There was little room to run this season for Western Illinois running back Seth Glatz (20) and other backs. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
By Barry Bottino
Today marks 736 days since Western Illinois last won a football game, a 38-31 victory on Oct. 30, 2021 against Illinois State.
For the second time in three years, the Leathernecks are searching for a new head coach after two winless seasons under former WIU player Myers Hendrickson.
Western heads into 2024 with a new head coach and a new conference, moving into the Big South-OVC Football Association … and a 24-game losing streak, its longest in school history.
Questions abound about the roster, coaching staff and new schedule.
Prairie State Pigskin examines five key questions facing the Leathernecks this off-season.
Where do the Leathernecks turn for their next head coach?
Will it be an FCS coordinator? An FBS position coach? An NFL coaching assistant?
Where the Leathernecks find their next head coach is still up in the air. But time is of the essence. The first of two National Signing Days is Dec. 20.
WIU athletic director Paul A. Bubb told Prairie State Pigskin that he was targeting Dec. 8 as the date to have a new coach hired. But Bubb and WIU have been tight-lipped about candidates.
No matter who the next coach is, that person will have to energize the fan base, make Saturday afternoons at Hanson Field the place to be for students and sell a proud football alumni group on plans for a turnaround.
How quickly can the Leathernecks fix their offensive line?
Up front, the Leathernecks endured a long season. WIU gave up 50 sacks, the most of any FCS team in the country.
In part because of the sacks, which led to 401 yards in losses, Western produced only 47.6 yards per game on the ground. However, no WIU ball carrier with more than 10 attempts averaged 4.0 yards a carry.
Perhaps the biggest recruiting need for the new coaching staff will be finding some reinforcements up front.
What has the transfer portal taken away thus far?
The biggest loss was quarterback Matt Morrissey, who jumped into the portal only nine days after the season. He provided a big upgrade for Western at the position this fall, throwing for 13 touchdowns and completing 61% of his passes.
Running back Seth Glatz, who began the season as Western’s starter, also chose to enter the portal.
The fall marked the fifth season in a row in which Western’s leading rusher did not surpass 500 yards.
Sophomore wide receiver Tajh Sanders, who tied for the team lead with three touchdown catches, also put his name in the portal.
Can the WIU defense start to limit big plays?
Big plays are demoralizing for a defense and often game changing.
During Hendrickson’s tenure, they also became a common theme for the Western defense.
This fall, the Leathernecks gave up 17 passing touchdowns that were 25 yards or longer. Eight of those plays were longer than 40 yards.
On the ground, 10 rushing TDs against WIU were longer than 20 yards.
The Leathernecks can’t afford to have this trend continue under a new coaching staff.
What does the move to the Big South-OVC Football Association mean?
The Leathernecks, who leave the Missouri Valley Football Conference with five titles in their history, are giving up the prestige of player in a powerhouse league for the practicality of joining schools more like them.
According to the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database, WIU spent $3,104,498 on its football team in 2022.
The median FCS spending was $4,291,398 in 2022, according to the database.
Six MVFC teams qualified for this year’s FCS playoffs. Four exceeded the FCS median (North Dakota State, North Dakota, South Dakota State and South Dakota). The final two – Southern Illinois and Youngstown State – were within less than $100,000 of the median in 2022.
In the Big South-OVC, only one public school spent more than the FCS median in 2022 – Tennessee State at $6.342 million. As private institutions, Bryant, Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, Lindenwood and Robert Morris do not have to publicly report their expenditures. However, Bryant and Robert Morris are both departing the league for new homes.
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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