West Central Reporter

After a series of road games and a bye week, the Western Illinois University football team is set to host McKendree in their home opener. The game will take place at Hanson Field in Macomb, Illinois, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday. This event also marks Senior Day for WIU, where the program will honor 20 seniors before the game.

McKendree enters the match with a record of 2-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Western Illinois stands at 0-3 overall. Fans can follow the game via live stream on ESPN+, listen on Q98.1 FM radio, or track live stats online.

Western Illinois was on a bye last week but previously lost to Illinois State with a score of 51-34. The Leathernecks average 17.33 points per game while allowing an average of 60.67 points against them. Their offense averages 97.3 rushing yards and 210 passing yards per game. Key players include Cameren Smith, who leads the ground game averaging 48 yards per game, and quarterback Nathan Lamb, who has thrown for 582 yards and two touchdowns this season.

McKendree's season started with a loss but they have since won two consecutive games against Lincoln of Missouri and Minnesota State Moorhead. Interim first-year coach Jason Rejfek leads the Bearcats; he was appointed on August 6, 2024. Running back Eddie Clark averages 73 rushing yards per game while quarterback Ty Michael has thrown for 697 yards and three touchdowns this season.

This matchup marks the sixth meeting between Western Illinois and McKendree, with McKendree leading the all-time series 3-2. The teams last faced each other in 1935.

Nathan Lamb was recently named Big South-OVC Offensive Player of the Week after an impressive performance where he passed for 269 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for three touchdowns and gaining an additional 59 yards on the ground.

In their last game, Lamb set a program record by completing his first eleven passes. Matthew Henry achieved over 100 receiving yards in the first half, marking another milestone for WIU since Jaylin Jackson did so in September of last year.

Looking ahead, Western Illinois will begin its inaugural season in the Big South-OVC Football Association next week by playing at Charleston Southern.

In other league news from around Big South-OVC play: Tennessee Tech defeated Tennessee State (24-14), SEMO secured a significant win over No.7 Southern Illinois (38-21), Lindenwood triumphed over St. Thomas (64-0), Gardner-Webb beat Presbyterian (42-21), UT Martin lost to Missouri State (31-24), and Eastern Illinois fell to Illinois State (31-7).

Several Leathernecks players were highlighted in preseason notes as key figures to watch this season by both Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association and Phil Steele/Draftscout.com.

For ongoing updates about Leatherneck Football, visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow their social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

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