Leatherneck rewind: Western’s hot start cooled off by late Lindenwood rally

Western Illinois quarterback Matt Morrissey scores on a 3-yard run late in the second quarter of WIU’s 43-40 loss to Lindenwood in Macomb Saturday. (Photo by GoLeathernecks.com)

By Barry Bottino

For three quarters, neither lightning nor Lindenwood could slow down Western Illinois.

The fourth quarter Saturday evening in Macomb was another story.

Lindenwood, in its second year of transitioning to FCS from NCAA Division II, scored 29 second-half points to stun Western, 43-40. The loss extended WIU’s losing streak to 16 games in a row, dating back to November 2021.

Both teams endured a 90-minute lightning delay that pushed back the scheduled 6 p.m. kickoff.

“The preparation and focus is there,” WIU head coach Myers Hendrickson said. “It’s why we jumped out to the leads we have, last week (vs. Illinois State) and this week. We came ready to play. We handled the adversity of the lightning delay.”

The star of the Leatherneck show early was the team’s passing offense.

Junior quarterback Matt Morrissey guided WIU (0-3) to first-half leads of 24-7 and 31-14. He finished 26-for-42 passing for 392 yards and three touchdowns through the air. He also ran for a touchdown.

Morrissey threw TDs to three different players, including wide receivers Jay Parker (10 catches, 145 yards) and Jaylin Jackson (seven catches, 127 yards).

Lindenwood’s comeback relied on the arm of quarterback Cole Dugger and the hands of receiver Jeff Caldwell.

Dugger connected with Caldwell for four touchdowns, three of which came in the game’s final 19 minutes. With 11:02 left in the game, Dugger’s 72-yard score gave Lindenwood (2-1) its first lead of the game, 35-34.

Six minutes later, Morrissey hit Parker with a 20-yard scoring pass to put WIU ahead, 40-35. Western failed on a two-point conversion pass by Clay Bruno.

With WIU ahead, 40-35, Lindenwood drove 75 yards in 10 plays for the winning score – a 16-yard reception by Caldwell, who had five catches total for 185 yards.

The Lions scored touchdowns on four consecutive second-half drives of 68, 65, 74 and 75 yards.

“We need to finish the game,” Hendrickson said.

In its three games this season, Western’s defense has allowed 50 fourth-quarter points and is yielding an average of 45 points a game.

Game changers

1:51, 2nd quarter: Morrissey’s 3-yard TD run gave Western a 31-14 halftime edge, its second 17-point lead of the game.

5:09, 4th quarter: Morrissey’s third TD pass, this time to Parker from 20 yards out, gave WIU a 40-35 lead.

1:13, 4th quarter: Lindenwood’s Dugger tossed a 16-yard scoring strike, and the Lions added a two-point conversion, to seal the victory.

What it means

Western lost a game in which it led for three quarters. The WIU losing streak now stands at 16 games, dating back to 2021.

Nifty ‘Necks

Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Western Illinois players in the game:

Morrissey, QB: The Northern Iowa transfer continues to blossom, posting a career-best day and leading WIU’s offense to no turnovers for the third week in a row.

Parker, WR: His 10 receptions was the most for a WIU player since 2021, when Dennis Houston caught 14 passes against South Dakota State.

Jackson, WR: He was part of a 100-yard receiving duo at Western for the first time since 2021 (Dallas Daniels and Tony Tate).

What’s next?

WIU plays its final non-conference game Sept. 23 at Southern Utah. The game kicks off at 7 p.m.

 Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.

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