Western Illinois freshman quarterback Cason Carswell (15) played the second half and helped lead the Leathernecks to 17 points. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
By Dan Verdun
MACOMB – Giving up explosive plays on defense, settling for field goals on offense and double-digit penalties were all costly to Western Illinois in a 31-23 loss to rival Eastern Illinois Saturday at Hanson Field.
“We’ve got a lot to sort through and figure out in terms of personnel, but ultimately a very poor performance by our program,” WIU head coach Joe Davis said.
Three of EIU’s four touchdowns came on runs of 25, 55 and 30 yards.
While Western scored on four of its five red zone trips, two were field goals and another was a touchdown with 22 seconds left in the game.
“As an offense, it’s obvious that we struggled. It wasn’t anything necessarily anything that they did. It had everything to do with what we were doing, a lack of execution,” WIU receiver Tristin Duncan said.
The Leathernecks committed 14 penalties, resulting in 95 yards and three EIU first downs.
Western (1-4 overall, 0-1 OVC-Big South) lost to Eastern (2-2, 1-0) for the second straight season. The Leathernecks lead the all-time series, 42-23-4.
QB change
Western trailed 21-6 at halftime. Davis then made the decision to replace starting quarterback Chris Irvin – who passed for 84 yards, was sacked twice and committed a key turnover in the first half – with freshman Cason Carswell.
“Six points in the first half and it’s never just one player’s fault. We just felt like we needed a spark,” Davis said.
Carswell completed 16 of 22 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. The Michigan native also ran four times for 20 yards. He did not throw an interception and was not sacked.
“A lot of things I did today really came down to Chris (Irvin) in the meeting room and out on the practice field. Every time he comes off the field, I’m asking him questions,” Carswell said. “On the sideline tonight, he was super supportive.”
Carswell helped to ignite WIU, as did a third-quarter punt block by freshman Aa’zoriyon Bonner. The play led to an 8-yard touchdown pass by Carswell to tight end Alex Williams.
“It was really a team effort. We all got in there with penetration. I felt like I wasn’t the only person who blocked it, but I got the credit,” Bonner said.
The block and resulting touchdown got Western back into the game. Late in the third quarter, Antonio Chadha kicked his third field goal, cutting EIU’s lead to 21-16.
From that point, Eastern leaned on its run game. The Panthers ran the ball 21 straight offensive plays that resulted in 10 points to essentially decide the game. EIU rushed for 239 yards on 41 attempts (5.8 average) for the game.
Game changers
11:05, 2nd quarter: Irvin fumbled after taking a hit from EIU defensive lineman Samuel Robles. Panther Drake Van Hyfte recovered at the WIU 25. Eastern then scored on a 25-yard run by Charles Kellom for a 14-3 lead.
10:27, 3rd quarter: Bonner blocked a punt that led to a Carswell 8-yard touchdown pass to Williams. The score cut the EIU lead to 21-13.
13:26, 4th quarter: Eastern gambled on fourth-and-1 from its 34. Kellom picked up the first down on a run. Later in the drive, the Panthers increased their lead to 28-16 on a 30-yard touchdown run by Jacarre Fleming.
Nifty ‘Necks
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the the top three Western Illinois players in the game:
Carswell, QB: The true freshman came off the bench to pass for 118 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. He did not commit any turnovers.
Duncan, WR: The Effingham native led all receivers with 10 catches for 78 yards.
Chadha, K: The junior kicked field goals of 34, 49 and 22 yards. He added two PATs.
What it means
Western starts its league season with a loss with upcoming trips to Tennessee Tech and UT Martin in consecutive weeks. Those two programs shared last year’s OVC-Big South title with two other teams.
What’s next
Western Illinois travels to OVC-Big South favorite Tennessee Tech for a noon kickoff Oct. 4 in Cookeville, Tenn.
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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