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Western Illinois University Athletics

Defense celebration
WIU Visual Productions Center
0
Western Illinois WIU 1-1
44
Winner Illinois ILL 2-0
Western Illinois WIU
1-1
0
Final
44
Illinois ILL
2-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
WIU Western Illinois 0 0 0 0 0
ILL Illinois 10 20 0 14 44

Game Recap: Football | | WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks Fall to Illinois

Leathernecks unable to capitalize on four Illini turnovers

PHOTO GALLERY

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Despite the defense recording four takeaways, Western Illinois was held in check offensively Saturday afternoon (Sept. 12) at Memorial Stadium losing 44-0 to Illinois. The loss drops Western to 1-1 overall while the Illini improve to 2-0.
 
The Illini took the opening kickoff and used 11 plays to get in the redzone thanks to a pair of third down conversions. Western's defense held on third down forcing the Illini to settle for a 31-yard Taylor Zalewski field goal five minutes into the game.
 
Western could not capitalize on an interception by David Griffith, coming up a yard shy of a first down. On the ensuing possession, Josh Ferguson dove over the top from a yard out and extend the lead to 10-0 with 1:25 left in the quarter. It was the first touchdown allowed by WIU on the season.
 
Illinois added to its lead early in the second quarter, taking up nearly six minutes on the clock covering 76 yards. The scoring drive was capped with Wes Lunt's 1-yard pass to Tyler White for a 17-0 lead. Western's defense held on 3rd-and-goal later in the quarter as Zalewski hit a 22-yard FG to make it 20-0.
 
The Leathernecks could not covert on third down, forcing another punt. Jaylen Dunlap broke through the line to block the punt and Marchie Murdock scooped the loose ball and raced 12 yards for the score and 27-0 advantage. A 39-yard field goal at the end of the half extended the lead to 30-0.
 
After a 3-and-out offensively to start the half, Western looked to catch a break. Griffith stripped the ball away on the punt return and Brett Taylor recovered to set up 1st-and-10 on the 33. But the Leathernecks could not convert on 4th-and-10 and turned the ball over on downs.
 
In fact, Western's defense forced three consecutive fumbles to start the third quarter. Taylor recovered on consecutive drives then Aaron Diggs recovered the third loose ball but Western could not capitalize.
 
WIU held the Illini off the scoreboard in the third quarter, but on the first play of the fourth – facing 4th-and-goal at the 1 – Henry Enyenihi plunged across the goal line to make it 37-0. A 5-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter closed out the scoring.
 
The Illini out-gained Western 500-141 in total yards, and kept the Leathernecks to just 1-of-15 conversions on third down.
 
"Congratulations to Illinois. They got a good football team. I said that going into the game. We've played four Big Ten teams the last three years and I really thought personnel wise, especially on the defensive side of the ball, they're as good as any. They've played two football games and haven't given up a touchdown, that tells you something," said head coach Bob Nielson.
 
Taylor recorded a game-high 16 tackles, more than double his previous career-high of seven stops. The sophomore linebacker added two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.
 
Griffith also set a career-high recording 10 tackles. He forced a fumble to go with his interception. Diggs (fumble recovery/forced fumble) and Adam Brott each set a career-high with eight tackles.
 
Pete Swenson made a career-high seven tackles and Xavier Rowe tied his career-high of seven stops. Western made 5.0 tackles for loss in the game and broke up a pass.
 
Steve McShane rushed for 41 yards on nine attempts and caught three passes. Trenton Norvell completed 8-of-18 passes for 22 yards with two interceptions. Sean McGuire saw his first collegiate action at quarterback and went 3-of-6 for 21 yards.
 
"It has been two weeks in a row we haven't been good offensively. We're not executing well… we've got to do a better job offensively in all aspects including coaching," said Nielson. "Without question for the second week in a row (the defense was the biggest positive). Again that's a young group and I thought they held up pretty well. The scoreboard is not indicative of how well they played. They put us in a position to be competitive at halftime and unfortunately offensively we didn't respond to the challenge."
 
Lunt ended 33-of-46 for 316 yards with a touchdown and interception. Geronimo Allison caught eight passes for 124 yards.
 
Western travels to the east coast next weekend to face No. 1 ranked Coastal Carolina on Saturday night (Sept. 19). Kickoff in Conway, South Carolina, is scheduled for 5 p.m. central.
 
"We'll play another really good team next week. That's the way it is going to be every week with our schedule. We leave here and go play the number one team in the country in FCS on the road again," said Nielson.
 
GAME NOTES: Western won the coin flip and elected to defer to the second half… Griffith intercepted a pass in WIU territory in the first quarter to stop a drive. It was his second career interception… Myles Spearman looked to have his first career interception late in the first half, but the Illini challenged the play and the call was overturned… The 30-point deficit at halftime was the largest deficit to a Big Ten opponent in the Nielson era… Over the past three games, Western's defense has recorded 13 takeaways… Western remained winless against the Big Ten Conference, and that is the lone FBS opponent the Leathernecks will face this year... Western got shutout for the first time in the Bob Nielson era, and for the first time since the 2012 season finale at Southern Illinois.
 
 
 
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