Western Illinois safety Malini Ti’a (33) celebrates his interception Saturday against Eastern Illinois in Macomb. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
By Barry Bottino
During one play, Malini Ti’a could be taking on a running back at the line of scrimmage. A play later, he could be roaming the middle of the field in coverage.
“My game is very versatile,” said Ti’a, a first-year Western Illinois defensive back. “We play sides as safeties. Sometimes I’ll play strong safety. Other times, it will be free safety. I have dual roles when it comes to positions.”
That versatility has made Ti’a, a Sacramento State transfer, one of the defense’s top contributors. His 35 total tackles rank eighth in the OVC-Big South Football Association. He’s also one of three WIU players to have an interception this fall, having picked off Eastern Illinois quarterback Connor Wolf last weekend.
While his duties are regularly changing, Ti’a’s demeanor is not.
“The thing I like about Malini the best is he has a significant joy for the game,” WIU head coach Joe Davis said. “You can watch him in practice and he’s smiling. He’s encouraging his teammates. You can talk to him during media timeouts (in games) and he’s smiling. He’s got a joy for life and football.”
Ti’a, who will travel with the Leathernecks (1-4 overall, 0-1 conference) to face unbeaten Tennessee Tech (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday (noon, ESPN-Plus), is at ease playing the game thanks to years of being on the field.
“(My calmness) comes from experience and how I was raised,” Ti’a said. “My dad always said, ‘Be confident but be humble.’ I always try to be the smartest one out there, because in preparation, that’s where confidence comes from. That’s how I keep my cool demeanor.”
Ti’a’s path to Macomb was a long one. He redshirted in 2020 at FCS Utah Tech, where he started four games during the COVID season the following year. He helped California’s College of San Mateo – where he spent two seasons – win a state junior college title in 2022 then played 12 games there in 2023.
Last season, he played all 12 games at FCS Sacramento State at nickelback.
His first interception this season came last week against Wolf, who threw for 411 yards last month against Illinois State.
When the Panthers motioned a receiver to his side of the field, Ti’a knew his assignment.
“I had a good read on it. The quarterback was staring at him the whole time. I just jumped the lane and caught the ball, making sure my feet were in bounds,” he said with a laugh.
With a 1-4 record mounting injuries, Western’s defense must turn its focus to the basics, according to Ti’a.
“Tackling, wrapping up, getting turnovers. It sounds corny and generic, but when things are going wrong, you need to focus on what you’ve been taught since a young age, which is fundamentals,” he said.
This week’s opponent
Eastern Washington transfer Kekoa Visperas has nine touchdown passes and one interception this season as Tech’s starting QB. He led the nation last season with a 74.3% completion percentage. Through four games, he is completing 66.3% of his passes. … TTU is 4-0 and averaging 54.3 points a game. The team’s victories, however, have included a 65-0 win against NAIA Cumberland and a 72-14 triumph against FCS Davidson, a member of the non-scholarship Pioneer League. Tech opened the OVC-Big South season last weekend with a 35-8 victory against Tennessee State. … Tech is ranked No. 9 in the FCS coaches poll this week, its highest ranking in school history, and 11th in the national media poll. “(The ranking) is such a proud moment for everyone at Tennessee Tech,” TTU coach Bobby Wilder said. “The last time (we were 4-0) was 1977. That’s 48 years ago. There are a lot of exciting accomplishments that are happening.” … The Golden Eagles are averaging three sacks a game and rank among the top 20 nationally with 12 sacks on the season. Senior defensive lineman Ethan McLaurin leads the team with 2.5. … Senior Noah Robinson (15 receptions) and junior Maury Sullivan (14) have combined for 29 of the team’s 73 receptions this season.
Kickoff: Noon; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: Q981fm.com
Key matchup to watch
WIU defense vs. Tech run game: The Golden Eagles are averaging 272 rushing yards a game and have 17 touchdowns via the ground game, including five each from seniors Quintell Quinn and Q’Daryius Jennings. In the past two games, Western has allowed 325 and 239 yards rushing in losses to Eastern Washington and Eastern Illinois.
What’s at stake?
The Leathernecks are trying to avoid an 0-2 start in OVC-Big South play. The last time WIU started 0-2 in league play was 2023, their final season in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Quick hits
During his weekly media address Tuesday, Davis said it was too soon to determine any depth chart changes. After Saturday’s 31-23 home loss to Eastern Illinois, he said the coaching staff would examine each spot in the lineup. “Our coaches are grading practice by practice,” Davis said Tuesday. “The guys that practice the best and grade out the best are going to have an opportunity to play on Saturday.” At 1-4, Davis said the team’s performance is “never one player, whether it’s quarterback or linebacker or right tackle or safety.” … The Leathernecks beat Tech last season, 37-21, in Macomb before TTU went on to share the conference title and now has an FCS-best nine straight wins. “They’ve certainly got our attention,” Tech coach Bobby Wilder said of WIU. “That was a dominant performance by them (last year). Our last loss was to Western Illinois.” … Freshman quarterback Cason Carswell, who relieved starter Chris Irvin at halftime, was 16-for-22 passing for 118 yards and two touchdowns. “Offensively, not much changes when Cason goes in there,” Davis said. “He has a pretty good grasp of what we’re trying to do.” … Kicker Antonio Chadha has the third-best field goal percentage in the nation this season at 85.7% (6-for-7) with a long of 49 yards against Eastern Illinois. “Nothing Antonio is doing is a surprise to us,” Davis said. “We have a lot of confidence in him.” … Running back Markell Holman has been a consistent contributor all season and leads the OVC-Big South in rushing yards (420) by more than 60 yards while ranking third in yards per game (84.0).
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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