The Western Illinois Leathernecks have added the Dayton Flyers to their 2027 football schedule, FBSchedules.com has learned. A copy of the football game contract with Dayton University was obtained from Western Illinois University via a state open records request.
Western Illinois will host Dayton at Hanson Field in Macomb, Ill., on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2027. The Leathernecks will pay the Flyers a $130,000 guarantee for the contest, according to the copy of the contract.
Western Illinois moved to the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), officially known as the OVC-Big South Football Association, beginning with the 2024 season. The Leathernecks competed in the Missouri Valley Football Conference from 2008 through 2023.
Dayton has competed in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League (PFL) since the 1993 season.
In their first and only meeting on the gridiron, the Leathernecks traveled to Dayton, Ohio, and defeated the Flyers, 24-7, in the first round of the 2015 FCS Playoffs. Dayton scored the first touchdown of the game, but from then on in was Western Illinois on the scoreboard.
With the addition of Dayton, Western Illinois now has two non-conference opponents scheduled for the 2027 season. The Leathernecks are scheduled to open the season on the road against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Sept. 4.
The Leathernecks are also the second known non-conference opponent for Dayton’s 2027 slate. The Flyers are scheduled to open their season at home against the Thomas More Saints on Sept. 4 at Welcome Stadium in Dayton.
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