2003 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

2003 Western Illinois Leathernecks football
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 27–28 vs. Colgate
Conference	Gateway Football Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 6
Record	9–4 (5–2 Gateway)
Head coach	Don Patterson (5th season)
Home stadium	Hanson Field
Seasons ←  2002 2004  →

2003 Gateway Football Conference standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Northern Iowa +^		6	–	1					10	–	3
No. 9 Southern Illinois +^		6	–	1					10	–	2
No. 6 Western Illinois ^		5	–	2					9	–	4
No. 7 Western Kentucky ^		5	–	2					9	–	4
Illinois State		3	–	4					6	–	6
Youngstown State		2	–	5					5	–	7
Southwest Missouri State		1	–	6					4	–	7
Indiana State		0	–	7					3	–	9
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2003 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as a member of the Gateway Football Conference during the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Don Patterson and played their home games at Hanson Field. The Leathernecks finished the season with an 9–4 record overall and a 5–2 record in conference play. The team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Montana in the first round and lost to Colgate in the second round. ^[1] The team was ranked No. 6 in The Sports Network's postseason ranking of Division I-AA. ^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 28	Wayne State *	No. 3	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 35–3	12,174	[3]
September 4	at Eastern Michigan *	No. 4	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	W 34–12	11,123	[4]
September 13	at LSU *	No. 1	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 7–35	87,164	[5]
September 20	Tennessee–Martin *	No. 2	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 56–0	11,887	[6]
October 4	No. 5 Western Kentucky	No. 2	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 33–28	18,263	[7]
October 11	at Youngstown State	No. 2	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	W 54–20	14,218	[8]
October 18	No. 7 Southern Illinois	No. 2	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	L 32–37	19,287	[9]
October 25	No. 9 Northern Iowa	No. 7	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	L 30–38	8,302	[10]
November 1	at Illinois State	No. 13	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	W 24–20	8,415	[11]
November 8	at Indiana State	No. 11	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	W 34–28	2,001	[12]
November 15	Southwest Missouri State	No. 10	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 63–42	7,513	[13]
November 29	at Montana *	No. 10	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 43–40 2OT	16,222	[14]
December 6	at Colgate *	No. 10	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	L 27–28	5,287	[15]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Western Illinois Football Record Book" (PDF). Western Illinois University Athletics. p. 73. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
2. "Final Division I-AA Poll". The Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. December 23, 2003. p. B2. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Western Illinois spoils Wayne State's opener". Sioux City Journal . August 29, 2003. p. B3. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
4. Vandecar, Annette (September 5, 2003). "Western Illinois dumps Eastern Michigan, 34-12". Detroit Free Press . p. 4H. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. Vernellis, Brian (September 14, 2003). "LSU pummels W. Illinois". The Times . p. 1C. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Western Illinois 56, Tenn.-Martin 0". Quad-City Times . Associated Press. September 21, 2003. p. D2. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
7. Grant, Michael (October 5, 2003). "WKU falls in thriller, 33-28". The Courier-Journal . p. C1. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Youngstown State loses, 54-20". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . October 12, 2003. p. D8. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Unbeaten Salukis rally past WIU". Quad-City Times . Associated Press. October 19, 2003. p. D2. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
10. Gray, Rob (October 26, 2003). "Panthers' air game delivers victory". Des Moines Register . p. 6C. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
11. Reinhardt, Randy (November 2, 2003). "Too much Michna for Redbirds". The Pantagraph . p. D1. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Western Illinois 34, Indiana State 28". The Daily Chronicle . Associated Press. October 27, 2021. p. B5. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Leathernecks turn up their offense, 63-42". The Courier-Journal . Associated Press. November 16, 2003. p. C10. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Western Illinois outlasts Montana". The Salt Lake Tribune . Associated Press. November 30, 2003. p. C14. Retrieved October 27, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
15. Muder, Craig (December 7, 2003). "Branch's Late TD Lifts Colgate over W. Illinois". Press & Sun-Bulletin . Binghamton, N.Y. pp. 1B – via Newspapers.com.