Western Illinois freshman safety Jordan Anderson has 25 tackles this season, which ranks fifth on the team. (Photo by GoLeathernecks.com)
By Barry Bottino
Growing up in Detroit with three siblings, Jordan Anderson learned about competition early and often.
“It was such a competitive household,” said the Western Illinois freshman safety. “All we did was compete. Who could tie their shoes the fastest. Who could beat who down the street. We were in that three-bedroom house just arguing all day, horseplaying.”
One of those arguments led Anderson’s sister, Rickea Jackson, to start playing basketball. “My sister didn’t even start playing until about seventh grade,” Anderson said. “She was at one of my basketball games. I said, ‘You’re not better than me.’ She said, ‘If I played, I’d be better than you.’ She just took off from there.”
How did that turn out?
Last week, Jackson was named to the WNBA All-Rookie team after her first season with the Los Angeles Sparks.
“Seeing her go as far as she has showed me that it’s possible,” Anderson said. “Having her as a source to ask questions or gain experience from helps a lot.”
Anderson has gained plenty of valuable experience of his own by starting the last three games as Western’s whip safety. He will start his fourth consecutive game Saturday, Oct. 19 when the Leathernecks (2-4 overall, 1-1 Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association) host Tennessee Tech (2-4, 2-1) at 3 p.m. (ESPN-Plus).
“He’s a player who has continued to get better and better every single week,” WIU head coach Joe Davis said of Anderson. “He has embraced all the things we’re about as a program and he’s got a very positive mental attitude.”
Anderson’s 25 tackles ranks fifth on the team this season from his safety position, which involves responsibilities to cover a deep portion of the field against the pass and come up to the line of scrimmage to help in the run game.
“I’m still growing into the role,” he said. “I’m a scrappy dog, an energy guy. I continuously want to grow and develop as a player. But more importantly, I want to grow as a team.”
This week’s opponent
The Golden Eagles’ defensive line has two of the Big South-OVC’s top players in junior Theron Gaines (3.5 sacks) and senior Kanstin Brooks (six tackles for loss). TTU ranks No. 1 against the run, allowing just 79.5 yards a game. They are last, however, in the nine-team conference in pass defense (307.3 yards). … TTU has sputtered in the red zone. They rank eighth in the league in red zone offense and ninth in red zone defense, having allowed opponents to score 88.9% of the time inside the TTU 20-yard line. … On offense, TTU ranks eighth in the nine-team Big South-OVC with 310 yards a game and has scored the second-fewest touchdowns (13) in the conference. Sophomore QB Jordyn Potts has thrown six touchdowns and five interceptions. …. Wide receiver Ashton Maples leads the Golden Eagles with three touchdown catches this season but has only 10 receptions for the year. … TTU redshirt freshman wide receiver Mekhi Penix has some famous family ties. His brother, Michael Jr., is a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. His father, Michael Sr., ranks third all-time in Tennessee Tech history in career rushing yards per game (91.1) and still holds the school record for most rushing yards in a single game with 261 against Southeast Missouri in 1993.
Kickoff: 3 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: Q981fm.com
Key matchup to watch
Western QB Nathan Lamb vs. TTU secondary: Tech has nine interceptions this season, which leads the conference and ranks ninth nationally. Free safety Tim Coutras and cornerback Caldra Williford have two each. Lamb has thrown four interceptions, but only one in the Leathernecks’ last three games. “They’re very opportunistic on that side of the ball,” Davis said. “It’s a big challenge for us on the offensive side of the ball to deal with that defense.”
What’s at stake?
The Leathernecks are seeking their first Big South-OVC home victory.
Quick hits
Halfway through the season, WIU senior running back Cameren Smith ranks third in the conference with 78.8 yards a game. He needs only 24 yards to surpass 500 for the season. Smith would be the first Western back since 2018 to surpass the 500-yard mark. Steve McShane rushed for 644 yards in 2018. The last WIU back to surpass 1,000 yards was Nikko Watson, who gained 1,196 yards in 2015. “He really checks a lot of the boxes that you want for a back this level,” Davis said of Smith. “Cam has been a guy that has gotten better as a football player every single week.” … As the Leathernecks open the second half of the season this weekend, Davis has one key wish list item for the defense. “We have to be able to make an improvement on stopping the run,” he said. “We’ve struggled to fit runs the right way, to tackle in space, to disrupt ball carriers at the line of scrimmage and not (allow them) to make their initial reads as quick.” Western’s run defense ranks at the bottom of the conference at 276.3 yards a game and 122nd nationally out of 123 FCS teams. … Sophomore wide receiver Eli Aragon ranks sixth in the conference with 58 receiving yards per game. … WIU kicker Antonio Chadha’s 48-yard field goal two weeks ago at Charleston Southern is the second-longest kick this season in the Big South-OVC. … Former WIU wide receiver Frisman Jackson will be inducted into the Western athletics hall of fame this weekend. He’s currently the wide receivers coach for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. “We made it a point this week to make our team aware of who Frisman Jackson is,” Davis said. “To honor those types of guys is really important for our football program and our university, but maybe most importantly for our current student-athletes to see what could happen with a Western degree and with this Western football experience. Hopefully we can make (Jackson) proud.”
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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