Western Illinois Leathernecks Scouting Report

[Diesel]

This game makes me nervous....after expending so much physically as well as mentally against UW and add now more injuries it will be a very, very tough task. Losing Harris is huge and the RB crew will really need to step up in his absence and Cam will need to be able to hit some deep routes to stretch the defense. Penalties need cleaned up (can't have good runs by Cam called back) This opponent is very tough as indicated by their performance against a decent FBS team. I think although UW is very talented it still showed the offense is not a given to be able to score a lot of points against a good team. My prediction is goes deep into the 4th before a winner is decided and turnovers might determine what color of jersey that team is wearing.

I’m glad I listened to interview with Pat O’Connell interview before reading this post. Pac12 officials were the 12th man for UW until they put their flags away in fourth quarter. To compare UW defense to any FCS defense is a gross underestimate of how good UW defense is. They continue to pump secondary players into the NFL, year after year. UM played as though they were overmatched by that secondary and patiently stuck to the short fast throws. UM played the way they were coached. They dominated where they could dominate and made UW earn everything. Zero sacks and zero INTs.
I am looking forward to where they will dominate this week against a much weaker foe in our house. Pat reinforced the way the team has bought into the coaching and how they are trained to be dominant, not by chance, but on purpose.
I will trust this team is in good hands until proven otherwise. The sky isn’t falling with UM football, opponents beware of the bear.

Walking into UW stadium area one of their traffic guys asked how to keep a Grizzly out of your yard?
Put up a goalpost…Thankfully he was still working after the game and we were able to revisit the pregame comments.

Night game GO GRIZ!!!

 

[AZGrizFan]

As we revel in the clouds over the UDUB victory, I say that the book is still very much out on whether our offense, with Cam at QB, can consistently make long drives and score lots of points. Yes, we should be able to run the ball, but we may be down to our 4th/5th running backs. Ultimately, Humphrey is going to have to show us that he can make good decisions on passes, throw accurately, and deliver passes that our WRs can catch.

You’re going to judge his performance against a PAC-12 team? With a 1st round lock down corner taking our best receiver out of the game almost totally? After what he showed me in the 2nd half, I have zero concerns right now.

 

[get'em_griz]

As we revel in the clouds over the UDUB victory, I say that the book is still very much out on whether our offense, with Cam at QB, can consistently make long drives and score lots of points. Yes, we should be able to run the ball, but we may be down to our 4th/5th running backs. Ultimately, Humphrey is going to have to show us that he can make good decisions on passes, throw accurately, and deliver passes that our WRs can catch.

You’re going to judge his performance against a PAC-12 team? With a 1st round lock down corner taking our best receiver out of the game almost totally? After what he showed me in the 2nd half, I have zero concerns right now.

Bingo.

 

[Da Boyz Mom]

I watched the majority of the WIU vs. Ball State game, and while WIU is no patsy, I saw a lot of areas that our coaches are going to exploit. With the amount of pressure our defense is going to bring, the WIU QB is going to throw some picks and/or end up on his back. And I think our offense is going to be just fine against the WIU defense. As the UW game proved, we don't have to score a zillion points, just more than the other team.

 

[Dillon]

Thanks for report you always do a good job.

As far as people wanting to make QB controversy with Humphrey and Brown, let the coaches do their jobs. Most important is the defense looks impressive. A great defense will keep a okay offense in the game. Looking forward to a night game.

As in 2001 (long time ago). Defense won that Championship!

 

[argh!]

As we revel in the clouds over the UDUB victory, I say that the book is still very much out on whether our offense, with Cam at QB, can consistently make long drives and score lots of points. Yes, we should be able to run the ball, but we may be down to our 4th/5th running backs. Ultimately, Humphrey is going to have to show us that he can make good decisions on passes, throw accurately, and deliver passes that our WRs can catch.

You’re going to judge his performance against a PAC-12 team? With a 1st round lock down corner taking our best receiver out of the game almost totally? After what he showed me in the 2nd half, I have zero concerns right now.

sunny is right here. in terms of his 'touch' on throws, it seemed like humphrey was way too hyped up for the first half, then just too hyped up for the second half. might be the speed of the defense, but per reports here, he tends to rush his throws, and not use much of any touch on them. agreed, in the last game he was playing against udub, but the descriptions of his play by some on here who watched spring games, etc, matched what i saw, most of the game.

 

[BWahlberg]

I watched the majority of the WIU vs. Ball State game, and while WIU is no patsy, I saw a lot of areas that our coaches are going to exploit. With the amount of pressure our defense is going to bring, the WIU QB is going to throw some picks and/or end up on his back. And I think our offense is going to be just fine against the WIU defense. As the UW game proved, we don't have to score a zillion points, just more than the other team.

