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Football vs UNI
Larry Dean

Two Regular Season Road Trips Remain

Western's football team will wrap its regular season with back-to-back road games at Southern Illinois (Nov. 3) and South Dakota (Nov. 10) before concluding the slate at home versus Indiana State (Nov. 17).

Western Illinois (4-4, 3-2 MVFC) at Southern Illinois (2-6, 1-4 MVFC)
Date/Kickoff: Nov. 3, 2018 | 1:00 p.m.
Location: Carbondale, Ill.
Site: Saluki Stadium
Radio: WRMS (Scott Kornberg, Dr. Tom Cody) | Listen Live 
Watch: ESPN3
Follow: Live Stats | @WIUFootball on Twitter 
Game Notes:  Western Illinois | Southern Illinois | MVFC 

The Series: The Leathernecks hold a 36-23-4 in the all-time series. 

Western concluded its 2017 regular season schedule at home against the Saluki and recorded a 28-14 victory. The Leathernecks outgained Southern Illinois, 327-209, in total yards and held a 10-minute edge in time of possession (35:58-24:02). 

Western's Last Outing: In a 37-17 decision over No. 17/23 Northern Iowa, Western posted its third consecutive season with at least two victories over a 'Top 25' team. 

Isaiah LeSure and Max Norris notched two touchdowns each, LeSure through the air and Norris through the ground, while the defense limited the Panthers to 305 yards of total offense (137 in the second half). 

The final box captured Western's largest margin of victory and the second-fewest points allowed this season. The team now has two 'Top 25' wins under its belt this year after defeating then-No. 15 Montana, 31-27, in September. Both victories were recorded at Hanson Field. 

•    The Leathernecks recorded a pair of wins over ranked opponents in 2017 and 2016 and three in the 2015 season 
•    Western last recorded a safety at Northern Iowa last season after Pete Swenson sacked Eli Dunne in the end zone 
•    Clint Ratkovich has a touchdown reception in back-to-back games
•    Isaiah LeSure finished the game with 100-plus receiving yards (164) for the second time this season 
•    Justin Fitzpatrick led the Leathernecks a career-high 11 tackles (nine solo) 

Racked Up on Ranks: Western is in its third consecutive season with at least two wins over a ranked opponent. The Leathernecks have taken on four 'Top 25' teams this year and are 2-2 with decisions over Montana and Northern Iowa. 

No. 15/16 Montana | W, 31-27 (WIU scored two TDs in the first 2:13 of the game and two in the final five minutes in the comeback win) 
No. 14/15 Illinois State | L, 16-33 (Western held a 16-12 edge through the third quarter before allowing 21 unanswered points in the fourth) 
No. 1 North Dakota State | L, 7-34 (The Bison scored half their points on takeaways) 
No. 17/23 Northern Iowa | W, 37-17 (Max Norris and Isaiah LeSure recorded two touchdowns each; Norris on the ground and LeSure through the air)

Key To Success: All four Leatherneck victories this season have one common theme – they committed fewer turnovers than the opposition. The team is 4-0 when it takes care of the ball, highlighted by a 45-38 victory over Youngstown State, where it didn't commit a single turnover while recording three.

Holding Firm: Western lays claim to one of the best defenses in the MVFC, currently ranking third in the Valley, 20th in the nation, in total defense with 323.9 yards allowed per game. 

In its first road victory, the team allowed 283 yards of total offense while holding Missouri State to a season-low 14 points. Western held nearly a 21-minute edge in time of possession (38:13 vs. 21:47).

Defensive Rankings 
Third Down Conversion Defense | 17th FCS, 1st MVFC
Team Sacks | 24th FCS, 3rd MVFC
Team Tackles for Loss | 33rd FCS, 2nd MVFC
Rushing Defense | 26th FCS, 3rd MVFC
Punt Return Defense | 38th FCS, 5th MVFC

Swenson Stops: Pete Swenson leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference and ranks second in the nation with 16.0 tackles for loss. He notched a season-high 3.5 TFL at Illinois State and ranks eighth all-time in program history with 41 in his career. 

Swenson also ranks fifth in the Leathernecks' history books with 22.5 career sacks. He's gotten his hands on the opposing quarterback in all but one game this season. 

Momma, There Goes That Man: Running back and return specialist Steve McShane has etched his name in several categories of Western's record book this season. 

Western Career Rankings
All-Purpose (6th) | 3,681 yards | 2, 201 rushing, 952 receiving, 528 returns
Rushing Touchdowns (10th) | 19 TDs
Touchdowns (T-5th) | 19 rushing TDs, 9 receiving TDs, 2 return TDs

McGuire & Milestones: Sean McGuire became Western's career leader in passing yards and touchdowns at Illinois State (Oct. 6), and currently manages 9,083 and 70, respectively. 

Paul Singer, who played at Western from 1985-88, previously sat atop the record book in passing yards (8,257), touchdowns (62) and completions (678), and still holds the all-time marks for attempts (1,231). McGuire surpassed Singer's completion record at Missouri State (Oct. 20). 

He matched his career-high with four touchdowns thrown in the Leathernecks' MVFC opener against Youngstown State and was named the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week for the game, adding a rushing TD while completing 22 of his 34 passes with no interceptions.

Scouting the Opposition: Southern Illinois (2-6) is coming off of a 49-35 win on the road at Missouri State. The Saluki are averaging 444.8 yards and 30.6 points per game while also yielding 448.6 and 36.5, respectively. 

They rank second in the MVFC (28th in the nation) in total offense and fifth in the league (28th in the FCS) in scoring offense.
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