Redbirds travel to Macomb face in-state rival Lethernecks

NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State football will hope to carry over the success of Saturday’s game against Saint Francis (Ill.) tonight in Macomb against Western Illinois.

The matchup will mark the 108th all-time meeting between the two schools, following a 51-34 ISU victory over the Leathernecks on Sept. 14, 2025, in Normal.

The Redbirds will meet a WIU squad that appears deeper than it has been in previous years. Leathernecks head coach Joe Davis led his squad out last Saturday against Northwestern College of the NAIA, defeating the Red Raiders 65-14, a similar feat to the Redbirds’ 76-0 victory over the Fighting Saints.

“The receivers are long, athletic guys. They’re pretty twitchy up front on defense. They’re long, but they’re athletic and have some real length,” head coach Brock Spack said. “Their two quarterbacks are good players. We expect to see both of them.”

WIU’s Kennedy McGill and Cason Carswell combined for 20 completions in their victory, racking up 218 passing yards.

Western Illinois is not the only team with two quarterbacks. Both Beckham Pellant and Gage Roy went perfect in the season opener against the Fighting Saints, combining for 16 completions.

“They both played pretty well. Being perfect is hard to be, I’d say they weren’t perfect, but they didn’t throw an incomplete pass,” Spack said. “I think we’re pretty good there. I like where we’re at. I don’t think you’ll see anything different from us for a while.”

On the receiving end for the Redbirds, Tyler Lofton and Dylan Lord will hope to match last Saturday’s performance. Lofton rushed for 119 yards and recorded two touchdowns, while Lord also recorded two touchdowns of his own with 69 receiving yards.

As for the defense, it will look to be just as sharp.

“Anytime, no matter who you’re playing, anytime you get a shutout, it’s a big deal, and you should have pride in that,” Dexter Niekamp said Saturday following the shutout. “Facing tougher opponents along the road, that’s going to be the standard and the goal we have for our defense.”

Just like any other game for the Redbirds, they’ll need to hunker down for 60 minutes.

“They’re going to be a typical Missouri Valley team. We’ll have to play really well to win the game and have a chance to win,” Spack said.

For all things Redbird football, stay tuned to WZND.com.