# 2024 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

The 2024 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as a member of the Big South–OVC Football Association during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Joe Davis. The Leathernecks played their home games at Hanson Field in Macomb, Illinois. This was the team's first season as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference after leaving the Missouri Valley Football Conference following the previous season. They finished the season 4–8, 3–5 in Big South–OVC play to finish in a tie for sixth place.

## Preseason
### Preseason poll

The Big South-OVC Conference released their preseason poll on July 17, 2024. The Leathernecks were picked to finish last in the conference.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | UT Martin | 61 (5) |
| 2 | Eastern Illinois | 53 (2) |
| 3 | Southeast Missouri State | 51 (2) |
| 4 | Tennessee State | 41 |
| 5 | Gardner-Webb | 40 |
| 6 | Charleston Southern | 27 |
| 7 | Tennessee Tech | 24 |
| 8 | Lindenwood | 18 |
| 9 | Western Illinois | 9 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 2:30 p.m. | at Northern Illinois* | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | ESPN+ | L 15–54 | 10,828 |
| September 6 | 6:00 p.m. | at Indiana* | Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN | BTN | L 3–77 | 39,082 |
| September 14 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 18 Illinois State* | Hancock StadiumNormal, IL | ESPN+ | L 34–51 | 12,440 |
| September 28 | 6:00 p.m. | McKendree (IL)* | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN+ | W 49–32 | 4,827 |
| October 5 | 3:00 p.m. | at Charleston Southern | Buccaneer FieldNorth Charleston, SC | ESPN+ | W 31–20 | 4,015 |
| October 12 | 3:00 p.m. | UT Martin | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN+ | L 17–45 | 3,264 |
| October 19 | 3:00 p.m. | Tennessee Tech | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN+ | W 37–21 | 2,682 |
| October 26 | 2:00 p.m. | at Lindenwood | Harlen C. Hunter StadiumSt. Charles, MO | ESPN+ | L 49–38 | 3,697 |
| November 2 | 2:00 p.m. | at Eastern Illinois | O'Brien FieldCharleston, IL | ESPN+ | L 38–45 | 5,369 |
| November 9 | 1:00 p.m. | Tennessee State | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN+ | L 20–45 | 1,459 |
| November 16 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 12 Southeast Missouri State | Houck StadiumCape Girardeau, MO | ESPN+ | L 45–54 | 4,839 |
| November 23 | 1:00 p.m. | Gardner-Webb | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN+ | W 45–28 | 2,021 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### at Northern Illinois (FBS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Leathernecks | 3 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 15 |
| Huskies (FBS) | 6 | 28 | 13 | 7 | 54 |
at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
* Date: Saturday August 31, 2024
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 10,828
* Referee: Amanda Sauer
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Kelsie Kasper (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
| Statistics | WIU | NIU |
| First downs | 17 | 30 |
| Total yards | 298 | 706 |
| Rushing yards | 94 | 312 |
| Passing yards | 204 | 394 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:26 | 31:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 17/29, 204 yards, TD |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Cameren Smith | 14 rushes, 51 yards |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Tristin Duncan | 5 receptions, 68 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 18/20, 328 yards, 5 TD |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Antario Brown | 8 rushes, 69 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Trayvon Rudolph | 4 receptions, 104 yards, TD |

### at Indiana (FBS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Leathernecks | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Hoosiers (FBS) | 28 | 14 | 14 | 21 | 77 |
at Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, Indiana
* Date: Friday September 6, 2024
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Wind: N at 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
* Game attendance: 39,082
* Referee: Jeremy Valentine
* TV announcers (BTN): Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Jeremy ‘J’ Leman (analyst), and Melanie Ricks (sideline)
| Statistics | WIU | IU |
| First downs | 8 | 33 |
| Total yards | 121 | 701 |
| Rushing yards | 12 | 323 |
| Passing yards | 109 | 378 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 13–26–2 | 19–21–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:29 | 34:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 13/25, 109 yards, 2 INT |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Torrance Farmer Jr. | 5 carries, 20 yards |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Christian Anaya | 5 receptions, 56 yards |
| Indiana | Passing | Kurtis Rourke | 15/17, 268 yards, 2 TD |
| Indiana | Rushing | Justice Ellison | 9 carries, 117 yards, 2 TD |
| Indiana | Receiving | Elijah Sarratt | 6 receptions, 137 yards, TD |

