2018 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team
The 2018 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Jared Elliott and played their home games at Hanson Field. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). They finished the season 5–6, 4–4 in MVFC play to finish in fifth place.
| 2018 Western Illinois Leathernecks football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Football Conference |
| 2018 record | 5–6 (4–4 MVFC) |
| Head coach |
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| Co-offensive coordinator | Ty Howle (1st season) |
| Co-offensive coordinator | David Rocco (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Tyler Stockton (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Hanson Field (Capacity: 17,128) |
| 2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 North Dakota State $^ | 8 | – | 0 | 15 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 South Dakota State ^ | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23 Northern Iowa ^ | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri State | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Previous season
The Leathernecks finished the 2017 season 8–4, 5–3 in MVFC play to finish in fourth place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they lost to Weber State in the first round.
On December 22, head coach Charlie Fisher resigned to become the wide receivers coach at Arizona State.[1] He finished at Western Illinois with a two-year record of 14–9.
Preseason
Award watch lists
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buck Buchanan Award[2] | Khalen Saunders | DE | SR |
Preseason MVFC poll
The MVFC released their preseason poll on July 29, 2018, with the Leathernecks predicted to finish in seventh place.[3]
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota State | 390 (39) |
| 2 | South Dakota State | 270 |
| 3 | Northern Iowa | 258 |
| 4 | Youngstown State | 248 |
| 5 | Illinois State | 248 |
| 6 | South Dakota | 206 |
| 7 | Western Illinois | 163 |
| 8 | Southern Illinois | 139 |
| 9 | Missouri State | 90 |
| 10 | Indiana State | 41 |
Preseason All-MVFC Teams
The Leathernecks placed five at six positions players on the preseason all-MVFC teams.[4]
|
Offense 2nd team Sean McGuire – QB Steve McShane – RB |
Defense 1st team Khalen Saunders – DL Justin Fitzpatrick – DB Steve McShane – RS 2nd team Quentin Moon – DB |
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | 8:00 p.m. | at Montana State* | SWX | L 23–26 | 18,507 | |
| September 8 | 6:30 p.m. | at Illinois* | BTN | L 14–34 | 39,252 | |
| September 15 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 15 Montana* | ESPN+ | W 31–27 | 4,011 | |
| September 29 | 3:00 p.m. | Youngstown State* |
| ESPN3 | W 45–38 | 4,352 |
| October 6 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 15 Illinois State | ESPN+ | L 16–33 | 8,516 | |
| October 13 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 1 North Dakota State |
| ESPN+ | L 7–34 | 2,709 |
| October 20 | 2:00 p.m. | at Missouri State | ESPN+ | W 31–14 | 12,109 | |
| October 27 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 17 Northern Iowa* |
| ESPN+ | W 37–17 | 2,832 |
| November 3 | 1:00 p.m. | at Southern Illinois | ESPN3 | W 34–31 | 4,780 | |
| November 10 | 1:00 p.m. | at South Dakota | ESPN+ | L 12–17 | 8,761 | |
| November 17 | 1:00 p.m. | Indiana State* |
| ESPN3 | L 13–15 | 5,822 |
| ||||||
- Source: Schedule
Game summaries
at Montana State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leathernecks | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
| Bobcats | 3 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 26 |
at Illinois
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leathernecks | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 34 |
Montana
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 15 Grizzlies | 18 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 27 |
| Leathernecks | 14 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
Youngstown State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penguins | 7 | 0 | 10 | 21 | 38 |
| Leathernecks | 6 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 45 |
at Illinois State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leathernecks | 6 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
| No. 15 Redbirds | 2 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 33 |
North Dakota State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Bison | 3 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
| Leathernecks | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Missouri State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leathernecks | 7 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Bears | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Northern Iowa
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 17 Panthers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Leathernecks | 0 | 16 | 7 | 14 | 37 |
at Southern Illinois
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leathernecks | 7 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 34 |
| Salukis | 7 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
at South Dakota
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leathernecks | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 12 |
| Coyotes | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
Indiana State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sycamores | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 15 |
| Leathernecks | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
Players drafted into the NFL
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 3 | 84 | Khalen Saunders | DT | Kansas City Chiefs |
References
- https://sports.yahoo.com/western-illinois-shows-big-downside-early-signing-period-175419555.html
- "FCS football: 2018 Buck Buchanan Award watch list announced". August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- http://www.valley-football.org/news/2018/7/19/football-north-dakota-state-tabbed-as-favorite-to-win-2018-mvfc-title.aspx
- http://valley-football.org/documents/2018/7/31//2018_MVFC_Preseason_Team_and_Poll.pdf?id=41