>>Illini Host Western Michigan Saturday
After a 48-23 loss to North Carolina at Memorial Stadium last Saturday night, the Illinois Fighting Illini welcome Western Michigan to Champaign Saturday afternoon.
Illinois welcomed a sellout crowd of 60,670 last Saturday, marking the first sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium since hosting Michigan on Nov. 12, 2011.
Out of the MAC, Western Michigan is 2-0 on the season. Western Michigan was last at Memorial Stadium in 2012, where the Illini won 24-7.
Senior DE Carroll Phillips is tied for the FBS lead with 6.5 TFLs, while senior DL Gimel President ranks 12th in the nation with 4.5 TFLs.
Saturday's game is at 3 pm and can be seen on ESPNNews.
>>Illinois State Hosts Eastern Illinois in Annual Rivalry Game
Fresh off a thrilling 9-7 win over Big Ten Conference foe Northwestern last Saturday at Ryan Field, Illinois State faces longtime in-state rival Eastern Illinois in the 105th Mid-America Classic.
The Panthers (1-1) are coming off a win over a FBS foe themselves, following a 21-17 win over Miami (Ohio), and face a Redbird team that is off to a 2-0 start for the third time in the past six seasons.
The game renews the oldest FCS football rivalry in the state of Illinois and the 13th-oldest at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.
Following a two hour, forty-five minute weather delay in last Saturday's game between EIU and Miami (Ohio), the outcome came down to the final 56 seconds as Mitch Kimble hit Devin Church for a 7-yard touchdown pass as EIU won 21-17.
Illinois State redshirt sophomore Jake Kolbe took control and led the Redbird offense downfield to put kicker Sean Slattery in position for the game winner. Kolbe went 7-for-7 for 63 yards on the drive that ultimately resulted in Slattery's 33 yard field goal to win it. The Naperville, Illinois, native set career-highs with 30 completions for 287 yards against the Wildcats in the victory.
Hear all the action Saturday afternoon starting at 1:30 pm on The Big 1520 AM/92.3 FM WHOW and online at dewittdailynews.com.
