TENNESSEE TECH AT WESTERN ILLINOIS
10/19/24 | 3 p.m. | Hanson Field | Macomb, Ill.
LIVE STATS | VIDEO | AUDIO | GAME NOTES
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
MACOMB, Ill. – After a tough outing last week at Cape Girardeau, the Tennessee Tech football team will hit the ground running once more this week as they head to Macomb, Ill., to take on Western Illinois.
Kickoff for the game Saturday is scheduled for 3 p.m. Dylan Vazzano will have the call locally on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be broadcast on ESPN+ (subscription required).
It's the third time overall the two teams have met, but just the first time in conference play as the Leathernecks joined the conference last season but this is their first season in football.
Western Illinois comes into the game with a 2-4 record, 1-1 in the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference. The Leathernecks took some lumps early with a pair of Football Bowl Subdivision losses, including a 54-15 defeat at Northern Illinois, then a 77-3 loss at Indiana. Back into the Football Championship Subdivision, WIU fell 51-34 at Illinois State., before going out of division for a 49-32 win over McKendree.
Once into Big South-OVC play, the Leathernecks have split their outings, taking a 31-20 win at Charleston Southern, before falling last week at home 45-17 against UT Martin.
Like most of the Big South-OVC, WIU leans more pass-heavy in its offense, throwing for 1,303 yards and rushing for 737. However, in both phases, the Leathernecks have been outgained, allowing 1,658 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground – no doubt skewed by the FBS contests, but UT Martin picked up 314 yards on the ground against them last week with Patrick Smith rushing for 145 yards and a score and quarterback Kinkead Dent throwing and rushing for two touchdowns in the contest.
The Leathernecks come into the game ranked seventh in total offense and ninth in total defense.
Quarterback Nathan Lamb leads the way for WIU, throwing for 1,130 yards and five touchdowns on the season with four interceptions. Lamb Is also second on the team in rushing with 49 carries for 125 yards and four touchdowns. Backup Chris Irvin has seen limited action in four games, throwing for 151 yards and three scoring strikes.
It's fairly balanced at the top of their receiver chart as Eli Aragon has caught 25 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns, while Matthew Henry has 20 catches for 282 yards and a touchdown and Demari Davis has 13 catches for 233 yards and two scores.
Cameren Smith leads WIU in rushing with 473 yards on 104 totes – more than half of the team's total 199 carries – with four touchdowns. Torrance Famer Jr. is the only other Leatherneck running back with double-digit carries on the season with 24 for 72 yards.
Scoring-wise, it's kicker Antonio Chadha who leads the team in points with 33 total with five field goals – 48 standing as his longest of the season – and 18-for-19 on extra points.
Ryan Crandall leads the WIU defense with 47 stops, including a team-high six for-loss. On the whole, WIU's defense has six total sacks, has picked off three passes and recovered two fumbles. On the plus side for the Leathernecks, their offense hasn't allowed many either with four interceptions and three lost fumbles, but the quarterback has been sacked 15 times.
The Golden Eagles (2-4, 2-1 Big South-OVC), meanwhile, look to shake their two-game slide after falling in a close one to South Carolina State two weeks ago, then taking one on the chin at No. 7 Southeast Missouri last week in Cape Girardeau. It was one of two games that Tech did not record a touchdown in – the other being then-No. 1 Georgia.
Tech has rushed for 859 yards this season and passed for 1,001, skewing more on the balanced side with seven rushing touchdowns and six through the air.
Jalen Mitchell leads the Golden Eagles in rushing with 265 yards on 65 carries, while Aidan Littles has been coming on strong with 180 yards on 25 totes. Mitchell, Littles, Obie Sanni, Torin Baker, Jordan Yates, Tremel Jones and Jordyn Potts each have a rushing score with the wealth being spread.
Potts has thrown for 965 yards with six passing touchdowns and five interceptions. D.J. Linkins leads the receivers with 25 catches for 273 yards and a touchdown, while Jones has 12 catches for 136 yards. Ashton Maples has three touchdown catches among his 10 for 111 yards.
Kicker Dom LeBlanc leads Tech in scoring with 27 points as he is 5-for-7 on field goals with a long distance of 43 yards, while also standing 12-for-12 on PATs since taking over for the injured Hayden Olsen.
Defensively, Cayman Spaulding leads the team with 31 total tackles, followed closely by Kalvyn Crummie (27), Jalin Shephard (25) and Tim Coutras (24). Coutras and Caldra Williford each have a team-best two interceptions, while Theron Gaines leads the team in sacks with 3.5 and tackles-for-loss with five.
Tech has 14 sacks on defense, while picking off nine passes and recovering three fumbles.
Following the trip to Macomb, the Golden Eagles will return home next week to host Charleston Southern.
Tickets for Tennessee Tech Football are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
