You'd have to rewind to 2017 to see the last time Western Illinois was in the FCS playoffs. You'd have to go even further back to 2002 to see the last time they hoisted a conference championship trophy. For the better part of a decade, the Leathernecks have not been much to write home about nor have they been more than a blip to most college football fans. Their move to the Ohio Valley Conference a few years ago flew largely under the radar because were and have not been a good team. Now three seasons into their new digs and no longer getting bullied around by the Missouri Valley, though, that all may finally be changing.
For the first time in a long time Western Illinois has life, sitting at 5-4 and tied atop the OVC standings heading into the final month of the regular season. And, while lots of variables can be attributed to their newfound success, there is no denying that their electric fifth-year quarterback is perhaps the biggest reason why.
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Kennedy McGill is a game change in every sense of the word.
That's something that was not hard to see over his last three seasons at Central Washington. McGill was one Division II's best quarterbacks with the Wildcats. Last year he was named the Lone Star Conference's Offensive Player of the Year as he led CWU to a league championship. He passed for 1,637 yards and ran for 1,040 while accounting for 34 touchdowns with them coming on a perfect 17-17 split. All of that was probably why Western Illinois head coach Joe Davis gave him a call last offseason.
The Leathernecks brought McGill in to compete for the starting job with sophomore Carson Carswell. While Carswell saw some action early on, it was McGill that ultimately won the battle and, after the last few weeks he's had leading the offense, it's hard to imagine anyone being a better fit.
McGill has put up some truly ridiculous numbers since the start of October and, particularly his ability to run the ball, has been on full display. In fact, over the last two games against UT Martin and Charleston Southern combined, McGill has 824 yards and ten total touchdowns. His running production in that span has nearly doubled that of his passing with 505 yards on the ground and seven rushing touchdowns. His 295 rushing yards last weekend set a new high mark in a single game for any DI player this season.
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He is on a completely different planet right now when it comes to his dual-threat abilities and it's why Western Illinois leads the OVC in nearly every major offensive stat. As a unit they are scoring over 35 points, rushing for 228.7 yards and passing for 240.9 yards per contest. #17 is at the heart of all of it.
Of course it isn't solely McGill making it happen. He has a stout offensive line as well as some vaible weapons around him like running back Ihson E. Jackson-Anderson and standout freshman receiver Xavier Coleman. The defense is carrying its weight as well. Nick Reinicke is terrorizing opposing backfields with 11.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks and sophomore DB DonPaul Keith has seven PBUs and a pair of picks. There is no doubt on who the real star of the show is, however, and right now there are few QBs in the country on a heater the same way McGill is.
His play has the team peaking at the right time too. With three games to go until Selection Sunday, WIU has a favorable path to the postseason if they win out. Right now they are tied with both Southeast Missouri State and Lindenwood at the top and, while they lost the head-to-head against the Redhawks, the Lions are still waiting on the schedule. If they win out, there's a good chance that they'll be heading to the postseason and maybe with an OVC championship in hand.
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McGill and the Leathernecks will take the field this weekend for a date with Eastern Illinois in Charleston before returning home on November 14 to battle Gardner-Webb. It will all culminate with a big matchup with Lindenwood on the road on the 21st. This Saturday's game kicks off 3:00 PM (ET) and can be streamed on ESPN+.
