Western Illinois lost its home finale, 22-17 to Southeast Missouri Saturday at Hanson Field. (Photo by GoLeathernecks. com)
By Dan Verdun
A key call against Western Illinois tipped the scales of victory as visiting Southeast Missouri rallied past the Leathernecks, 22-17, Saturday at Hanson Field.
With the score tied, 17-17, WIU quarterback Cason Carswell was flagged for intentional grounding while in the end zone.
“We looked at the iPad (to review the play) and the back (as intended receiver) was probably six to seven yards away. It’s a judgment call,” WIU head coach Joe Davis said. “The ref came up and said the center judge said it wasn’t even close. I thought it was close enough to not make that call. It’s not reviewable because it’s a spot call.
“To basically lose that game on a safety is extremely disappointing.”
After building a seven-point halftime lead, Western Illinois failed to score in the second half and lost its home finale to SEMO.
Davis cited a lack of execution playing a major factor in the defeat.
“Credit to SEMO (for) containing the run game a little bit, we had hit some big runs in the first half but they slowed that down,” Davis said. “Ultimately, we didn’t make enough plays collectively as a team to win.”
The loss dropped WIU to 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the OVC-Big South. Southeast Missouri improved to 4-7 overall and 3-2 in the league.
Carswell completed 22 of 42 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once.
Running back Markell Holman led all rushers with 118 yards on 21 attempts. The junior also caught five passes for 70 yards and a touchdown.
Senior Demari Davis hauled in five passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Senior Tristin Duncan topped WIU with seven receptions.
Western’s defense, which has played much better in recent weeks, generated pressure throughout the afternoon, totaling three sacks and six quarterback hurries.
Game changers
2:35, 2nd quarter: Carswell threw a 17-yard pass to Davis, giving WIU a 17-10 halftime lead.
14:10, 4th quarter: The intentional grounding penalty handed SEMO a 19-17 lead.
0:28, 4th quarter: WIU turned the ball over on downs on its 46-yard line.
Nifty ‘Necks
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the the top three Western Illinois players in the game:
Carswell, QB: The true freshman passed for 287 yards and two touchdowns.
Holman, RB: The Philadelphia native produced 188 total yards and a touchdown. Holman ran for 118 yards while adding 70 more receiving.
Christian Pierce, LB: The senior led WIU with 10 tackles, eight of which were solo. He recorded three QB hurries, two TFLs and a sack.
What it means
Western saw its two-game winning streak snapped.
What’s next
Western Illinois heads to Boiling Springs, N.C. to face Gardner-Webb in the season finale.
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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