Junior Christian Anaya leads Western Illinois with 14 receptions and three touchdowns. The Arizona native had eight catches, two for touchdowns, last week against Eastern Washington. (Photo by GoLeathernecks.com)
By Dan Verdun
Western Illinois receiver Christian Anaya remembers last year’s game at Eastern Illinois quite well.
“We should’ve had it. We should have beaten them,” the junior said of WIU’s 45-38 loss at Charleston’s O’Brien Field. “There were a lot of penalties and mental errors that we didn’t expect to have.”
Anaya caught three passes for 66 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown in that game.
Anaya, in his second season at WIU after transferring from Montana State, said the Western coaching staff has stressed “discipline” leading into Saturday’s 3 p.m. kickoff at Hanson Field in Macomb.
The matchup of in-state rivals marks the OVC-Big South Football Association opener for both the Leathernecks (1-3) and Panthers (1-2).
“I’m not pleased to be 1-3. I’m not. I’ll just be honest,” WIU head coach Joe Davis said bluntly. “Last Saturday (a 52-31 loss at Eastern Washington) was a very winnable game for us and we let it slip away.”
Prior to taking over the Leatherneck program last year, Davis served as EIU offensive coordinator for two seasons under EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson.
“There’s no extra motivation. We’re looking to win this game regardless of the opponent,” Davis said. “I have a ton of respect for Eastern. I’ve mentioned that many times. I consider Coach Wilkerson a great mentor and friend . . . My past with that football program really has no bearing on this football game.”
Anaya, who leads the team with 14 receptions and three touchdowns, said WIU has the athletes to “play fast and confident” to secure the victory.
Home Sweet Hanson
Three of Western’s four wins last season came at Hanson Field.
“It’s a big opportunity to open the conference (schedule) at home,” Anaya said. “We love being in Macomb. The town is really supporting us this year. We’ve been doing community service and have been able to reach out. It’s 50-50 with the support.”
The Leathernecks have won six of the last seven games against the Panthers in Macomb, including a 2002 first-round playoff matchup.
The schools have not played at Hanson Field since 2015 when Western thumped Eastern, 33-5, to begin the season.
“Last year was disappointing, but this year we’re out to defend our field,” WIU defensive back Christian Pierce said.
This week’s opponent
Eastern Illinois is coming off its bye week following a 42-30 home loss to nationally ranked Illinois State.
The Panthers are likely to play two quarterbacks – redshirt sophomore Cole LaCrue and redshirt freshman Connor Wolf – against Western.
LaCrue is more of a running threat. The Wisconsin transfer rushed for an EIU quarterback record 193 yards in the team’s win against Dayton.
With LaCrue out with an injury, Wolf got his first career start against ISU and passed for a program freshman record 411 yards and four touchdowns.
Redshirt junior Charles Kellom, an Akron transfer, leads EIU with 241 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Redshirt junior C.J. Nelson tops the Panthers with 210 receiving yards and two TDs.
Safety Saipeti Maiava Jr. leads EIU with 24 tackles. Cornerback Isaiah Houi has five pass breakups.
Kickoff: 3 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: Q981fm.com
Key matchup to watch
WIU pass rush vs. EIU pass game
Davis spent part of this week’s practices observing WIU’s defensive line. He highlighted freshmen Jalen Nicolas, Jamesly Jean Louis and Elijah Kongolo along with seniors D.J. Taylor and Jalen Riven for their size and skills.
“I’ve challenged our guys,” Davis said. “Those guys have got to be able to get to the quarterback.”
Davis certainly sees that positional battle as a vital component to Saturday’s outcome.
“For us to have a shot this weekend, we’re going to need that group to be really productive and create a lot of havoc for Eastern’s offense.”
Eastern has allowed eight sacks in three games, including five in a 38-14 loss at Indiana State.
Western has five sacks in four games, which includes a pair of contests against FBS Illinois and Northwestern to open the season. The Leathernecks did not record any sacks in last week’s loss at Eastern Washington.
What’s at stake
A Western win starts the Leathernecks off on the right foot in league play.
“Ultimately, in the OVC-Big South, the winner (champion) gets an automatic bid to the playoffs, so these games really matter now in terms of wins and losses,” Davis said.
Quick hits
With Western Illinois joining the OVC-Big South last season, WIU and Eastern Illinois are in the same conference for the first time since 1995 when both were Gateway Conference members. … Western leads the all-time series, 42-22-4. The teams first met in 1930, but only three times since 2015. … Eastern has not won in Macomb since 1990. … Junior Markell Holman leads Western Illinois with 329 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 72 attempts. … WIU’s top three tacklers all reside in the secondary, led by graduate students Buju Aumua-Tuisavura and Ti’a Malini, who each have 31 stops.
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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