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Football Action vs. UNI
Sarah Ritter
34
Winner Northern Iowa UNI 3-3 , 3-3
20
Western Illinois WIU 0-5 , 0-5
Winner
Northern Iowa UNI
3-3 , 3-3
34
Final
20
Western Illinois WIU
0-5 , 0-5
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
UNI Northern Iowa 7 10 7 10 34
WIU Western Illinois 0 7 3 10 20

Game Recap: Football |

Big Plays Stifle Leathernecks vs. No. 22/23 UNI

MACOMB, Ill. - The No. 22/23 UNI football team scored on its very first possession, and it set the tone for the rest of the afternoon in a 34-20 decision over Western Illinois Saturday (March 27). 

"We have to play team complimentary football, and it comes down to consistency," said head coach Jared Elliott. "We'll get there. We have a bunch of guys that are fighting their tails off, battling all the way to the end. I love this team for that. I'm very proud of them, but there were way too many self-inflicted wounds today. Too many penalties today. There's just a lot to clean up. We have a lot of young guys that need to mature in a hurry for us, and we've got to find the right balance to play more team complimentary football here." 

The Leathernecks were a few ticks away from entering halftime either tied at 10-all or trailing 10-7, and a blocked field goal changed that outlook in a matter of seconds. Omar Brown recovered and returned the attempt 62 yards for a touchdown, and it marked UNI's second "big play" of the game. 

The visitors recorded a 75-yard touchdown reception on their first offensive possession, and with the exception of those two plays, the opening half was fairly quiet. 

"I'm really disappointed with the first play, and then [UNI] did a really good job creating penetration on the field goal," Elliott added. "Our guys executed an outstanding drive to give us a shot and tie that game up heading into the half. We were kicking into the wind; Mason [Laramie's] launch point trajectory was a little lower than what it typically would be, and the ball didn't bounce our way on that one." 

Western trailed 17-7 at the break, with its first touchdown occurring in the second quarter (10:54) when Connor Sampson found Daniel Bender at the left corner pylon. The two connected in the endzone twice on the day, with the latter coming in the closing seconds of the matchup.  

Western Illinois invites Youngstown State to Hanson Field next Saturday for its final home game of the spring season. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m. 

Notes

- Connor Sampson broke his school record in single-game completions (40). He went 40-for-58 versus UNI with 355 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

- Daniel Bender recorded his first Leatherneck TD on a 10-yard catch (his first target of the game). He finished with two touchdowns on 51 receiving yards and four catches. 

- Western Illinois has played three ranked opponents this season and another that received votes. The team is 45-89-1 all-time against ranked opponents, with a 30-69 mark in conference play.

- Mason Laramie tacked in seven points of his own with two field goals and two PATs. Nick D'Ambra recovered a muffed punt at UNI's 16-yard line to set up Laramie's first made FG (a 34-yarder). The kicker leads the Leathernecks in scoring with 25 points. He's 5-for-7 on field goal attempts and 10-10 in PATs this season. 

- Dennis Houston led the Leathernecks' receiving corp with 99 yards on five catches, while Ludovick Choquette led the rushing attack with 47 yards. 

- Greg Benton Jr. recorded nine tackles (seven solo). Western forced two fumbles and sacked the Panther QB four times. 
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