Offense Shrugs off Late Rally for Spring Game Victory

MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois received its first taste of Leatherneck football under the direction of head coach Jared Elliott Friday night, in the 2018 Bruce Craddock Memorial Spring Game.

The final seconds could best be characterized as chaotic as the Leatherneck defense attempted to craft a few late points with a tackle for a loss or a three-and-out, but the offense held steady for the 35-34 victory.

The game marked the conclusion of Western's four-week, spring slate.

"I was very pleased all throughout the spring," said Elliott. "I thought there was consistent improvement and that's what you want to see with your football team.

"We saw a lot of individuals make some major strides. We wanted to identify guys we felt could help us, going into the year, and we had a lot of young players get a lot of valuable reps for the first time. I'm very pleased with how we continued to progress. You always want to see a really good competitive [spring] game, back-and-forth, good productions on both sides of the ball, and I think we saw that tonight."

The point system credited the offense with first downs, big plays and scores while the defense earned points on tackles-for-loss, three-and-outs, pass break-ups, touchdowns and takeaways.

The lone touchdown of the day was the result of a two-yard rush by Cameron Clemons in the first quarter, and at halftime, the offense held a 27-14 advantage.

Offensive highlights included a pair of 29-yard receptions by Spencer Beatty and Laquay Brown while Kyle Williams had his sights locked in on the quarterback for a team-high four sacks. Riggs Baxter and Eric Carrera each forced a fumble and in addition to his six tackles, Lavar McNulty Jr. also blocked an extra-point attempt.

Connor Sampson helped the offense to points with 29-yard and 17-yard passes, and veteran Sean McGuire did the same with 20-yard and 26-yard bombs.

Western will open its 2018 season at Montana State University on Thursday, Aug. 30.

Offensive Leaders
QB Connor Sampson | 124 yards, 14 completions
QB Sean McGuire | 68 yards, 6 completions

RB Larry Harleston | 53 yards, 12 rushes
RB Clint Ratkovich | 23 yards, 11 rushes
RB Isaiah Cherrier | 22 yards, 5 rushes

WR Laquay Brown | 55 yards, 2 completions
WR Spencer Beatty | 42 yards, 2 completions
WR Chris Age | 30 yards, 5 completions

Defensive Leaders
DE Kyle Williams | 6 tackles, 4 sacks
LB Lavall McNulty, Jr. | 6 tackles
LB Zach Glisan 6 tackles
DT Luke Terrill | 5 tackles

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Players Mentioned

#88 Chris Age: TE; 6' 4"; Redshirt Freshman; Northgate

#58 Riggs Baxter: LB; 6' 1"; Junior; Western Boone

#85 Spencer Beatty: WR; 5' 9"; Sophomore; Muscatine

#11 Eric Carrera: DB; 6' 0"; Sophomore; Christian Brothers

#15 Cameron Clemons: WR; 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman; Lutheran North

#37 Zach Glisan: LB; 6' 2"; Sophomore; Abingdon-Avon

#18 Sean McGuire: QB; 6' 3"; Junior; Franklin

#25 Clint Ratkovich: RB; 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman; Crete-Monee

#8 Connor Sampson: QB; 6' 3"; Redshirt Freshman; Belleville

#91 Kyle Williams: DE; 6' 4"; Redshirt Freshman; Lebanon

#20 Isaiah Cherrier: DB; 6' 0"; Freshman; Mound Westonka

#98 Luke Terrill: DT; 6' 2"; Freshman; Lebanon

Players Mentioned

#88 Chris Age
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Freshman; Northgate
: TE

#58 Riggs Baxter
: 6' 1"; Junior; Western Boone
: LB

#85 Spencer Beatty
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; Muscatine
: WR

#11 Eric Carrera
: 6' 0"; Sophomore; Christian Brothers
: DB

#15 Cameron Clemons
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman; Lutheran North
: WR

#37 Zach Glisan
: 6' 2"; Sophomore; Abingdon-Avon
: LB

#18 Sean McGuire
: 6' 3"; Junior; Franklin
: QB

#25 Clint Ratkovich
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman; Crete-Monee
: RB

#8 Connor Sampson
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Freshman; Belleville
: QB

#91 Kyle Williams
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Freshman; Lebanon
: DE

#20 Isaiah Cherrier
: 6' 0"; Freshman; Mound Westonka
: DB

#98 Luke Terrill
: 6' 2"; Freshman; Lebanon
: DT