Cameren Smith (25) rushed for a career-high 199 yards and two touchdowns as Western Illinois downed McKendree, 49-32, Saturday at Hanson Field. (Photo by GoLeathernecks.com)
By Dan Verdun
MACOMB – Cameren Smith has a history against McKendree, a history that he added to memorably Saturday night at Hanson Field.
Two seasons ago as a member of Division II Missouri S&T, Smith rushed for a season-high 176 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries against the McKendree Bearcats.
Following a team-leading 707-yard rushing season last fall, Smith moved up a level by transferring to FCS Western Illinois.
The redshirt senior reacquainted himself Saturday with McKendree, like Missouri S&T, a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Smith rushed for a career-high 199 yards and two touchdowns as WIU defeated the Bearcats, 49-32, in the Leathernecks’ home opener.
The victory snapped Western’s school-record 27-game losing streak and gave head coach Joe Davis his first career head coaching win.
On the verge of a big run
In the week leading up to Saturday’s game, Smith approached Davis to tell him about his then-career best performance against McKendree as the GLVC Freshman of the Year in 2022.
“He was excited to play this game,” Davis said. “We sort of felt that Cam was on the verge of a big run. In our first three games he had a couple of runs that he kind of squirted through and maybe got (brought down) by a shoelace tackle or just sort of stumbled.”
During his time as Eastern Illinois offensive coordinator the past two seasons, Davis showed a predilection for riding a productive back. Smith turned out to be the choice against McKendree, carrying the ball a season-high 23 times.
“He’s a big back,” Davis said of the 6-foot, 220-pound Smith. “He’s an explosive back. I’m really, really excited to see him break out and have a dominant performance.”
Smith praised his offensive linemen along with the offensive scheme.
“My thought process was convert, don’t take any bad yardage. Get back to the line of scrimmage even if they’re all coming at me and (then) break tackles as much as I can,” Smith said. “When I see a hole, hit it full speed and not let one guy tackle me.”
Second-half surge
Smith had five double-digit rushes against the Bearcats, four of which came in the second half.
On Western’s opening series of the third quarter, he recorded runs of 17 and 15 yards on consecutive plays.
In the fourth quarter, he broke free for runs of 64 and 47 yards.
“I’ve got to unhook the wagon,” he chuckled in reference to the 64-yarder in which McKendree’s Andrew Sherry caught him at the 4-yard line.
“It opened up like the Red Sea,” Smith said. “The guys blocked it up perfectly. I got a nice kick-out block and I used the weapon (speed) as we call it. It was definitely wide open.”
After a three-yard loss by quarterback Nate Lamb, Smith burst through the middle of the line and into the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown run.
While that score boosted WIU’s lead to 42-25, his next carry proved to be the icing on the cake.
Following a Bearcat touchdown, the Leathernecks covered an onside kick. Then, Smith broke away for a 47-yard touchdown run.
Asked about the symmetry of his two career-best games coming against McKendree, Smith was reflective while remaining in the moment.
“That makes it even more special, to do it at the D2 level and then continue it on at the D1 level,” Smith said, “to keep elevating each game. It’s been a blessing.”
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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