If the play of special teams decides Saturday’s showdown between Gateway Conference tri-leaders Western and Southern Illinois, Ashlee Frazier of Western could be the game’s key performer.
Frazier, a 5-foot-7-inch, 170-pound senior from Chicago’s Morgan Park High, was named Gateway special-teams player of the week for returning five punts for 102 yards in last week’s 49-7 victory over Indiana State.
Charles Tharp rushed for 138 yards and scored two touchdowns for the Leathernecks, ranked No. 11 in the nation in NCAA Division I-AA.
Tharp, averaging 6.5 yards per carry, leads the Gateway with an average of 134.6 rushing yards per game. Southern’s Tom Koutsos has a 132.5-yard average. Each has scored seven touchdowns.
Western, 4-1 overall, and Southern Illinois, at 1-3, are tied with No. 3-ranked Youngstown State (4-0) with 1-0 records in the Gateway.
Northern Illinois: Daunte Culpepper has gone on to the NFL, but some of his teammates in Central Florida’s 38-17 victory over Northern in 1998 will try to spoil the Huskies’ 93rd homecoming Saturday. Culpepper completed 28-of-33 passes for 327 games in the only previous meeting between these teams.
Northern (2-2) has won nine of its last 13 homecomings, including the 73-18 shocker over No. 24-ranked Fresno State in 1990.
The Huskies will play Central Florida (3-2) without split end Darrell Hill, who broke his right index finger in practice. Flanker Justin McCareins set a school record with a 99-yard touchdown reception at Ball State last week. McCareins ranks No. 2 in NCAA Division I with 124.3 yards per games in receptions.
Satisfied with the play of his offense and defense, coach Joe Novak wants improvement from Huskies special teams. “Our kickers are out there practicing right now,” Novak said. “They need it.”
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Eastern Illinois: Eastern coach Bob Spoo calls defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Tennessee State (1-3, 0-0) “the most explosive team we’ve faced, but we’re a much quicker team than a year ago.”
Sophomore Tony Romo threw for three touchdowns as Eastern (3-1, 1-0) beat Tennessee-Martin 42-7 and earned the No. 28 ranking in I-AA. Romo ranks No. 1 in efficiency among Division I-AA passers. He has completed 63.7 percent for 242.8 yards per game.
Freshman Andre Raymond heads into Eastern’s 84th homecoming game with a 102-yard rushing effort in the Panthers’ OVC opening victory over UT-Martin.
Illinois State: The Youngstown State Penguins (4-0, 1-0), who play the Redbirds on Saturday in a Gateway Conference matchup in Normal, are ranked No. 3 nationally. But during their successful run in the 1990s, they lost five games to ISU (1-3, 0-1), more than to any other school. Led by quarterback Kevin Glenn and runners Walter James and Willie Watts, the Redbirds lead the Gateway in total offense (477.2 yards per game) and in rushing (232.5). James is averaging 96.5 yards per game, Watts 84 yards. Glenn has passed for an average of 221.8 yards per game.