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Western Illinois University Athletics

Jaelon Acklin
14
Southern Illinois SIU 4-7 , 2-6
28
Winner Western Illinois WIU 8-3 , 5-3
Southern Illinois SIU
4-7 , 2-6
14
Final
28
Western Illinois WIU
8-3 , 5-3
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SIU Southern Illinois 0 0 0 14 14
WIU Western Illinois 0 14 7 7 28

Game Recap: Football | | WIU Athletic Communications

Western Illinois Concludes Regular Season With Dominant 28-14 Win

Leathernecks reach eight regular season wins for first time since 2003

PHOTO GALLERY

MACOMB, Ill. – Jaelon Acklin scored a pair of touchdowns Saturday (Nov. 18) in the Western Illinois Leathernecks' 28-14 win over the Southern Illinois Salukis at Hanson Field. The victory was Western's eighth of the season – their first regular year with that many wins since 2003.
 
"There's a lot of elation, because a year ago, I stood in front of the team with probably as tough a moment (as I've had) in my coaching career, having to stand in front of them and losing three in a row, and basically getting knocked out of the playoffs," said head coach Charlie Fisher. "And this year, when we lost to South Dakota State, I think a lot of people outside our program thought we were going to collapse again. It tells you a little bit about our heart and our soul and our character that we didn't do that.
 
"To knock the door down, with three consecutive wins with all the momentum we have going into the playoffs, we beat a good and solid football team today."
 
The No. 9/10 Leathernecks (8-3, 5-3) went three-and-out in their first series, but a 9-yard punt gave the Salukis (4-7, 2-6) the ball at the Western Illinois 25-yard line. On a 4th-and-1 from the 16, the Leathernecks stuffed Salukis quarterback Matt DeSomer on a quarterback sneak, forcing a turnover on downs.
 
Another Western Illinois punt placed Southern Illinois on the Leathernecks' 47 to start the Salukis' second drive. Again on fourth down, Western Illinois halted another drive when Aaron Diggs broke up a DeSomer pass.
 
"We had to beat the elements today," Fisher said. "I can tell you the wind was tough. I had never started a game in that kind of situation where the wind just kept pinning us up. Our defense played awesome until we got on track."
 
The contest remained scoreless until late in the first half. The Leathernecks embarked on a drive from their own 35 and marched down to a 4th-and-1 on the Southern Illinois 15. Defensive lineman Khalen Saunders converted a run for a first down, and then Sean McGuire hit Steve McShane for 14 yards for the touchdown to make it 7-0. The Western drive covered 65 yards in 14 plays, totaling six minutes and 15 seconds.
 
Just five plays later, David Griffith picked DeSomer off to set the Leathernecks up on their own 48. On the very next play, McGuire hit Acklin for 52 yards to widen the margin to 14-0. Acklin finished with six catches for 93 yards and a receiving touchdown, pushing his season receiving total to a school-record 1,253 yards.
 
"Jaelon did what he's done all year," said Fisher. "He's just making plays. It's incredible the year that that kid has had."
 
Western Illinois continued to pad their lead on the first possession of the second half. Max Norris, who ran 14 times for 68 yards, punched in a score from 17 yards out to make it 21-0.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Leathernecks used 10 plays and five minutes and 51 minutes to drive the ball 80 yards and score their fourth touchdown of the game. On 2nd-and-3 from the Southern Illinois eight, McGuire rolled left before pitching to Acklin, who ran the ball down the right sideline to push the advantage 28-0.
 
The Salukis finally got the board on DeSomer's 44-yard touchdown pass to Darrell James with 6:06 left in the fourth quarter. That snapped a streak of more than 150 minutes without surrendering a point.
 
Later in the fourth quarter, DeSomer hit Raphael Leonard for a 10-yard score to cut the Western Illinois lead to 28-14 with 3:15 left.
 
Brett Taylor led all players with 16 stops, the 15th time in the last 16 games he has led the Leathernecks in tackles. Xavier Rowe added an interception for Western Illinois defensively, and Justin Fitzpatrick had seven tackles.
 
The Leatherneck defense held the Salukis to just 62 yards passing, the second straight contest holding an opponent below 100 passing yards. Prior to this stretch, Western Illinois hadn't done that in any game since 2013.
 
McGuire finished 16-for-27 for 158 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
 
With an 8-3 record, Western Illinois awaits a bid in the FCS Playoffs. Should the Leathernecks be selected, it would be their second postseason appearance in the last three years. The FCS Playoffs Selection Show is at 10 a.m. CT on Sunday (Nov. 19), and all fans are invited to join Leatherneck players and coaches at the Murray Street Café inside the University Union for a selection show watch party.
 
"We've got so much more that we can accomplish," Fisher said. "It's going to be kind of interesting to see where they look at us nationally now. That's out of our hands. We did what we can do."
 
GAME NOTES: 
• With two passing touchdowns, Sean McGuire now has 50 for his career. He is three away from tying Trenton Norvell for second place in school history.
• Western Illinois outgained Southern Illinois by a 327-209 margin. The Leathernecks also held a 35:58-24:02 advantage in time of possession.
• The Leathernecks held the Salukis to just 3-for-11 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down.
• Nathan Erickson banged four touchdowns on Saturday. He now has an FCS-best 40 this season. 
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