# 2016 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

The 2016 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Charlie Fisher, the Leathernecks compiled an overall record of 6–5 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for sixth place in the MVFC. Western Illinois played home games at Hanson Field in Macomb, Illinois.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 6:00 pm | at Eastern Illinois* | No. 20 | O'Brien StadiumCharleston, IL | OVCDN, WEIU | W 38–21 | 7,618 |
| September 10 | 3:00 pm | No. 19 Northern Arizona* | No. 18 | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN3 | W 34–20 | 6,732 |
| September 24 | 2:30 pm | at Northern Illinois* | No. 13 | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | ESPN3 | W 28–23 | 15,496 |
| October 1 | 6:00 pm | at No. 15 South Dakota State | No. 8 | Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD | ESPN3 | L 14–52 | 14,155 |
| October 8 | 3:00 pm | Indiana State | No. 13 | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN3 | W 36–35 | 5,487 |
| October 15 | 2:00 pm | at Missouri State | No. 12 | Plaster Sports ComplexSpringfield, MO | ESPN3 | W 38–35 | 12,639 |
| October 22 | 6:00 pm | No. 4 North Dakota State | No. 12 | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN3 | L 13–21 | 5,329 |
| October 29 | 2:00 pm | at South Dakota | No. 13 | DakotaDomeVermillion, SD | ESPN3, Midco SN | W 35–34 | 8,412 |
| November 5 | 1:00 pm | Illinois State | No. 12 | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN3 | L 26–31 | 3,589 |
| November 12 | 1:00 pm | Northern Iowa | No. 19 | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN3 | L 23–30 | 3,412 |
| November 19 | 2:00 pm | at Southern Illinois | No. 23 | Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL | ESPN3 | L 34–44 | 5,362 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### At Eastern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #20 Leathernecks | 14 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
| Panthers | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |

### Northern Arizona

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #19 Lumberjacks | 13 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| #18 Leathernecks | 3 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 34 |

### At Northern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #13 Leathernecks | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| Huskies | 0 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 23 |
Western Illinois beat Northern Illinois, 28–23. The Leathernecks were leading 28–7 in the third quarter and held on for the win. WIU quarterback Sean McGuire went 21 for 37 for 315 yards. Wide receiver Joey Borsellino had nine catches for 148 yards. This was Western's first-ever victory over an FBS team.

### At South Dakota State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #8 Leathernecks | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| #15 Jackrabbits | 7 | 21 | 24 | 0 | 52 |

### Indiana State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Sycamores | 7 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 35 |
| #13 Leathernecks | 0 | 20 | 7 | 9 | 36 |

### At Missouri State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #12 Leathernecks | 10 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
| Bears | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 35 |

### North Dakota State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #4 Bison | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| #12 Leathernecks | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 |

### At South Dakota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #13 Leathernecks | 14 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Coyotes | 17 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 34 |

### Illinois State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redbirds | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
| #12 Leathernecks | 0 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 26 |

### Northern Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 7 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
| #19 Leathernecks | 0 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 23 |

### At Southern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #23 Leathernecks | 3 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
| Salukis | 14 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 44 |

## Ranking movements

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| STATS FCS | 20 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 19 | 23 | RV | RV |
| Coaches | 24 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 8–T | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 19 | 24 | RV | RV |