Offense Overcomes Early Deficit in Bruce Craddock Memorial Spring Game

Friday, April 12, 2019

Western's offense concluded the spring slate with a 50-41 victory.

MACOMB, Ill. – The defense pounced early, but it was the Western Illinois offense that walked away with the 50-41 victory in the 2019 Bruce Craddock Memorial Spring Game.

The Friday (April 12) outing marked the conclusion of the football team's four-week spring slate that began Monday, March 18.

"There was a lot of give and take, a lot of back and forth, and we saw guys make plays," said head coach Jared Elliott. "Cole Tandy had a great interception there early, and I'm really excited about our young talent on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, you saw Connor Sampson really settle down and really get into a rhythm. I'm excited about how he has taken over for maybe, arguably, the best quarterback in Western Illinois history. He has taken the reins, and it was fun today to see him run the show."

The point system credited the offense with first downs, big plays and scores while the defense earned points on tackles-for-loss, three-and-outs, pass break-ups, touchdowns, and takeaways.

The Leatherneck defense held a 14-0 edge at the end of the first quarter, but the offense stormed back to pull within two, 20-18, at halftime. With 16 seconds remaining until the break, Sampson connected with Matt Clark for an eight-yard touchdown and things clicked from there.

He finished the game with 196 passing yards on 12 completions and a pair of touchdowns.

"Spring is a long process," said Sampson. "We've had a lot going on so it's exciting, but we have a lot of work to do. The past few years I've been the backup, but I have a lot on my plate now. I had big shoes to fill when Sean [McGuire] left. He pushed me to be the best person I could be."

The defense captured explosive plays of their own, back by early interceptions from Eric Carrera and Cole Tandy as well as a pair of sacks by Cole Watts and LaCale London. Nick D'Ambra led the side with six tackles, one of which resulted in a nine-yard loss, and Jalen Powe added five tackles, a sack, and a pass breakup.

"There's obviously some things we need to clean up. There's way too many negative plays and some self-inflicted wounds but we generated explosive plays on both sides of the ball, and it was a competitive game. We got out of it healthy, and I felt, throughout the entire spring, we made strides every single day. They took advantage of every moment, and we're carrying a lot of momentum heading into the summer."

Western begins its 2019 season at the University of North Alabama Thursday, Aug. 29.

Offensive Leaders
QB Connor Sampson | 196 yards, 12 completions, 2 touchdowns
RB Gavin Fuchs | 57 yards, 9 rushes
RB Victavious Johnson | 53 yards, 8 rushes
WR John Brunner | 79 yards, 6 receptions
WR Cam Taylor | 66 yards, 1 rush, TD
WR George Wahee | 24 yards, 2 receptions, TD
WR Matt Clark | 30 yards, 2 receptions, TD

Defensive Leaders
LB Nick D'Ambra | 6 tackles, PBU, TFL (-9)
LB Jalen Powe | 5 tackles, sack (-6), PBU
DB Eric Carrera | 2.5 tackles, PBU, INT
LB Colton Folliard | 2.5 tackles, sack (-8), QBH, PBU
DL Tristan Pfeiffer | 4 tackles, sack (-5), TFL (2.5/-9)
DB Daymon Murray | 4.5 tackles

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Western's offense concluded the spring slate with a 50-41 victory.

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