TERRE HAUTE, Ind.  -  Indiana State had the final say in a scoring battle that went back and forth as a 15-play, 80-yard scoring drive with 8:35 left in the game lifted the Sycamores over the Fighting Leathernecks, 17-14, Saturday.

Western's last attempt to make a comeback fell short as Wil Lunt threw an interception to Andre Blackmon with 16 second left in the game.

The beginning of the game started well for Western as Dre Gibbs capped a 16-play, 69-yard opening drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead. Gibbs accounted for 35 yards of the drive on 11 carries, while quarterback Lunt went 4-for-4, including a 12 yard completion to Terriun Crump.

The Leathernecks (1-6, 0-4 MVFC) forced the Sycamores (1-7, 1-4 MVFC) to punt on its first two drives, but a Lunt interception with 44 seconds left in the first quarter gave Indiana State possession at Western's 44 yardline to open the second quarter. A 15-yard penalty allowed the Sycamores first and 10, but a pair of rushes, a false start and a failed pass attempt forced a field goal attempt. Sophomore kicker Braulio Martinez hit the 37 yarder finish off a six-play, 25 yard drive and put the Sycamores on the board, 7-3.

The teams traded punts and Western's drive with 7:40 left in the half ended with a Lunt interception at the Indiana State-26. Dony McCleskey returned the interception for two yards, ending the Leatherneck six-play, 31-yard drive, unsuccessful after 2:51.

The Sycamores were stopped behind the line of scrimmage for a three-yard loss, but Ryan Roberts rushed for a 91-yard touchdown in the ensuing play to give Indiana State a 10-7 lead with just under four minutes in the half. Western's final drive of the half fell three yards shy of a first down, forcing the Leathernecks to punt. Indiana State's 10-7 halftime lead was the first time since 2006 that the Sycamores held a lead over the Leathernecks heading into the locker room.

After three failed drive attempts for both teams in the third quarter, Indiana State's punt to their own 38 yardline rolled out of bounds to give Western its best field position off a punt all day. A Gibbs' 20-yard rush to open the drive gave the Leathernecks a momentum they would later capitalize on with a five-yard rushing touchdown from freshman running back Marva Carley. Carley rushed for 16 total yards in the 5-play, 38-yard, 1:49 drive, recording the first touchdown of his career in only his second game as a Leatherneck. Western held a 14-10 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Leathernecks opened the final quarter with a 21-yard rush from Carley in the opening play. Carley rushed for an additional 11 yards on three plays in the series to put Western at the Indiana State 18 yardline. Brian Egan's 35-yard field goal attempt went wide right, giving the Sycamores field position at their own 20 yardline with 12:47 remaining in the game.

Indiana State out rushed Western by 55 yards (240-185) in the game, but the Leathernecks threw for 105 more yards than the Sycamores (139-34).

Gibbs led the Western offense with 166 yards on the ground while true-freshman Marva Carley added 49 rushing yards. Lunt went 12-for-24 through the air in the loss for a total of 139 passing yards.

Defensively, junior Kyle Glazier led the team with 16 tackles while Abe Koroma chipped in with 10. Senior Buddy Dudczak and Koroma both added two tackles for a loss in the contest.

The Leathernecks will be back in action on Oct. 31 as they host North Dakota State at 1:05 p.m.