MACOMB, Ill. - Leatherneck football will be back in action after their first win, with a rivalry game vs Illinois State on September 5th.
This is a contentious rivalry, with the Leathernecks holding on to a 52-51-3 series lead, which makes Illinois State one of the teams Western has played the most in the team's history. The Leathernecks have also lost three straight in the series, with Illinois State looking to tie up the series matchup for the first time since the 1960's.
Western Illinois is coming off of a standout performance against Northwestern College (IA), one where the team was able to win 65-14. The Leathernecks were led by a standout performance by QB Kennedy McGill, who had 194 yards through the air, another 98 on the ground, with 5 total touchdowns. DB Lebron Morgan also recovered a fumble for a touchdown, with Justin Buckner leading the team in tackles. Christian Anaya led the way receiving wise for Western, having 5 catches for 88 yards, as well as Aric Johnson and David Hargro having TD's through the air.
Kennedy McGill and Jake Kruger were also named as an honorable mention for OVC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively.
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Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State throttled St. Francis (IL) 76-0 in their first game, one in which the teams top 2 QB's both had a 100% completion percentage. Tyler Lofton also tacked on 119 rushing yards with only 5 attempts, adding 2 TD's on the ground as well. Josh Crandall was the only Redbird to record a sack, with Solomon Oduma leading the team with 5 tackles.
Illinois State Punter Hayden Futch won Special Teams Player of the Week for the MVC.
Kickoff between the Leathernecks and Redbirds will be at 6pm on September 5th.
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Promotions
This game will be youth day for the Macomb community, as well as Senior Day for the Western Illinois Football team.
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