YSU and Western Illinois collide

The Penguins play host to the Leathernecks at 6 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.

By PETE MOLLICA

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State and Western Illinois will square off today in the 25th meeting between the two football programs.

Today’s kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.

The Penguins and Leathernecks go back a long way. In fact the first meeting was in 1969. Since then the Penguins hold a 14-10 advantage in the series, including victories in each of the last five games. Last year the Penguins capped off a disappointing season with a 31-28 win over the Leathernecks in Macomb, Ill.

The Penguins have only one other series that’s longer than Western Illinois. YSU has played Akron 35 times.

The 14 wins over the Leathernecks is the third-most by the Penguins over an opponent. They have 19 wins over Akron and 18 over Indiana State.

But even in the last four victories over the Leathernecks the Penguins have struggled as four of those games have been decided by a touchdown or less.

The Penguins (3-2, 1-1 Missouri Valley Football Conference) and the Leathernecks (1-3, 0-1) last battled at Stambaugh Stadium in 2007 with the Penguins pulling out a 31-24 win. YSU is 8-3 against Western Illinois at the Ice Castle and 7-6 in Macomb.

There have been only three shutouts in the series, two of them by the Leathernecks in 1998 (14-0) and in 2002 (19-0) while the Penguins’ lone shutout came in 1980 (22-0) in Macomb.

There have been only a few one-sided games in the series with the Penguins winning 41-7 in 2001 and 42-14 in 1983 and the Leathernecks taking a 48-14 win in 1984 and a 54-20 victory in 2003.

The two teams were both members of the old Mid-Continent Conference and have played together in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (formerly the Gateway Conference) since 1997.

YSU coach Jon Heacock holds a 6-2 record against the Leathernecks, while this will be Western Illinois’ acting head coach Mark Henderson’s first game calling the shots against the Penguins.

Three other conference battles are on tap today.

Southern Illinois (3-1, 2-0) will play host to Illinois State (2-3, 1-1) in a 3 p.m. kickoff at Carbondale, Ill. The Salukis lead the series 36-22-2 including a 17-10 win a year ago. Illinois State’s last win in Carbondale was in 2005 by a 61-35 margin.

South Dakota State (3-1, 2-0) will play at Missouri State (3-2, 1-1) today in a 3 p.m. start in Springfield, Mo. This will be the Jackrabbits’ first trip to Springfield and defeated the Bears in the teams’ first meeting last season in Brookings, S.D., 43-13.

Northern Iowa (4-1, 2-0) will travel to meet North Dakota State (1-4, 0-2) in a 4:07 p.m. kickoff in Fargo, N.D. Northern Iowa leads the series 23-18 including a 23-13 win last year in Cedar Falls. The Bison have won the last three games played in Fargo, but their last meeting there was in 1982.

mollica@vindy.com