Riley pointed out to us on the GFP that their stud WR also dropped a would-be 70 yard TD pass too or else he would've had 300+ yards and 3 scores. :shock:

 

[fencer24]

From their news site:
Quick Hits

Week two takes Western Illinois football to Missoula, Mont., continuing its slight road stretch in the 2021 season's first pair of weeks. A Saturday (Sept. 11) evening contest versus the Montana Grizzlies will occur at 7 p.m. CT

This past Thursday (Sept. 2), WIU fell to Ball State on the Cardinals' home field in the season opener, 31-21

Montana won its season opener on Saturday (Sept. 4) over nationally-ranked Washington in a 13-7 decision. It marked only the sixth time in the last 40 years that an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team defeated a nationally-ranked Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent. It was also the Grizzlies' first win over a Pac-12 opponent since 1996.


The Last Outing | This past Thursday, in the 2021 season opener, Ball State got on the scoreboard first with a long throw on a 49-yard touchdown pass. As a response, Connor Sampson and Dennis Houston connected on a 49-yard bomb at the start of their third drive that put the Leathernecks in Cardinals territory for the first time of the evening. Feisty defense on both ends kept the teams on their side of the field for the period's remainder.

In the second, Sampson dictated a strong drive by Western as the team pieced together 13 plays, 96 yards, and a Tony Tate rushing touchdown. An extra-point kick by Mason Laramie evened the score at 7-7. Ball State fumbled on the next immediate snap, with just under two minutes left in the quarter, and Michael Lawson was right there to give WIU possession again. The Cardinals made a three-and-out stop, and Adam Fellner dropped a tremendous 52-yard punt right to the Ball State 1-yard line. One final rush happened before the two opponents ran into the halftime break with a tied score.

The third quarter opened in favor of the host, as Ball State completed a 10-play series on a rushing touchdown for 21 yards. Electric play continued when Houston made a 75-yard receiving touchdown look effortless down the WIU sideline. However, Ball State had a quick answer on a 48-yard throw to go ahead again, 21-14. Subsequent stops on traded drives, including an interception from the Cardinals, finished out the quarter.

Likewise to the previous period, it did not take long for Ball State to score underway in the fourth. A 37-yard rushing TD upped the team's lead to 28-14. A 35-yard field goal soon followed. Nevertheless, the Leathernecks would not be finished, as Sampson connected with Daniel Bender on a 34-yard pass to the BSU01 under the two-minute mark. The veteran quarterback then spotted Houston for the latter's second touchdown of the night, and Laramie's kick for an extra point put an end to the setback.


Dennis The Menace | The Ball State contest was quite the evening for senior wide receiver Dennis Houston, as he set a new career-high in receiving yards with 237. His previous best was 141 yards against Montana State on Sept. 14, 2019. The savvy team captain has edged his way onto the all-time list for the fourth-best mark within WIU single-game records. Additionally, his 12 receptions were a career-high and tied for fifth-highest in the program's single-game records.

As of today (Sept. 7), Houston's 237 receiving yards and 12 receptions rank at the top of NCAA FCS leaders. He is also third in all-purpose yards.


That's My QB | Quarterback Connor Sampson started his campaign with a bang against the Ball State Cardinals -- going for 30 completions, 367 passing yards, a 69.8% passing percentage, two touchdowns, and only one interception. His 367 passing yards fell just one yard short of tying a career-high (368 vs. South Dakota, Nov. 2019). He again slides into the single-game record books for taking the 15th-best spot in that category. It was the sixth career game of 30 or more completions for Sampson.

Amongst NCAA FCS individuals, Sampson sits fourth in completions per game, seventh in passing yards, ninth in total offense, and 13th in completion percentage.


Bring 'Em Down | On the defensive side of the ball, Michael Lawson's 14 tackles at Ball State tied for a personal career-best in a single game. He notched this same mark last season on Apr. 2 versus Youngstown State. Lawson also forced two fumbles and was credited for securing Western's first fumble recovery of the year.

In his first game as a Leatherneck, Darius Joiner finished with 12 tackles, seven of which were solo. Dallas Martin had six tackles in his first WIU showing, while Greg Benton Jr. added five.


