MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois football came up short against Southeast Missouri State, 40-30, on Saturday after holding a halftime lead and regaining the advantage in the third quarter before the Redhawks pulled away late.
First Half
Western Illinois and Southeast Missouri State traded scores throughout the first half, with SEMO opening the scoring on a 47-yard field goal. The Leathernecks answered with a 24-yard field goal by Ronan Culkin to tie the game at 3-3, but the Redhawks responded with a 50-yard touchdown pass to take a 10-3 lead. Western Illinois tied the game late in the first quarter when Kennedy McGill scored on a two-yard rushing touchdown.
SEMO regained the lead with a 28-yard field goal early in the second quarter, but the Leathernecks put together an 87-yard drive capped by McGill's second rushing touchdown of the game, a one-yard score that gave Western a 17-13 advantage with 35 seconds remaining in the half. SEMO closed the half with a 54-yard field goal as time expired, cutting Western's lead to 17-16 at the break.
Second Half
SEMO took a 22-17 lead early in the second half on a 43-yard touchdown run by Tyrell Reed Jr., but Western Illinois answered with a 35-yard run by Ihson Jackson-Anderson before McGill broke free for a 33-yard touchdown run. The score put the Leathernecks back in front, 23-22.
Western extended its lead later in the third quarter with a fake field goal, as Luke Droegemueller took the ball 29 yards for a touchdown on fourth-and-two to make it 30-22. SEMO responded early in the fourth quarter with a 27-yard touchdown run by Khyair Spain and a successful two-point conversion to tie the game at 30-30. Spain scored again on a two-yard run to give the Redhawks a 37-30 lead with 5:57 remaining.
After stopping Western on fourth down, SEMO added a 23-yard field goal to extend its advantage to 40-30. The Leathernecks moved into SEMO territory on their final drive but couldn't find the end zone as the Redhawks held on for the win.
"I thought our players played exceedingly hard. The game plan we called was very aggressive. We knew we were going to have to play that way to win on the road, and ultimately, we didn't make enough plays in the fourth quarter," said Head Coach Joe Davis.
"We have a great team here. Everything we want is still in front of us."
Western Illinois returns to action next week when the Leathernecks host UT Martin in their homecoming game as Ohio Valley Conference play continues.
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