MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois Director of Athletics Dr. Tim Van Alstine announced Friday (Feb. 10) a change in the 2012 football schedule.

Originally the Fighting Leathernecks were to face Hampton on September 8th. Van Alstine said that game will be rescheduled to August 29th, 2013. In its place, Western will play host to the University of Indianapolis.

It's the first meeting between the Leathernecks and Division II Greyhounds (7-4 overall in 2011).

"Scheduling for any sport is never easy. The current agreement allows us to keep our six-game schedule at Hanson Field this fall, and allows us to secure one of the two home games we needed to schedule for 2013. Ideally we wanted to schedule a Division I opponent, but it was more important for our program to keep that a home game," said Van Alstine. "We agreed to help out Hampton this fall. However, our contract with Hampton still stipulates it must pay us a buyout if for some reason they decide to back out in the future."

The Leathernecks open the 2012 season on August 30th at Hanson Field versus Butler.
 

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