TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Western Illinois used two takeaways by the defense to stop Indiana State on its final two drives to secure a 21-14 road Missouri Valley Football Conference victory on Saturday. The win ended a five-game losing streak for the Fighting Leathernecks (4-7 overall, 2-5 MVFC).

Up by a touchdown, Western got a key interception by senior linebacker Devon Butler with 3:30 remaining but the offense could not run out the clock and was forced to punt. Kevin Kintzel recorded a sack on the ensuing Sycamore (1-10, 1-7) drive, but quarterback Trent Lancaster found Tanner Riley for a 25-yard pickup and a first down at the Western 36.

Gino Durley and Luke Venegoni then combined on a sack. On the next play, Kintzel forced a fumble that Durley recovered with less than a minute remaining. Western was able to go into victory formation to secure the contest.

"A win is a win. I was really pleased with the way our guys played in the first half, unfortunately we did not continue that in the second half. Give Indiana State credit, they came back and made some plays. I'm pleased with the character our guys showed in hanging in there at the end to win," said head coach Bob Nielson.

Western took the opening kickoff but had its drive stall in Sycamore territory. Following a 4-yard punt into the wind, the defense held and picked up a turnover thanks to Venegoni picking off a Robert Tonyan, Jr. pass.

Trenton Norvell and the offense needed 4:19 to march 53 yards in 11 plays. Facing 4th-and-inches, Nikko Watson picked up the first down and then some scoring on the play from three yards out. Nathan Knuffman kicked the point after for a 7-0 lead with just over four minutes left in the quarter.

The Leathernecks matched a season-best effort during their second scoring drive. Western went 14 plays (matching a season-high for most plays on a scoring drive) and 64 yards, capped by a 3-yard run by Watson.

On the ensuing drive, Martinez Davis picked off his team-leading third pass of the season. He crossed the field, and thanks to key blocks, returned it 32 yards for a touchdown. Davis' third career interception return for a score tied him with Bryan Cox for the Leathernecks all-time record.

"We played our best football in the first half. Offensively we moved the ball consistently and defensively kept them off the field. We made a couple of plays in the kicking game," said Nielson.

Late in the third quarter, ISU took advantage of a short field following a partially blocked punt. The Sycamores used a 1-yard run by Buck Logan to score with just over two minutes in the third quarter cutting Western's lead to 21-7.

On the next drive Western was inside the ISU 10, but a penalty forced the team back. Facing 3rd-and-goal from the 21, Norvell was stripped from behind, the Sycamores recovered the loose ball and returned it to the Leathernecks' 34. The Sycamores converted on 4th-and-5, then four plays later Lancaster, who came into the game as a back-up, found Riley on a 10-yard score with 10:22 remaining making it 21-14.

The Leathernecks went for it on 4th-and-1 in their own territory, and got it thanks to Watson's 3-yard run. Four plays later, Watson got stuffed on 4th-and-2 as the Sycamores took over on Western's 42. That next ISU drive led to Butler's interception, as the defense eventually came up with four turnovers on the day.

J.C. Baker turned in the program's 17th 1,000-yard rushing effort in a season, and first in three years, as he surpassed the mark on his first carry. The junior running back recorded 109 yards on 23 attempts in the game.

Watson's career-high two-touchdown game was part of his 69 rushing yards on 21 attempts. Norvell was 15-of-27 passing for 142 yards.

"He (Nikko) ran the ball hard and physical. We tried to mix he and J.C. Baker, we wanted to play Kyle Hammonds a little more as well but just never got into the flow in the second half to be able to do that. It was good to see him (Watson) run hard. I think he's still a little bit in terms of conditioning standpoint trying to get himself back in tip-top condition. The confidence he gained today certainly will be beneficial," said Nielson.

Joey Borsellino caught five passes for 72 yards while Hi-C Scott added 53 yards on five receptions.

Kintzel recorded career-highs of 10 tackles, three tackles for a loss and two sacks. The junior linebacker also forced a fumble and broke up a pass.

Junior defensive lineman Jeremy Curry also set a career-high making 10 tackles. He recorded two tackles for a loss.

Logan led ISU with 78 rushing yards and a TD on 22 attempts. Kendall Walker and Mark Sewall had 16 tackles each.

The Leathernecks look to close out the season on a positive note next Saturday (Nov. 23) when they travel to Northern Iowa. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. in the UNI-Dome.

GAME NOTES: Venegoni's first quarter interception was the first this season and second of his career… The Leathernecks held Indiana State to six total yards in the first quarter, a 124-6 edge, and no first downs… Baker now tied for sixth place among WIU season 'Top 10' for 100-yd rushing games in a season. He also moved into a tie for seventh place all-time… Baker needed 177 rushing attempts to reach 1,000 yards. That was the fifth-fewest rushing attempts needed to reach the milestone in Leatherneck history. Baker also needs four yards to take sole possession of 10th place on the season 'Top 10' list… Western held a 19-14 edge in first downs, and 312-221 in total yards… The Leathernecks were flagged 10 times totaling 85 yards… Western also held ISU to 4-of-15 on third down conversions, after starting the game holding it to 0-for-9, but was only able to convert 3-of-16 times on third down itself… The team's 12.0 tackles for a loss were a season-high, and for the fifth time this year Western recorded three or more sacks (4.0)… Norvell finished 112 yards shy of throwing for 2,000 here in his redshirt-freshman season… Davis tied a career-high of seven tackles. With eight career interceptions, Davis is now one away from tying for 10th place on the Western all-time 'Top 10' list… The victory snapped a five-game losing streak, two straight losses to Indiana State, and was the Leathernecks' first road win this year (snapping a seven-game road losing streak)… The win was also the first by Western in MVFC play against a different team other than South Dakota since 2011... The two conference wins are the most since going 5-3 in the 2010 season… Western won on the road in MVFC action for just the second time in its last 14 opportunities.

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