WIU Heads to Northwestern for Week 2

Thursday, September 04, 2025 | By: WIU Athletic Communications

Who | Western Illinois (0-1, 0-0) at Northwestern (0-1, 0-0)
When | Friday, September 5th, 6:30 p.m.
Where | Martin Stadium, Evanston, Illinois

Last Week
Western Illinois opened its 2025 campaign in Champaign, Illinois, falling 52-3 to #12 Illinois. Chris Irvin completed 14-29 passes for 134 yards. Irvin also ran for 20 yards. Demar Davis led the receivers with four receptions for 65 yards. Antonio Chadha went 1-1 in field goal attempts, giving Western Illinois their points.

Top 3
Esteban Guillory was a driving force for the Leathernecks' defense inside Memorial Stadium in week 1. Guillory led the WIU with nine total tackles, ranking him third in the OVC-Big South Football Association. Guillory had five solo tackles against the Fighting Illini and four assisted tackles.

Deep Shot Demari
Demari Davis led the Leathernecks' receiving group in week 1. The senior corralled four receptions for a total of 65 yards. He had a long reception of 36 yards. To go with his 36-yard reception, Davis had a 21-yard reception to set the Leathernecks up for their first points of the night. Davis ranks seventh in the OVC-Big South Football Association after week 1 in receiving yards.

Phill Steele Honors
Demari Davis, Christian Anaya, Christian Pierce, and Antonio Chadha were recognized on the 2025 Phil Steele Preseason All-OVC/Big South Teams. Davis and Anaya both earned third-team offensive honors, while senior linebacker Christian Pierce was named to the second team on the defensive side. Chadha moves up to the first team honors after his first season with the Leathernecks. Chadha was named to the third team in 2024.

Fred Mitchell Preseason Watch List
Senior kicker Antonio Chadha was named to the Fred Mitchell Award Preseason Watch List. The Fred Mitchell Award recognizes 35 placekickers for their excellence on the football field throughout the 2024 season and for their off-field contributions throughout the year. Chadha appeared in all 12 games, making 15 field goals with a long of 50 yards.

OVC Preseason Honors
The Ohio Valley Conference, in association with the Big South, announced its preseason offensive and defensive players to watch. The Leathernecks had seven players recognized on the offensive side of the ball, with six players on the defensive side of the ball.

WIU was also selected fifth in the preseason polls. Tennessee Tech was predicted to finish in first, tallying 57 total points, including five first-place votes. UT Martin and SEMO both grabbed two first-place votes as well. The OVC/Big South had a four-way tie for first place last season.

New QB1
Chris Irvin steps into his second season in a Leathernecks jersey in a different role than last year. After spending last season behind all-conference quarterback Nate Lamb, Irvin is set to take the reins of Western Illinois ' high-powered offense. Irvin is no stranger to the WIU offense, appearing in seven games last season, completing 17 of 29 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns.

Scouting Northwestern
Northwestern heads into week 2 with a 0-1 record after falling 23-3 in their season opener at Tulane. The Wildcats had the turnover bug in week 1, throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble. WIU and Northwestern have met only one other time, with Northwestern winning 24-7 in 2014.

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