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Western Illinois University Athletics

Lance Lenoir, Jr. Joey Borsellino
WIU Visual Productions Center
20
Indiana State INS 7-5 , 4-4
34
Winner Western Illinois WIU 5-7 , 3-5
Indiana State INS
7-5 , 4-4
20
Final
34
Western Illinois WIU
5-7 , 3-5
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
INS Indiana State 0 3 9 8 20
WIU Western Illinois 7 7 6 14 34

Game Recap: Football | | WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks End Football Season with 34-20 win over Indiana State

MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois ended the 2014 football season with one of its better all-around performances, knocking off 18th-ranked Indiana State 34-20 at Hanson Field on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 22).
 
The win put Western 5-7 overall and 3-5 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference while the Sycamores now stand 7-5, 4-4 and await to see if they will receive an at-large playoff berth, to be announced Sunday morning.
 
The Fighting Leathernecks improved on last year's win total, and in the nation's toughest FCS conference, now with three wins matched their total in the last two seasons combined. The defense recorded a season-high four interceptions off of Mike Perish, who came into the game with only four interceptions all season long.
 
On the first play of the game, Lance Lenoir, Jr. caught a pass from Trenton Norvell and tied the WIU season record for most catches. Western wound up going 3-and-out, but the defense also forced ISU to go 3-and-out.
 
During Western's next drive, J.C. Baker broke loose on a 60-yard run, eventually setting up a 6-yard touchdown reception by Joey Borsellino. Nathan Knuffman's point-after attempt gave Western a 7-0 lead early in the game.
 
Midway through the second quarter Eric Heidorn kicked a 35-yard field goal to make it 7-3. The Leathernecks took advantage of a 20-yard punt by the Sycamores, and on 1st-and-10 on the 35, Norvell hit Lenoir on a 35-yard TD pass and 14-3 lead.
 
Indiana State took the opening kick of the second half and got to the redzone. Three pass plays later, ISU had to settle for a 43-yard field goal by Heidorn.
 
Western responded on its next drive, thanks in part to a 44-yard pass to Hi-C Scott. Norvell's run got to the goal line, but the Leathernecks had to settle for a 19-yard Knuffman field goal and 17-6 lead.
 
Indiana State needed three plays to cover 64 yards and capped off the touchdown drive on a 1-yard run by Buck Logan but the two-point conversion failed. Yet again, Western responded and this time put the game virtually away.
 
Knuffman added a 35-yard field goal late in the quarter for a 20-12 lead. True-freshman David Griffith picked up his first interception as a Leatherneck to stall the next ISU drive. Norvell and Baker teamed on the next TD, as Norvell did an option pitch to Baker, who scored from seven yards out and made it 27-12.
 
Senior Martinez Davis joined the career 'Top 10' in interceptions when he got his first INT of the season on the ensuing ISU drive. He returned it to the 33, and five plays later Norvell plunged in from one yard out to make it 34-12.
 
Dimitri Taylor scored a 4-yard touchdown to make it a two-possession game, and ISU recovered the on-sides kick. However, Perish threw his fourth interception of the game when Jonathon Rollins ended his career with his fourth pick. Indiana State eventually got the ball back, but could not convert a fourth down pass in the endzone. That allowed Western to take a knee twice and close out the win.
 
Head coach Bob Nielson saw his team nearly reach the .500 mark in a season where the team played eight games against a nationally-ranked opponent.
 
"I'm obviously happy for our guys. It's a good win over a good football team. I thought we played a pretty complete game. We played great on defense and made them one dimensional. They weren't able to run the football and even though they gained some yards throwing the football, we forced four interceptions," said Nielson. "He may have come into the game with four interceptions total. It was the best game for our secondary and I'm proud of them especially with the way we played last week. Offensively, we moved the ball pretty consistently. We had good balance and that's one of the things we talk about. When we can be a balanced football team we can be a good football team and we were."
 
Lenoir caught six passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. The sophomore wideout ended the season with 75 catches, surpassing Stacy Coleman's 2002 record by five. Lenoir became just the fifth Leatherneck to record 1,000 yards in a season (1,030), and the only one of the five who was not a senior.
 
Lenoir also moved into a tie for sixth place all-time with his 14th career TD, and moved into ninth place all-time in yards (1,519).
 
Baker gained a game-high 163 yards on 26 attempts and scored his fifth rushing TD of the season. The senior surpassed his season total from last year, and again overtook 10th place on the season rushing list with 1,265 yards. In just two years, he finished seven yards shy (2,414) of fifth place all-time in Western history.
 
Borsellino also caught six passes totaling 65 yards. The sophomore joined Lenoir and teammate Hi-C Scott in surpassing 1,000 career receiving yards during the '14 campaign (1,014).
 
Norvell was 17-of-25 passing for 215 yards and two TDs with no interceptions. His 24 TD passes this year rank third-most in a season while his 2,891 passing yards rank him fifth. During the game, the sophomore became just the sixth WIU quarterback ever to reach 5,000 passing yards (5,031).
 
Rollins recorded a season-high 10 tackles (nine solos), including a 13-yard sack, a pass break-up and interception. He ended his four-year career with 242 career tackles.
 
Davis not only moved into a tie for 10th place all-time in interceptions, he also moved into a tie for seventh in pass break-ups (22).
 
Richard Chungong added seven tackles while Marquette Privott, Griffith, Kevin Kintzel and Gavin Ricketts added five tackles each.
 
Western held Indiana State to just 27 rushing yards, the lowest total since game two last season.
 
Perish was 26-of-52 for 355 yards and four interceptions. Robert Tonyan led the receivers with 172 yards on eight catches.
 
GAME NOTES: Western honored the 13 seniors in uniform Saturday during a pre-game ceremony… The five wins in a season are the most since the 2010 team went 8-5 and made the playoffs… The eight games against a nationally-ranked opponent, by far the most in any season. Western recorded two wins versus a nationally-ranked team, the most since two in the 2010 campaign… Scott caught a pass for the 24th straight game, every contest in his WIU career and the sixth-longest streak in program history… Three of Western's four interceptions were by seniors: Davis, Rollins and Luke Venegoni (fourth career interception)… Knuffman tied his career-high of two field goals in a game. The sophomore finished the year 11-of-12 in field goals and 36-of-37 in extra points… Of the 22 starters for WIU on Saturday, eight were seniors (two offense/six defense)… Baker recorded his 13th career 100-yard rushing game, finishing fifth all-time in that category… Norvell became just the third Leatherneck to record 3,000 yards of total offense in a season (3,035), and the most since Matt Barr's record of 3,859 four years ago. He joined Barr and Russ Michna (2002 and 2003)… After two straight years of playing 12 games in the regular season, next year Western will go back to the normal 11-game schedule.
 

 
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