MACOMB, Ill. — Western Illinois football battled Illinois State on Saturday at Hanson Field, but the Redbirds used a strong offensive performance to earn a 41-10 victory over the Leathernecks.
First Half
Illinois State jumped out to an early lead, scoring on each of its first three scoring opportunities to take a 17-0 advantage late in the first quarter.
Michael Cosentino opened the scoring with a 30-yard field goal with 10:29 remaining in the first quarter. The Redbirds then found the end zone on their next possession, as Beckham Pellant connected with Alex Herrera for a 23-yard touchdown with 4:41 left in the quarter.
Illinois State added to its lead with 13 seconds remaining in the opening period when Seth Glatz scored on a two-yard touchdown run.
Western Illinois answered with a 14-play, 75-yard drive to open the second quarter. Kennedy McGill helped move the Leathernecks down the field, including a 44-yard completion to Jacob Kania that moved WIU into the red zone. Western Illinois reached the Illinois State five-yard line before Ronan Culkin connected on a 22-yard field goal with 9:42 remaining in the half, putting the Leathernecks on the board.
The Redbirds responded with a touchdown on their ensuing possession, as Gage Roy found Stevan Gavric for a 36-yard scoring strike to extend the lead to 24-3.
Western Illinois' defense came up with a key takeaway late in the half when Jouvenson Romulus intercepted Pellant at the Leathernecks' two-yard line. Illinois State answered with a defensive takeaway of its own before Cosentino connected on a 29-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining, sending the Redbirds into halftime with a 27-3 lead.
Second Half
Illinois State added to its advantage on the opening possession of the second half, driving 61 yards before Victor Dawson scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 10:23 remaining in the third quarter.
Western Illinois continued to battle, putting together a promising drive on its ensuing possession. Cason Carswell connected with Christian Anaya for a 47-yard completion to move the Leathernecks inside the Illinois State 20-yard line, but the drive ended with WIU turning the ball over on downs at the ISU 12.
Dawson added his second touchdown of the afternoon early in the fourth quarter, scoring from six yards out with 13:38 remaining to extend the Redbirds' lead to 41-3.
The Leathernecks responded with their most productive scoring drive of the second half. Carswell connected with Xavier Coleman for 23 yards and Cam Edwards for 23 more before finding Josh Robinson for a 17-yard gain to move WIU inside the Illinois State 10-yard line. On fourth-and-three, Carswell kept the ball and rushed three yards for the touchdown with 7:06 remaining. Culkin's extra point made it 41-10.
Illinois State controlled possession during the final minutes, running out the clock to secure the 41-10 victory.
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