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Sarah Twidwell

Be Bold, Wear Gold for Leathernecks’ Home-Opener

Western Illinois football will take on Montana State in its 2019 home-opener.

GAME THREE

Who |  Western Illinois vs. No. 15/10 Montana State
When | Saturday, September 14 at 3 p.m. 
Where | Hanson Field  - Macomb, Ill. 
TV | ESPN+
Radio | WRMS (Danny Frey, Dr. Tom Cody)
Social Media | Twitter + Facebook #TRADITIONofTOUGH, #DANGEROUSandRELENTLESS 

Promotions | Saturday's home-opener is also billed as "Family Day." Fans are encouraged to wear their finest WIU gold apparel and the first 250 through the gate will receive a free rally towel.
 
The second annual Food, Family, Farming, Football BBQ Competition will take place in Q Lot with tasting beginning at 10:30 a.m. Tasting tickets are two for $5 or 1 for $3.
 
Big Sky Challenge | The third annual Big Sky – Missouri Valley Challenge series features 10 games including Western's home-opener against Montana State.
 
From 2013-18, the Valley and Big Sky have played one another 55 times, with 11 playoff meetings, and the Leathernecks have contributed a win in each of the last three seasons. Western split meetings in last year's challenge after a season-opening 26-23 setback at Montana State and a 31-27 victory over Montana.
 
The MVFC holds the all-time series advantage at 62-41 which includes 34 playoff meetings. Notably, the Big Sky and the MVFC make up two of only three leagues to have two or more playoff teams every year since 1999. From 2014-17, the MVFC and Big Sky combined to produce eight of the 24 teams in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoff field, while in 2018 the two had a total of seven teams compete. Since the FCS playoffs began in 1978, they have combined to produce 15 national champions.
 
The Series | Saturday's home-opener will mark the third meeting between Western Illinois and Montana State, and the Leathernecks are seeking their first win.
 
The two last met at the start of the 2018 season where Western never trailed until the final minutes of a 26-23 setback in Bozeman, Mont. MSU went on to finish the campaign in the second round of the Division I Football Championship where they fell to the two-time reigning national champs, North Dakota State.  
 
Racked Up on Ranks | Western is coming off of its third consecutive season with at least two wins over a ranked opponent. The Leathernecks took on four 'Top 25' teams in 2018  and were 2-3 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)
No. 24 Indiana State | L, 13-13 (The matchup featured a tie and five lead changes before the visiting Sycamores converted on a 27-yard field goal as time expired)
 
Home Cooking | Playing at Hanson Field has been a tough task for non-conference teams in recent years. The Leathernecks are 34-4 against non-MVFC teams since 1999, including a current 12-game win streak.
 
All-Time at Hanson Field | On September 23, 1950, Hanson Field was dedicated and became the home of Leatherneck Football. In the last 69 years, Western has compiled a 240-124-7 record at home. In 53 of those years, Western finished at least .500 at home, including a perfect 6-0 record in 2010.
 
National Rankings | Two games into the 2019 season, Western Illinois maintains the following national rankings.
 
Punt Returns | No. 17 FCS; No. 2 MVFC | 13.50 YPG
Net Punting | No. 19 FCS; No. 2 MVFC | 40.31 YPG
Kickoff Returns | No. 36 FCS; No. 1 MVFC | 21.83 YPG
 
Individually ...
Punting (Adam Fellner) | No. 12 FCS; No. 2 MVFC | 44.30 YDS
Completions Per Game (Connor Sampson) | No. 24 FCS; No. 3 MVFC | 20.00
Combined Kick Returns (Justin Hall) | No. 28 FCS; No. 2 MVFC | 117 YDS
 
The Best in the CFL | The Canadian Football League heads into its 14th week of play with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-3) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (9-2) respectively sitting atop the west and east divisions.  Former Leatherneck standouts Sean McGuire and Jaelon Acklin are in the midst of their rookie seasons with the teams.
 
Acklin ranks third amongst the Hamilton wideouts with 463 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
 
Next Up | Western returns to Hanson Field next Saturday for a 3 p.m. kick against Tennessee Tech. 
 
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