Larry Dean

Football Begins 2018 Season in Bozeman

Monday, August 27, 2018

The Leathernecks will take on Montana State in their first game under the direction of head coach Jared Elliott.

Aug. 30 • 8 p.m. • Bobcat Stadium • Bozeman, Mont.
Game 1 at RV Montana State
Western Illinois Game Notes | Montana State Game Notes

The Series: Thursday's season-opener will mark the third meeting between Western Illinois and Montana State. The two haven't faced each other since the 1993 season where the Bobcats recorded a 29-16 victory in Macomb. MSU leads the all-time series, 2-0.

Scouting the Opposition: Montana State finished the 2017 season 5-6 overall with a 5-3 mark in Big Sky play. The team returns seven on offense, eight on defense and one on special teams, including Mitch Brott (Freshman All-America, OT), and linebackers Josh Hill (54 TT, 2 INT in 2016) and Brandon Konkol (20 TT, 2 TFL in 2016). Punter Jered Padmos was named Second Team Big Sky.

2018 Challenge Series: The Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Big Sky Conference are entering the second year of a challenge series. Last year, the MVFC won the inaugural event, 5-3, and this year, the two leagues will play each other eight times, including Western's season-opener at Montana State.

Over the past five seasons, institutions in the two conferences have played one another 44 times. The Leathernecks won their series matchup a season ago in a 38-20 victory over Northern Arizona.

Season-Opening Success against the FCS: The Leathernecks have had great success in season-opening games against Football Championship Subdivision opponents. Last season, Western defeated Tennessee Tech 41-14 to mark its 13th victory in the last 14 openers (the only loss was a 20-6 decision at Sam Houston State in 2011).

2017: 41-14 at Tennessee Tech
2016: 38-21 at Eastern Illinois
2015: 33-5 vs. #25 Eastern Illinois
2014: 45-6 vs. Valparaiso
2013: 42-9 vs. Hampton
2012: 23-15 vs. Butler
2011: 20-6 loss at Sam Houston State (eventual national runner-up)
2010: 45-0 vs. Valparaiso
2009: 35-28 at Sam Houston State
2007: 29-26 (4OT) 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 FBS teams:
Missouri (50-20 in 2000)
Nebraska (56-17 in 2004)
Toledo (62-14 in 2005)
Arkansas (28-24 in 2008)

Elliott Files: Jared Elliott became the Leathernecks' 34th head coach in its 116-year history in January 2018. He previously served as the team's assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator since arriving in Macomb in 2016.

Recapping 2017: Western concluded its 2017 season with an appearance in the FCS Playoffs to mark its second trip to the tournament in three years and the 11th in program history. The Leathernecks dropped a first-round decision, 21-19, to Weber State.

Western posted an overall record of 8-4, 5-3 in the MVFC, and finished the year ranked 13th in the STATS FCS poll.

Captains: The letter "C" will be stitched into the uniforms of five Western Illinois football players this upcoming season, as Riggs Baxter (LB), Justin Fitzpatrick (DB), Sean McGuire (QB), Quentin Moon (LB) and Clint Ratkovich (RB) were selected team captains.

Buck Buchanan Watch List: Khalen Saunders has garnered several accolades in his Western Illinois career. Last season, he was named a Phil Steele Third Team All-American and a First Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection, and this preseason he received honors as an MVFC preseason first-teamer and STATS FCS Preseason All-American.

The latter organization also announced its 25-member preseason watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award where Saunders joined four others from the MVFC. The annual honor is given to the most outstanding defensive player in the FCS.

Preseason Picks: League coaches, sports information directors, and local media named six Western Illinois Leathernecks to a preseason all-conference team with three receiving first-team recognition. Defensively, Khalen Saunders, Justin Fitzpatrick, and Steve McShane were first-team selections while Quentin Moon was named to the second team. The honor marked McShane's second in the preseason, as the running back and return specialist also joined quarterback Sean McGuire as a second-team offensive pick.

Western Selected to Finish Seventh: In MVFC preseason poll, Western was selected to finish the regular season in seventh place. North Dakota State was tabbed as the preseason favorite with 39 first place votes while South Dakota State and Northern Iowa rounded out the top three.

The Leathernecks joined the three and South Dakota as MVFC invites to the 2017 FCS Playoffs. The 2017 season saw Western ranked as high as No. 9 in the STATS FCS national poll before finishing the year No. 13.

A Familiar Face: When Sean McGuire took over as the starting quarterback late in the 2015 regular season, he led Western to a pair of overtime victories at Indiana State and South Dakota State. In the last three seasons, the Leathernecks are 17-10 with McGuire under center.

Award-Winning Safety?: The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) named Justin Fitzpatrick an award winner for his work on a short non-fiction piece entitled "More Than a Number: Sam Pryor's Story." The video feature focuses on Sam, a fellow Leatherneck who suits up for the University's women's basketball team, and how she navigated life after her mother's battle with cancer.

Fitzpatrick will be presented with his award at the 42nd Mid-America EMMY Gala on September 22 at the Kansas City Convention Center.

New Kids on the Block: Head coach Jared Elliott welcomed several Leathernecks to the program this past summer in 24 true freshmen and 10 transfers from four-year institutions.

Transfers: George Wahee (Norfolk State), Zach Muniz (Duke), Jared Drake (Ohio State), Derriyon Shaw (Boise State), Demetri Royer (Charleston Southern), Reno Rosene (Duke), Matt Clark (Eastern Kentucky), Laquay Brown (Coastal Carolina), Malik Burns (Temple), and Derrell Grisby (Robert Morris).

Veteran Defense Back Again: The Leathernecks return seven starters from their defensive core in Phil Steele Third Team All-American Khalen Saunders (DL), linebackers Pete Swenson, Riggs Baxter and Quentin Moon, and defensive backs Eric Carrera, Xavier Rowe, Mike Viti and Justin Fitzpatrick.

Moon was named an MVFC honorable mention in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons while Fitzpatrick was a second-team selection.

Double-Duty: Steve McShane and Justin Fitzpatrick are not only members of Western's football team, but are also outfielders on the baseball team as well. Both were named All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Second Team at the end of the 2017 season, and McShane doubled down on the honors as a First Team All-Summit League selection.

At the end of the 2018 baseball season, McShane posted the sixth-best batting average in the Summit League and the best on the team (.317). He manages a career .265 average in 107 games (82 starts) with 79 hits, 49 runs, and 26 stolen bases while Fitzpatrick has a career .180 batting average in 84 games (52 starts) with 32 hits and 11 runs.

Leathernecks In the Pros: Entering the final week of preseason camp, former Leathernecks Lance Lenior (Dallas Cowboys), Brett Taylor (Minnesota Vikings), and Jacob Judd (Vikings) were all listed on NFL rosters. Lenoir, a wide receiver, signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Cowboys after the 2017 draft, while Taylor (LB) signed his pro contract this past May and Judd in August.

Tyrin Holloway (DB/Chicago Bears), David Griffith (DB/Los Angeles Chargers), and Jaelon Acklin (WR/Baltimore Ravens) also received mini-camp invites following the 2018 Draft. Acklin appeared in one game for the Ravens in a preseason game versus Chicago before being waived in early-August due to injury.

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