Eastern Washington quarterback Nate Bell rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns Saturday night to help the Eagles beat Western Illinois, 52-31. (Photo by GoEags.com)
By Barry Bottino
When Chris Irvin ran for a 4-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter Saturday, he gave Western Illinois plenty of hope and good vibes.
A familiar nemesis dashed those hopes over the game’s final 12 minutes, sending WIU to a 52-31 loss at Eastern Washington, thanks in large part to Eagles’ quarterback Nate Bell.
EWU’s Bell ran for two of his five total touchdowns in just over a 4-minute, fourth-quarter span Saturday to push a six-point Eagles’ lead to 21 points.
“We knew their quarterback was a runaround guy — a lot of extended plays and a lot of backyard football plays,” WIU head coach Joe Davis said. “We thought we had a good plan. He certainly had his way with our defense.”
Bell rushed for 144 yards to lead all players. Though he completed only 11 passes, Bell threw for TDs of 35 and 64 yards in the first half to help EWU forge a 27-17 lead.
When Irvin, the quarterback for WIU (1-3), scored at the 12:29 mark of the fourth quarter on the ground, he helped Western close to within six points.
“It’s 37-31 and we were right in it,” Davis said. “Obviously, we’re very disappointed that we weren’t able to finish or build more momentum.”
The Leathernecks had plenty of offensive contributors. Running back Markell Holman rushed for 118 yards and a 2-yard TD while catching four passes for 24 yards.
Senior wide receiver Tristin Duncan led all players with 110 receiving yards on five catches, including four catches over 25 yards. Fellow wideout Christian Anaya led all players with eight receptions, two of which were TD catches from Irvin, who finished 16-for-34 passing for 167 yards.
“All three guys (Holman, Duncan and Anaya) were a part of us cutting that game to six points in the fourth quarter,” Davis said.
But Bell’s performance helped EWU (1-3) roll up 597 total yards, including 325 on the ground.
Western compiled 358 yards, but only could gain more than 60 yards on three of their 17 drives in the game.
Game changers
0:52, 2nd quarter: Bell scored on a 2-yard run to boost EWU’s halftime lead to 27-17.
10:43, 3rd quarter: Anaya caught a 3-yard pass from Irvin for his second receiving TD of the game.
7:05, 4th quarter: Bell, the EWU QB, scored on a 9-yard run for his fifth total touchdown.
Nifty ‘Necks
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the the top three WIU players in the game:
Holman, RB: The Saint Francis transfer piled up a combined 142 yards rushing and receiving, with 118 coming on the ground.
Justin Richardson and Keith Moko, CBs: Both Western DBs had an interception Saturday.
Anaya, WR: The senior caught a game-high eight passes for 44 yards and two TDs.
What it means
WIU finishes non-conference play with a 1-3 record for the second year in a row.
What’s next
The Leathernecks return to Macomb Sept. 27 to begin OVC-Big South play against Eastern Illinois. Kickoff is 3 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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