Western Illinois opened its fall camp this week under second-year head coach Myers Hendrickson. WIU begins its season Sept. 2 at FBS New Mexico State. (Photo by GoLeathernecks.com)
By Dan Verdun
Western Illinois head coach Myers Hendrickson enters his second season feeling better about his defense.
“We’ve certainly got the most returning depth in our front seven,” Hendrickson said Tuesday during the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s virtual media day. “They’ve looked really good, really strong, which you’ve got to be in this league.”
Being more solid on defense would certainly be a step in the right direction for the Leathernecks. WIU (0-11) suffered through its first winless season since 1944 last fall.
Moreover, WIU gave up 38 rushing touchdowns – the most in FCS, according to NCAA.com – and 232.6 rushing yards a game, which ranked 117th out of 123 FCS teams.
Certainly playing in the Missouri Valley, considered by most FCS pundits to be the nation’s strongest, factors into those numbers.
WIU, a charter member of the MVFC, will play its final season in the league before joining the Ohio Valley Conference in 2024.
“We’ll have something extra in the tank,” said Hendrickson, a former WIU player. “We’ve had a great tradition of Leatherneck football here in our conference, and we’re looking forward to what more we can do to make this last season very special.”
During its time in the MVFC, WIU won or shared five league crowns (1988, 1997, ’98, 2000 and ’02). Western qualified for the NCAA I-AA/FCS playoffs 11 times, the last coming in 2017 under then-head coach Charlie Fisher.
However, that season is also the last time WIU posted a winning record. Additionally, the Leathernecks have just three winning seasons in the last 14 years.
Western was picked to finish last in the 12-team conference, according to the league’s poll released this week.
Cruzin’ into senior year
Linebacker Juan DelaCruz, a senior, was named to the MVFC preseason second team earlier this week.
In 11 games last fall, DelaCruz had 88 tackles (48 assist, 40 solo), five tackles for loss and two sacks.
The Warren Township High School graduate forced three fumbles, registered seven quarterback hurries and had three pass breakups.
“Juan has grown tremendously this spring and summer as a leader,” Hendrickson said. “Our communication between him and myself and our staff has been amazing. I’m really excited about the leadership he brings to that inside linebacker spot. We’ve got some good continuity on defense.”
Hendrickson also highlighted redshirt senior defensive back J.J. Ross.
“J.J., in the back, has been phenomenal,” Hendrickson said. “We’re excited about some new DBs that we brought in. The transfers have been doing a really good job picking things up with J.J. leading that group.”
Ross, who began his career at Eastern Illinois, has played in 25 collegiate games. He finished last season with 35 tackles (24 solo, 11 assists), one tackle for loss, two interceptions and six pass breakups.
The path to success
Hendrickson, the son of former WIU head coach Mark Hendrickson, knows full well where the Leathernecks’ turnaround needs to begin.
“It all starts up front on both sides of the ball,” he said. “You want to make the opponent one dimensional. If you can stop the run in this league, it’s going to give you a chance. If you can make them one dimensional, you force the pass and can get after the quarterback.
“We want to run the ball, stop the run on defense, play physical football and be great on special teams. We feel like we’ve taken a lot of steps to do that.”
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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