Linebacker Anthony Quinney (19) and the Western Illinois defense have helped the team produce a plus-4 turnover ratio this season. (Photo by GoLeathernecks.com)
By Barry Bottino
Before last week’s non-conference game against Lindenwood, Myers Hendrickson had a message for his offensive coaches.
“I put a big emphasis with our staff on making sure our players are getting enough touches,” the second-year WIU head coach said. “I think we did that.”
Nowhere was that more evident than in Western’s passing game during a 43-30 loss to Lindenwood.
Junior quarterback Matt Morrissey threw for 392 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with wide receivers Jay Parker (10 catches, 145 yards) and Jaylin Jackson (seven catches, 127 yards) for 17 of his 26 completions.
“I think our O-line protected really well,” Hendrickson said. “It all starts up front. Jay had a ton of yards and a ton of yards after the catch. That was really positive for our offense.”
Western (0-3) will try to continue that trend Saturday night in Cedar City, Utah, for its final non-conference game, against 0-3 Southern Utah.
It was Lindenwood’s passing game, however, that stung the WIU defense, which allowed a 17-point lead to slip away.
Lions’ wide receiver Jeff Caldwell caught three of his four touchdowns in the second half, including the winning score with 1 minute, 13 seconds remaining.
“We had the right mentality at halftime,” Hendrickson said. “We talked about it being 0-0. (Caldwell) just made some phenomenal plays, some plays we’d like the opportunity to be able to stop again. We’re frustrated with the result.”
While WIU has scored 51 of its 79 points in the first half of games this season, Southern Utah has shown itself to be a second-half team, scoring 48 of its 58 points in the final two quarters.
“They’re much improved from last year,” SUU head coach DeLane Fitzerald said this week of Western. “They start fast and play really fast to start with. We’re going to have to match their energy and intensity to start the game.”
This week’s opponent
Southern Utah has played a heavyweight schedule, losing 24-21 at FBS Arizona State and 41-16 to its FBS rival BYU, which is three hours north of SUU’s campus. Last weekend at UC Davis, the 15th-ranked team in the STATS FCS poll, the Thunderbirds lost, 23-21, despite scoring 21 second-half points. … Freshman WR Zach Mitchell has been a revelation. The Boston native earned United Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week honors after catching seven passes for 135 yards against BYU. … Sophomore Kohner Cullimore, a linebacker from Arizona, leads the team with 20 tackles, 12 of which came against UC Davis.
(Kickoff: 7 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: Q981fm.com)
Key matchup to watch
WIU secondary vs. SUU WR Zach Mitchell: Mitchell leads the team with 16 catches and averages 17.44 yards a reception. The Leathernecks allowed Lindenwood’s Jeff Caldwell to catch four touchdowns last week and pile up 185 receiving yards. A replay of that this weekend would be trouble for WIU.
What’s at stake?
The Leathernecks lost 17-10 to Southern Utah in Macomb last year on a 73-yard TD pass with 33 seconds remaining. What WIU wouldn’t do for some revenge this week.
Quick hits
Western has seen a major improvement on third downs this season. The WIU offense is converting nearly 46% of third-down opportunities. Last season, WIU’s conversion rate was just over 25%. … The Leathernecks still have not committed a single turnover this season. Over the past three seasons, they piled up 76 turnovers, including 25 last fall. … Morrissey has thrown for the second-most touchdowns among Missouri Valley Football Conference quarterbacks this season with six. His completion percentage of 58.3% is nearly 10 percentage points higher than what Western QBs threw for last season (49.4%). … Senior safety Bradyn Smith ranks second in the MVFC with 11 tackles per game.
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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