for 300-plus passing yards and the team owns a 5-3 record.

• As part of the team's five takeaways at Southern Illinois, Xavier Rowe set a career-high with two interceptions while Quentin Moon set a career-high with two fumble recoveries.

• Seven times Western has held the ball for 10 or more minutes in a quarter: at Eastern Illinois (1st, 3rd), Northern Arizona (4th), Indiana State (3rd), Missouri State (2nd), North Dakota State (1st, season-high 12:48) and Southern Illinois (2nd).

• Steve McShane and Justin Fitzpatrick's WIU baseball careers started in 2016 with a three-game series at Tennessee Tech.

• Steve McShane's 70-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter at Eastern Illinois was the longest by a Leatherneck dating back to 2000. In that game, Frisman Jackson set a WIU quarterback record for longest rush with his 77-yard run at Southern Illinois.

• The Leathernecks have forced at least one turnover in 41 of the last 47 contests... Ten times in the last 18 games Western recorded two or more takeaways.

• Brett Taylor is one of 12 players all-time with 300 career tackles (307). He ranks 11th all-time. His 200 solo tackles rank him sixth all-time in WIU history.

• In 21 career games (15 career starts), Sean McGuire is fourth all-time for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (7)... He is just one away from third place.

• Quentin Moon has four career games of 10-plus tackles, including a personal-best 14 last year at Missouri State. All four of those double-digit tackles came during the 2016 season.

• Senior David Griffith also has four career games of 10-plus tackles. He logged a 2016 season-high 10 tackles at Northern Illinois, all of which were solo stops.

• Seniors Brett Taylor and Jacob Judd are two-time selections to the FCS Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star team, honored for their work in the classroom and on the field. Judd and James Torgerson were CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees in 2016; Judd and fellow senior David Griffith earned CoSIDA Academic honors in 2015. Senior transfer Lucas Holder has something in common with his teammates, during the 2016 season he earned CoSIDA Academic All-District and FCS ADA Academic All-Star accolades.

• When Isaiah LeSure surpassed 100 yards in the Illinois State game last year, he became the third Leatherneck to reach the 100-yard mark, joining Lance Lenoir and Joey Borsellino... It marks the sixth year in program history that three different receivers recorded 100 yards in a game.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Tennessee Tech (enrollment 11,385) is coming off a 5-6 season (5-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference, good for third place)... Tech lost its non-conference games last year to Wofford (21-7), Mercer (34-27) and Tennessee (55-0)... The Golden Eagles return 46 letterwinners while losing 31... Junior linebacker Josh Poplar earned Second Team All-OVC honors last year, recording 105 total tackles and three forced fumbles... Sophomore running back Yeedee Thaenrat led the team with 707 yards and scored six touchdowns... Dontez Byrd transferred to Tech last year and set a season record with 933 yards on 74 receptions and scored seven touchdowns.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Joey Borsellino: WR; 5' 11"; Senior; Montini Catholic

#7 Lance Lenoir: WR; 6' 0"; Senior; Crete Monee

#55 Josh Baldus: OL; 6' 5"; Senior; Palatine

#72 Jordan Detweiler: OL; 6' 5"; Senior; Williamsburg

#30 Justin Fitzpatrick: DB; 6' 1"; Junior; Fort Zumwalt North

#38 David Griffith: DB; 5' 11"; Senior; Avon

#81 Tony Harper: TE; 6' 4"; Senior; St. John's Jesuit

#66 Jacob Judd: OL; 6' 3"; Senior; Clinton

#2 Isaiah LeSure: WR; 6' 3"; Junior; Mount Horeb

#18 Sean McGuire: QB; 6' 3"; Junior; Franklin

#5 Steve McShane: RB; 5' 8"; Junior; Freeport

#39 Quentin Moon: LB; 6' 2"; Junior; Pike

Players Mentioned

#1 Joey Borsellino
: 5' 11"; Senior; Montini Catholic
: WR

#7 Lance Lenoir
: 6' 0"; Senior; Crete Monee
: WR

#55 Josh Baldus
: 6' 5"; Senior; Palatine
: OL

#72 Jordan Detweiler
: 6' 5"; Senior; Williamsburg
: OL

#30 Justin Fitzpatrick
: 6' 1"; Junior; Fort Zumwalt North
: DB

#38 David Griffith
: 5' 11"; Senior; Avon
: DB

#81 Tony Harper
: 6' 4"; Senior; St. John's Jesuit
: TE

#66 Jacob Judd
: 6' 3"; Senior; Clinton
: OL

#2 Isaiah LeSure
: 6' 3"; Junior; Mount Horeb
: WR

#18 Sean McGuire
: 6' 3"; Junior; Franklin
: QB

#5 Steve McShane
: 5' 8"; Junior; Freeport
: RB

#39 Quentin Moon
: 6' 2"; Junior; Pike
: LB

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Western Illinois University Athletics

Football Opens the 2017 Campaign at Tennessee Tech

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Cookeville on Thursday night

Players Mentioned

#1 Joey Borsellino

#7 Lance Lenoir

#55 Josh Baldus

#72 Jordan Detweiler

#30 Justin Fitzpatrick

#38 David Griffith

#81 Tony Harper

#66 Jacob Judd

#2 Isaiah LeSure

#18 Sean McGuire

#5 Steve McShane

#39 Quentin Moon

Players Mentioned

#1 Joey Borsellino

#7 Lance Lenoir

#55 Josh Baldus

#72 Jordan Detweiler

#30 Justin Fitzpatrick

#38 David Griffith

#81 Tony Harper

#66 Jacob Judd

#2 Isaiah LeSure

#18 Sean McGuire

#5 Steve McShane

#39 Quentin Moon