The Bearkats head to Macomb, Ill., Saturday to take on the Western Illinois Leathernecks, who are coming off a win over Division I Northern Illinois.”This game will be a big test for us,” Bearkat Coach Ron Randleman said. “They have a very good ball club with 10 defensive starters back from last year. It should be a real god test.”The Leathernecks are off to a 3-0 start this season, their first undefeated start since 1999. The win over Northern Illinois propelled Western to No. 12 in the country in the Sports Network poll.Quarterback Russ Machina, who has passed for 778 yards and five touchdowns this season, leads Western Illinois. Running back Travis Glasford has picked up 290 yards this season, averaging 89-yards per game, while Lemar Parish has rushed for 142 yards on 15 carries for a 9.4 yard per rush average.The Leatherneck wide receivers also get in on the offensive action. Stacy Coleman has 17 receptions for 307 yards while Terrance Hall has nine receptions for 150 yards. Last week, Coleman’s 215 yards receiving on nine receptions at Northern Illinois broke a Huskie Stadium record of 205 yards set by SHSU’s Jonathan Cooper on Sept. 22, 2001.”The scary thing about them is that they can run and pass the ball, much like Northern Arizona,” Randleman said. “They run a two-back offense and can max protect the quarterback. Last week they had a lot of big plays against Northern Illinois to set up their touchdowns.”The Kats are coming off their most successful game of the season, a 45-7 win over Mississippi Valley State Saturday night. The Kats offense produced 305 yards on 71 plays and scored five touchdowns.After last year’s 49-24 SHSU win, the Leathernecks are looking for revenge in their homecoming game.The last two match-ups between the two schools have been a case of good first quarters by the home team.In 2000, the Leathernecks jumped out to a quick first quarter lead en route to a 31-0 victory. In last year’s meeting at Bowers Stadium, Western returned the opening kickoff 100 yards, but Sam Houston State exploded for five touchdowns in the first quarter to take over the game.”They had a great defense two years ago and they really jumped on us early,” Randleman said. “Last season, we got on them early. It would be nice if we go up there and start strong and have a good ball game.”Randleman said the Kats will have their work cut out for them Saturday, but the team is up to the challenge.”There’s no doubt it’s a difficult place to play,” Randleman said. “This will be our first game on grass and our first afternoon ball game. It’s going to be a good test for us.”