West Central Reporter

After a successful home victory, the Western Illinois University football team is set to travel to St. Charles, Missouri, for a game against Lindenwood University. The match will take place at Hunter Stadium with a kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday. This game coincides with Lindenwood's Homecoming celebration.

The Leathernecks enter the contest with a record of 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association. They recently secured a convincing win over Tennessee Tech, scoring 37-21 in Macomb. Their offense achieved 446 total yards while their defense forced three turnovers and made five sacks.

Lindenwood holds a record of 3-5 overall and 2-2 in conference play after falling short against Gardner-Webb by a score of 42-35 last Saturday. Notable performances included Jeff Caldwell's six catches for 174 yards and one touchdown, Steve Hall's rushing efforts, and Vincent King's defensive contributions.

Western Illinois will continue their road games next week against Eastern Illinois, while Lindenwood is set to face Tennessee Tech.

Both teams have players recognized for their recent performances. Nathan Lamb from Western Illinois was named Big South-OVC Offensive Player of the Week following his contribution of 350 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in their last game. Vincent King from Lindenwood was acknowledged as Defensive Player of the Week for his impressive tackling performance against Gardner-Webb.

The two teams have met once before, with Lindenwood emerging victorious last year in Macomb by a narrow margin of 43-40 after overcoming a halftime deficit.

Western Illinois has shown improvement this season compared to previous years, achieving three wins so far—the most since their five-win season in 2018.