Who | Western Illinois (0-0) at Ball State (0-0)

When | Thursday, Sept. 2 | 6 p.m. CT

Where | Muncie, Ind. (Scheumann Stadium)

Radio | Mixlr - Dr. Tom Cody and Randy Larson

TV | ESPN+

Social Media | Twitter #TRADITIONofTOUGH
 

Quick Hits

- Week One has arrived for Western Illinois football, as the Leathernecks kick things off with a road visit to the Ball State Cardinals on Thursday (Sept. 2)

- Western returns 71 team members to the roster this season, seven of which earned all-conference honors in 2020-21

- Ball State went 7-1 last season, winning the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship
 

2020-21 Overview | Facing unprecedented conditions this past year, Western played its season in the spring of 2021, turning in a 1-5 overall record. The team ended 13th in the NCAA in completion percentage (.646) and 12th in passing offense.

A handful of letter-winners showed out during those months, as six players earned spots on the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) team: 

Tony Tate -- First Team All-MVFC (RS) and Second Team All-MVFC (WR)

Dennis Houston -- First Team All-MVFC (WR)

Connor Sampson -- Second Team All-MVFC (QB)

Michael Lawson -- All-MVFC Honorable Mention 

Eryk Preston -- All-MVFC Honorable Mention 

Will Waddell -- All-MVFC Honorable Mention
 

Lawson and Dallas Daniels were also named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team.
 

New to the Crew | Western has added a handful of new faces to its roster this year, rounding up to 28 total newcomers:

Aaron Adu | Senior | Defensive Back

Brandon Arnold | Senior | Defensive Lineman

Trace Brown | Freshman | Defensive Lineman

Yoesph Carter | Junior | Offensive Lineman

Aidan Chance | Freshman | Offensive Lineman

Tim Dolan | Senior | Offensive Lineman

Trae Drake | Senior | Linebacker

Jacob DuRocher | Sophomore | Running Back

Ian Ector | Redshirt Sophomore | Defensive Back

Akil Francisco | Redshirt Junior | Defensive Back

Sidney Fugar | Freshman | Offensive Lineman

Dimitrios Gkountoudis | Offensive Lineman | Sophomore

Aidan Harrison | Junior | Defensive Back

Jordan Haven | Senior | Linebacker

Jason Heller | Junior | Wide Receiver

Darius Joiner | Senior | Defensive Back

Dejohn Jones | Senior | Offensive Lineman

Ryan Knaus | Freshman | Offensive Lineman

Dallas Martin | Senior | Linebacker

Matt Mattingly | Senior | Wide Receiver

Michael McFarlane | Senior | Tight End

Raphael Orubo | Sophomore | Defensive Lineman

Jaylen Reed | Freshman | Running Back

JJ Ross | Junior | Defensive Back

Hunter Schrock | Freshman | Offensive Lineman

Nakota Shepard-Creer | Senior | Defensive Back

Gaej Walker | Senior | Running Back

Cam Washington | Redshirt Junior | Defensive Lineman
 

Meet the Captains | This past Saturday (Aug. 28), the program announced its team captains for the 2021 fall season. A group of seven -- Dennis Houston, Michael Lawson, Brandon Malkow, Jalen Powe, Eryk Preston, Connor Sampson, and Tony Tate -- were voted to lead this year's group.

Sampson enters his third season of captaincy, while Tate and Preston earned the title for a second consecutive year.
 

Preseason Picks | Just over a month ago on July 27, WIU was notified that five of its returners picked up preseason honors from MVFC.

Dennis Houston and Tony Tate placed on the first and second team, respectively -- the latter earned selections at both wide receiver and return specialist.

Connor Sampson, Will Waddell, and Adam Fellner rounded out the quintet by placing on the honorable mention team.

Western Illinois was picked to finish 11th in this year's preseason poll.
 

A Brief History | The all-time series between WIU and Ball State traces back to Nov. 1971. Thursday will be the first contest played between the two opponents in over two decades. Western won the last meeting on Sept. 9, 2000, 24-14, and holds a 3-1 advantage in the series.