### at No. 18 Illinois State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Leathernecks | 7 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 34 |
| No. 18 Redbirds | 14 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 51 |
at Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL
* Date: September 14, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 12,440
* Referee: Jason Perkins
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | WIU | ILST |
| First downs | 31 | 21 |
| Total yards | 503 | 390 |
| Rushing yards | 186 | 189 |
| Passing yards | 317 | 201 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 31–43–1 | 16–25–0 |
| Time of possession | 38:33 | 21:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 24/34, 269 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Cameren Smith | 20 carries, 77 yards |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Matthew Henry | 7 receptions, 124 yards |
| Illinois State | Passing | Tommy Rittenhouse | 16/22, 201 yards, 2 TD |
| Illinois State | Rushing | Wenkers Wright | 16 carries, 106 yards, 1 TD |
| Illinois State | Receiving | Xavier Loyd | 4 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD |

### McKendree (DII)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bearcats (DII) | 3 | 6 | 3 | 20 | 32 |
| Leathernecks | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
at Hanson Field • Macomb, IL
* Date: September 28, 2024
* Game time: 6:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 4,827
* Referee: Tremain Williams
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | MCK | WIU |
| First downs | 27 | 24 |
| Total yards | 402 | 495 |
| Rushing yards | 203 | 273 |
| Passing yards | 199 | 222 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 21–40–0 | 16–21–0 |
| Time of possession | 34:00 | 26:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| McKendree | Passing | Ty Michael | 18/37, 176 yards |
| McKendree | Rushing | Eddie Clark | 20 carries, 139 yards, 3 TD |
| McKendree | Receiving | Kendall Abdur-Rahman | 4 receptions, 65 yards |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 14/19, 193 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Cameren Smith | 23 carries, 199 yards, 2 TD |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Demari Davis | 2 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD |

### at Charleston Southern

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Leathernecks | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
at Buccaneer Field • North Charleston, SC
* Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
* Game time: 4:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 4,014
* Referee: John Kellermeier
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | WIU | CHSO |
| First downs | 17 | 21 |
| Total yards | 329 | 431 |
| Rushing yards | 132 | 325 |
| Passing yards | 197 | 106 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17–23–1 | 9–17–2 |
| Time of possession | 23:28 | 36:32 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 17/23, 197 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Cameren Smith | 25 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Elijah Aragon | 10 receptions, 129 yards, 1 TD |
| Charleston Southern | Passing | Rob McCoy Jr | 9/17, 106 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Charleston Southern | Rushing | Autavius Ison | 29 carries, 229 yards, 2 TD |
| Charleston Southern | Receiving | Noah Jennings | 4 receptions, 44 yards, 1 TD |

### UT Martin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Skyhawks | 14 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 45 |
| Leathernecks | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
at Hanson Field • Macomb, IL
* Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
* Game time: 3:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,264
* Referee: Matthew Jones
* TV: ESPN+
| Statistics | UTM | WIU |
| First downs | 27 | 18 |
| Total yards | 541 | 294 |
| Rushing yards | 306 | 40 |
| Passing yards | 235 | 254 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 20–28–1 | 27–49–0 |
| Time of possession | 32:09 | 27:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UT Martin | Passing | Kinkead Dent | 16/21, 194 yards, 2 TD |
| UT Martin | Rushing | Patrick Smith | 17 carries, 145 yards, TD |
| UT Martin | Receiving | Max Dowling | 3 receptions, 88 yards, 2 TD |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 20/33, 158 yards |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Cameren Smith | 13 carries, 27 yards, TD |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Tristin Duncan | 4 receptions, 45 yards |

### Tennessee Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Leathernecks | 10 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 37 |
at Hanson Field • Macomb, IL
* Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
* Game time: 3:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,682
* Referee: Brad Carre
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | TNTC | WIU |
| First downs | 17 | 26 |
| Total yards | 330 | 446 |
| Rushing yards | 68 | 186 |
| Passing yards | 262 | 260 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 23–34–2 | 15–24–0 |
| Time of possession | 22:13 | 37:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Dylan Laible | 23/33, 262 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | Jalen Mitchell | 7 carries, 86 yards, 2 TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | D.J. Linkins | 7 receptions, 84 yards |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 15/24, 260 yds, 2 TD |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Nathan Lamb | 17 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Matthew Henry | 6 receptions, 181 yards, 1 TD |

