University News

Leathernecks Win, Advance to Second Round

November 30, 2015

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By WIU Intercollegiate Athletics

MACOMB, IL -- Dayton scored the first touchdown of the game, from there though it was all Western Illinois on the scoreboard as the Leathernecks won 24-7 in their opening round FCS Playoffs game on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 28).

Nikko Watson rushed for a game-high 152 yards on 34 attempts while on defense redshirt-freshman Pete Swenson recorded four sacks as Western limited Dayton to just 25 yards in the second half.

"First of all my congratulations to coach Chamberlain, his staff and the Dayton football team. They demonstrated today without question that they were a team deserving of a playoff berth and quite frankly out-played us in many regards. I feel very fortunate to come out of here with a win," said head coach Bob Nielson. "I'm very proud of the way our guys played in the second half. We struggled in the first half, give Dayton credit for that both offensively and defensively. But we really took control of the game with our defense in the second half and we moved the ball effectively enough to put some points on the board."

Both teams traded possessions in the first quarter. After an interception in the endzone, Western's offense took over and moved the chains. Facing 4th-and-1 on its own 39, the Leathernecks were stopped shy of a first down on a run. The Flyers went 39 yards on four plays, capped by Alex Jeske's 5-yard touchdown run and 7-0 lead in the final minute of the opening quarter.

Dayton drove into WIU (7-5 overall) territory at the start of the second quarter. Western got a goal line stop on 3rd-and-goal. The Flyers (10-2) tried a hurry-up snap but it was fumbled and recovered by Brett Taylor. That marked the fourth fumble recovery this season by Taylor, tying the season record.

Western's offense went 3-and-out and Dayton again took over inside WIU territory. The defense came up again with a big play in the redzone when David Griffith intercepted his third pass of the season, and returned to the 35.

Nikko Watson gained a first down on third and short when he ran over a Dayton defender, into Flyer territory. Sean McGuire connected with Lance Lenoir on a 39-yard connection to the seven. Two plays later Watson marched into the endzone. Nathan Knuffman's extra point tied the score with six minutes left in the opening half.

The Leathernecks got a 3-and-out on the Flyers, then covered 56 yards on 12 plays. Knuffman kicked a 27-yard field goal to put WIU up 10-7 heading into the locker room.

Western struck late in the third quarter thanks to an interception by Adam Brott. Western marched 59 yards in six plays, thanks in part to a 25-yard completion to Stacey Smith. McGuire finished off the drive with a 22-yard touchdown to Lenoir.

Late in the third quarter the defense forced another UD punt, and thanks to a penalty Western took over 1st-and-10 on the Flyers' 36. Seven plays later McGuire set his personal-best on his second touchdown pass, a 9-yarder to Smith and extend the lead to 24-7.

During the second half, Western held the ball for 19 minutes and held UD to 2-of-9 on third downs.

Watson turned in his 13th career 100-yard game, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and scored a TD. McGuire went 12-of-26 for 183 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. Lenoir ended with 93 yards on six catches.

Western out-gained Dayton 424-206 in total yards in the game, including 241-82 edge on the ground. The Leathernecks held a 34:30-25:30 overall edge in time of possession, and scored 14 points off the four UD turnovers.

Taylor and Swenson had seven tackles each to lead the defense. Swenson tied his career-high and set a new standard with his four sacks and 5.0 tackles for a loss. He tied for the second-most sacks by a Leatherneck in a game.

Chris Beaschler recorded a game-high 14 tackles for the Flyers. Tucker Yinger gained 79 yards on the ground (all but six in the first half) while Jeske finished 13-of-27 for 124 yards and three interceptions.

"It wasn't our best game but at the same time I think Dayton was exactly what we thought they were going to be. They're a team that's going to play really hard, are very experienced and execute very well. As a result when we did not execute very well we struggled moving the football and struggled stopping them," stated Nielson. "Any win I've learned over the years in the playoffs is a great win, and we're certainly going to take it and be a better football team next week."

The Leathernecks now get a rematch against Missouri Valley Football Conference foe Illinois State. Kickoff next Saturday (Dec. 5) against the second-seeded Redbirds is set for 1 p.m. central and can be seen live on ESPN3.

Posted By: WIU Athletics (SID@wiu.edu)
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