Sliding into the Rankings | With one week in the books, WIU has fallen into a few team rankings within the NCAA FCS level:

- Passing offense - 7th (367 yards per game)

- Completion percentage - 14th (.698)

- Net punting - 16th (41.43 net yards)

- Pass efficiency - 26th (152.16)


Starting Nods | Several new Leathernecks made debuts as starters during week one:

Brandon Arnold (DL)

Yoesph Carter (OL)

Akil Francisco (DB) - five tackles

Darius Joiner (DB) - 12 tackles

Dejohn Jones (OL)

Dallas Martin (LB) - eight tackles (four solo)

JJ Ross (DB) - four solo tackles


A Brief History | This will only be the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs. Having won the last three matchups, WIU holds a 3-1 advantage. The most recent outing happened at Hanson Field on Sept. 15, 2018, which resulted in a 31-27 Leatherneck win.

https://goleathernecks.com/news/2021/9/7/football-amontana-matchup.aspx

Listening to the GFP podcast, there are 13 FBS transfers on the 2 deep defense side alone.

 

[Proud Griz Man]

What O'Connell interview ? link anyone?

I’m glad I listened to interview with Pat O’Connell interview before reading this post. Pac12 officials were the 12th man for UW

 

[Diesel]

What O'Connell interview ? link anyone?

I’m glad I listened to interview with Pat O’Connell interview before reading this post. Pac12 officials were the 12th man for UW

Sorry I don't have link it was on ESPN radio with Tootell, Monday or Tuesday. Pat was a good interview and said once they (defense) settled down and played within game plan they became more confident and gave all credit to coaches.

 

[Grizzlies1982]

What O'Connell interview ? link anyone?

Sorry I don't have link it was on ESPN radio with Tootell, Monday or Tuesday. Pat was a good interview and said once they (defense) settled down and played within game plan they became more confident and gave all credit to coaches.

The coaches had them ready. Though personally I was impressed with the sure handed tackling by our guys. There were very few plays where the UDub guys got additional yards once they encountered a Griz. Whether their receivers, or their running back, typically they were taken right down to the ground. Our linemen, line backers, and D backs all did a great job!

 

[kemajic]

Thanks for report you always do a good job.

As far as people wanting to make QB controversy with Humphrey and Brown, let the coaches do their jobs. Most important is the defense looks impressive. A great defense will keep a okay offense in the game. Looking forward to a night game.

As in 2001 (long time ago). Defense won that Championship!

It was also our defense that beat Marshall in '95.

 

[AZGrizFan]

Sorry I don't have link it was on ESPN radio with Tootell, Monday or Tuesday. Pat was a good interview and said once they (defense) settled down and played within game plan they became more confident and gave all credit to coaches.

The coaches had them ready. Though personally I was impressed with the sure handed tackling by our guys. There were very few plays where the UDub guys got additional yards once they encountered a Griz. Whether their receivers, or their running back, typically they were taken right down to the ground. Our linemen, line backers, and D backs all did a great job!

Some of the best open field, one-on-one tackling I’ve seen in quite some time.

 

[hunt-ducks]

As in 2001 (long time ago). Defense won that Championship!

It was also our defense that beat Marshall in '95.

You are right about the '95 Marshall game. I was there. The Marshall offense was amazing, with several future NFL starters playing. We held them 20+ points below their average.

 

[hunt-ducks]

Sorry I don't have link it was on ESPN radio with Tootell, Monday or Tuesday. Pat was a good interview and said once they (defense) settled down and played within game plan they became more confident and gave all credit to coaches.

The coaches had them ready. Though personally I was impressed with the sure handed tackling by our guys. There were very few plays where the UDub guys got additional yards once they encountered a Griz. Whether their receivers, or their running back, typically they were taken right down to the ground. Our linemen, line backers, and D backs all did a great job!

I agree about how well we tackled against UDUB. Very few missed tackles, and lots of gang tackling. I loved watching the body language of the Husky players getting up off the turf after they had been pummeled by 2-3 Griz

 

[Yukon]

I watched the majority of the WIU vs. Ball State game, and while WIU is no patsy, I saw a lot of areas that our coaches are going to exploit. With the amount of pressure our defense is going to bring, the WIU QB is going to throw some picks and/or end up on his back. And I think our offense is going to be just fine against the WIU defense. As the UW game proved, we don't have to score a zillion points, just more than the other team.

Totally agree. Watching the game now.

 

[3-7-77]

WIU may be sneaking in a ringer QB, some guy named Montana.

 

[hunt-ducks]

WIU may be sneaking in a ringer QB, some guy named Montana.

Funny stuff. I think he and his wife are staying at Paws-Up, and were just in town shopping. But, I did hear some news today that one of the key WIU defensive players will not play for some unknown reason. Can't recall his name though.