2018 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

Last updated

2018 Western Illinois Leathernecks football
Western Illinois Leathernecks wordmark.svg
Conference Missouri Valley Football Conference
Record5–6 (4–4 MVFC)
Head coach
Co-offensive coordinator Ty Howle (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinatorDavid Rocco (1st season)
Defensive coordinator Tyler Stockton (1st season)
Home stadium Hanson Field
Seasons
  2017
2019  
2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
ConfOverall
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  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll

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.

Contents

Preseason

Award watch lists

AwardPlayerPositionYear
Buck Buchanan Award [1] Khalen Saunders DESR

Preseason MVFC poll

The MVFC released their preseason poll on July 29, 2018, with the Leathernecks predicted to finish in seventh place. [2]

Predicted finishTeamVotes (1st place)
1North Dakota State390 (39)
2South Dakota State270
3Northern Iowa258
4Youngstown State248
5Illinois State248
6South Dakota206
7Western Illinois163
8Southern Illinois139
9Missouri State90
10Indiana State41

Preseason All-MVFC Teams

The Leathernecks placed five at six positions players on the preseason all-MVFC teams. [3]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 308:00 p.m.at Montana State * SWX L 23–2618,507
September 86:30 p.m.at Illinois * BTN L 14–3439,252
September 153:00 p.m.No. 15 Montana * ESPN+ W 31–274,011
September 293:00 p.m. Youngstown State *Dagger-14-plain.png
  • Hanson Field
  • Macomb, IL
ESPN3W 45–384,352
October 62:00 p.m.at No. 15 Illinois State ESPN+L 16–338,516
October 136:00 p.m.No. 1 North Dakota State
  • Hanson Field
  • Macomb, IL
ESPN+L 7–342,709
October 202:00 p.m.at Missouri State ESPN+W 31–1412,109
October 271:00 p.m.No. 17 Northern Iowa *
  • Hanson Field
  • Macomb, IL
ESPN+W 37–172,832
November 31:00 p.m.at Southern Illinois ESPN3W 34–314,780
November 101:00 p.m.at South Dakota ESPN+L 12–178,761
November 171:00 p.m. Indiana State *
  • Hanson Field
  • Macomb, IL
ESPN3L 13–155,822
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

Game summaries

At Montana State

1234Total
Leathernecks767323
Bobcats3314626

At Illinois

1234Total
Leathernecks707014
Fighting Illini014101034

Montana

1234Total
No. 15 Grizzlies1803627
Leathernecks14301431

Youngstown State

1234Total
Penguins70102138
Leathernecks610141545

At Illinois State

1234Total
Leathernecks673016
No. 15 Redbirds21002133

North Dakota State

1234Total
No. 1 Bison31471034
Leathernecks07007

At Missouri State

1234Total
Leathernecks7371431
Bears700714

Northern Iowa

1234Total
No. 17 Panthers370717
Leathernecks01671437

At Southern Illinois

1234Total
Leathernecks7702034
Salukis71014031

At South Dakota

1234Total
Leathernecks300912
Coyotes703717

Indiana State

1234Total
Sycamores363315
Leathernecks3010013

Players drafted into the NFL

RoundPickPlayerPositionNFL Club
384 Khalen Saunders DT Kansas City Chiefs

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References

  1. "FCS football: 2018 Buck Buchanan Award watch list announced". August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  2. "North Dakota State Picked to Win 2018 MVFC Title".
  3. "Preseason All-Conf and Team (PDF) - Missouri Valley Football Conference" (PDF).