Final
ILST 41 · WIU 10
ML W
our logged sides, graded on the record
Our side
MoneylineILST to win logged
ours 12%
Our number: ILST by 14.7 — ILST to win.
Projected score
41–20
ILST – WIU
2026-09-05 · 8:00 PM
Hanson Field · Macomb, IL
Early season
The books
No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.
Series
Illinois State lead
20–14
· 34 meetings since 1975
2025 unit ranks —
last completed season, from games actually played
Run game
edge Illinois State Redbirds
92 ranks
Illinois State Redbirds #123 rush offense
Western Illinois Leathernecks #215 run defense
Pass game
edge Illinois State Redbirds
123 ranks
Illinois State Redbirds #79 pass offense
Western Illinois Leathernecks #202 pass defense
Run game
even
40 ranks apart
Western Illinois Leathernecks #182 rush offense
Illinois State Redbirds #142 run defense
Pass game
edge Illinois State Redbirds
106 ranks
Western Illinois Leathernecks #240 pass offense
Illinois State Redbirds #134 pass defense
Illinois State Redbirds
Balanced · 55% run
Avg pace
Western Illinois Leathernecks
Balanced · 46% run
Ball-control
Ranked by team-unit strength
(rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265
D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the
2025 season.
The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above
Who carried each team in 2025
Illinois State Redbirds
DB
Jack Oliver
6 tkl · 2 PD · 1 INT
#47 DB
LB
Tye Niekamp
14 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 4.0 TFL
#64 LB
TE
Alex Herrera
4 rec · 49 yds · 2 TD
#43 TE
WR
Dylan Lord
13 rec · 134 yds · 1 TD
#134 WR
Western Illinois Leathernecks
LB
Nick Reinicke
18 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.0 TFL
#57 LB
DB
Aa'zoriyon Bonner
9 tkl · 1 PD
#170 DB
DB
Jouvenson Romulus
9 tkl · 1 INT
#376 DB
DB
Brayden Hapner
8 tkl · 2 PD
#458 DB
Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their
position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no
2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for
these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.
Power breakdown
Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).
Where the number comes from
Illinois State offense vs Western Illinois defense+16.4 pts
Western Illinois offense vs Illinois State defense-6.5 pts
An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have
played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.