By Jaylin Short
MACOMB, IL – The Fighting Leathernecks look to get their first win of the season in their home opener this Saturday against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. The Leathernecks are coming off a tough loss last week and are looking to right the ship this week. This is a meaningful game for first-year head coach Myers Hendrickson. As an alum of WIU, he takes pride in being the head coach of this football team. Wearing that purple and gold every weekend is a great feeling for him and his family watching.
Leatherneck quarterback Nick Davenport looks to build on his performance last week. He registered 125 passing yards, throwing the ball fifteen times, completing eight of them. Senior Jafar Armstrong had a great game as well last week against Minnesota. He led the Leathernecks in receptions and receiving yards, hauling in five passes for 72 yards. Redshirt senior T.J. Limehouse led all defensive players with eight tackles, and defensive back J.J. Ross had two pass breakups and added four tackles.
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds are coming off a 73-7 loss against the thirtieth-ranked Utah Utes. The Thunderbirds had trouble moving the ball all game, only managing to get four total first downs, while the Utes had 31. The Thunderbirds starting quarterback threw for only 42 yards in that game, and as a team, they rushed for only 43 yards. The Utes registered 598 total yards of offense, while the Thunderbirds only managed to get 85 total yards of offense for the entire game. The Utes also controlled the time of possession as well (36:26-23:34).
Kickoff is scheduled for 3pm tomorrow, at Hanson Field.
