No. 25 Eastern Illinois at Western Illinois
Hanson Field (16,368) • Macomb, Ill.
September 3, 2015 • 6 p.m. • TV: ESPN3THE GAMEEastern Illinois opens the 2015 season nationally ranked for the third straight season. EIU was ranked No. 25 in the FCS Coaches Preseason poll after the Panthers had a strong finish to the 2015 season. EIU won four of its last six games and was in the hunt for the OVC title until a loss at eventual champion Jacksonville State in second to final week.
Eastern Illinois has been tabbed to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll with the Panthers returning 16 starters from last year's team. Top returners for EIU include seniors - quarterback
Jalen Whitlow, running back
Shepard Little, defensive lineman
Dino Fanti, defensive lineman
Fedney Delphonse and linebacker
Kamu Grugier-Hill.
Eastern Illinois will play in the state of Illinois the entire month of September as all three of the Panthers non-conference games are against in-state competition. It marks the first time since 1944 that EIU has opened a season against three in-state teams. In 2006 EIU opened against three regional opponents facing Indiana State, Illinois and Illinois State.
Western Illinois was picked to finish to eighth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Leathernecks return 16 starters from last year with two preseason All-Conference selections with wide receiver Lance Lenoir and offensive lineman Matt Zobrist.
THE SERIESThis will be 66th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois and first since the two teams met in the FCS playoffs in 2002 with Western Illinois winning 48-9 in Tony Romo's final collegiate game. The two schools played for many years as conference rivals until EIU moved into the Ohio Valley Conference in 1996. The last regular season meeting was in 1997 with WIU winning 41-0. EIU's last win was in 1995, a 20-17 victory. The last win in Macomb was 1990. WIU leads the all-time series 40-21-4.
