Western Illinois receiver Demari Davis reels in a 60-yard touchdown catch Saturday against UT Martin (Photo by GoLeathernecks.com)
By Barry Bottino
Western Illinois led on the scoreboard for 29 minutes, 52 seconds Saturday at UT Martin.
The game’s final 2 minutes, however, helped Martin write a disappointing ending to the Leathernecks’ story.
Western allowed an 11-point lead to slip away in the fourth quarter and lost, 32-31, to the Skyhawks in an Ohio Valley-Big South Football Association game.
Western (1-6 overall, 0-3 conference) had a 48-yard field goal attempt by Antonio Chadha blocked with 35 seconds remaining, which sent the Leathernecks to their fourth loss in a row.
Martin quarterback Jase Bauer’s 2-yard touchdown run helped the Skyhawks (2-5, 2-1) close the gap to 31-26 at the 8:58 mark of the fourth quarter.
After the Skyhawks forced punts on WIU’s next two drives, Bauer ran in again from 2 yards out with 1:57 to go in the game to help Martin take its first lead since leading 17-14 midway through the second quarter.
WIU drove 45 yards in seven plays – to the Martin 30-yard line – to give Chadha an opportunity at a game-winning kick. Martin, which has five blocked kicks this season, overloaded the left side of its defensive line and got a block from redshirt freshman lineman Lebron Edmond.
“Antonio Chadha from inside 50 yards is probably as good as anyone in the country,” Davis said. “But as I told the team, it never comes down to just one play. There were multiple opportunities we had to put the game away and didn’t do it.
“Ultimately, we couldn’t get the final stop when we needed it,” he said.
Freshman quarterback Cason Carswell was 21-for-30 passing for 327 yards and two touchdowns. Five different receivers had a reception, with four players catching at least four passes. Demari Davis posted four catches for 109 yards and a TD.
WIU running back Markell Holman caught six passes for 48 yards while rushing 16 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns.
On WIU’s final drive, Carswell moved the team 42 yards on its first three plays before Holman busted through the middle of the Martin defense for what appeared to be a 33-yard TD. However, Western was called for illegal motion, which negated the play and eventually forced WIU to attempt the field goal.
Game changers
5:22, 1st quarter: Davis made a diving 28-yard TD catch to give Western its first points of the game.
1:57, 4th quarter: Bauer’s 2-yard TD run put Martin in the lead for the first time since the second quarter.
0:35, 4th quarter: Edmond blocked a WIU field goal attempt to provide the Skyhawks with the win.
Nifty ‘Necks
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Western Illinois players in Saturday’s game:
Carswell, QB: The reigning OVC-Big South Freshman of the Week completed 21 of 30 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns.
Christian Pierce, LB: Along with nine tackles, Pierce collected a sack, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery.
Davis, WR: The senior had four catches for 109 yards – including a 60-yard deep ball – and made an impressive TD catch. All of those stats came in the first half.
What it means
Western dropped to 0-3 in OVC-Big South play and lost its fourth game in a row.
What’s next
The Leathernecks host Charleston Southern for Homecoming at 3 p.m. on Oct. 18. CSU (1-6, 0-3) lost Saturday against No. 7/10 Tennessee Tech, 27-13.
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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