Western Illinois’ three games reflect the difficulty a Division I-AA school has trying to book non-conference games that will be competitive and profitable. WIU, with an enrollment of 13,550 students and a stadium that seats 15,168, lost 56-17 before 77,471 fans at Nebraska (enrollment 25,000) in their opener. Next, the Leathernecks routed Cheyney (enrollment 1,536, stadium 5,000) 98-7 in Macomb before 11,773. Last week, Western lost 40-20 before 1,705 at Hampton, Va. (enrollment 5,790, stadium 17,000).
Saturday, Western plays host to Quincy (enrollment 1,250, stadium 5,000). The two schools have not met in football since 1950, when the Leathernecks won 39-7.
Regardless of the opponent, Western running back Travis Glasford has excelled as a runner and receiver. He leads the Gateway with an average of 5.3 catches per game, and he’s averaging 117.3 yards rushing.