### at Lindenwood

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Leathernecks | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
| Lions | 14 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium • St. Charles, MO
* Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
* Game time: 2:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,697
* Referee: Michael Frain
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | WIU | LIN |
| First downs | 37 | 24 |
| Total yards | 713 | 572 |
| Rushing yards | 149 | 389 |
| Passing yards | 564 | 183 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 42–55–0 | 11–16–0 |
| Time of possession | 36:06 | 23:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 42/55, 564 yards, 5 TD |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Cameren Smith | 17 carries, 67 yards |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Matthew Henry | 15 receptions, 226 yards, 1 TD |
| Lindenwood | Passing | Nate Glantz | 11/16, 183 yards, 2 TD |
| Lindenwood | Rushing | Steve Hall | 13 carries, 259 yards, 4 TD |
| Lindenwood | Receiving | Abe Haerr | 1 reception, 57 yards |

### at Eastern Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Leathernecks | 0 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
| Panthers | 7 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 45 |
at O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL
* Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
* Game time: 2:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 61 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 5,369
* Referee: Michael Lennie
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | WIU | EIU |
| First downs | 24 | 22 |
| Total yards | 395 | 534 |
| Rushing yards | 86 | 196 |
| Passing yards | 309 | 338 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 29–43–0 | 19–27–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:30 | 29:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 29/43, 309 yards, 3 TD |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Cameren Smith | 17 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Elijah Aragon | 9 receptions, 83 yards, 1 TD |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing | Pierce Holley | 19/27, 338 yards, 5 TD |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing | MJ Flowers | 27 carries, 194 yards, 1 TD |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving | Alex Ginnever | 6 receptions, 100 yards, 2 TD |

### Tennessee State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 14 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 45 |
| Leathernecks | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
at Hanson Field • Macomb, IL
* Date: November 9, 2024
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Rain, 56 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,459
* Referee: Michael Frain
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | TNST | WIU |
| First downs | 23 | 27 |
| Total yards | 376 | 432 |
| Rushing yards | 188 | 148 |
| Passing yards | 188 | 284 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12–19–1 | 27–50–1 |
| Time of possession | 27:02 | 27:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tennessee State | Passing | Draylen Ellis | 12/19, 188 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Tennessee State | Rushing | Tevin Carter | 8 carries, 51 yards, 2 TD |
| Tennessee State | Receiving | Bryant Williams | 3 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 24/45, 266 yds, 1 TD |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Nathan Lamb | 13 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Demari Davis | 2 receptions, 62 yards |

### at No. 12 Southeast Missouri State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Leathernecks | 14 | 13 | 6 | 12 | 45 |
| No. 12 Redhawks | 10 | 21 | 13 | 10 | 54 |
at Houck Stadium • Cape Girardeau, MO
* Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 60 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 4,839
* Referee: Matthew Jones
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | WIU | SEMO |
| First downs | 25 | 33 |
| Total yards | 593 | 559 |
| Rushing yards | 93 | 192 |
| Passing yards | 500 | 367 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 27–42–3 | 24–39–1 |
| Time of possession | 26:09 | 33:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 24/39, 449 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Cameren Smith | 17 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Matthew Henry | 7 receptions, 183 yards, 1 TD |
| Southeast Missouri State | Passing | Paxton DeLaurent | 24/39, 367 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT |
| Southeast Missouri State | Rushing | Brandon Epton Jr. | 22 carries, 126 yards, 1 TD |
| Southeast Missouri State | Receiving | Dorian Anderson | 5 receptions, 116 yards, 1 TD |

### Gardner–Webb

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Runnin' Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| Leathernecks | 7 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 45 |
at Hanson Field • Macomb, IL
* Date: November 23, 2024
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy, 32 °F (0 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,021
* Referee: Brenden McCain
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | GWEB | WIU |
| First downs | 25 | 21 |
| Total yards | 348 | 511 |
| Rushing yards | 55 | 81 |
| Passing yards | 293 | 430 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 28–47–0 | 24–34–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:56 | 29:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Gardner–Webb | Passing | Tyler Ridell | 23/35, 234 yards, 3 TD |
| Gardner–Webb | Rushing | Quasean Holmes | 9 carries, 24 yards |
| Gardner–Webb | Receiving | Anthony Lowe | 5 receptions, 84 yards |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 23/33, 352 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Torrance Farmer Jr. | 16 carries, 58 yards, 2 TD |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Matthew Henry | 6 receptions, 210 yards, 2 TD |