Western Illinois quarterback Kennedy McGill (17) throws under pressure Saturday at Hanson Field in the Leathernecks’ 41-10 loss to No. 4 Illinois State. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
By Barry Bottino
MACOMB – Saturday night featured as many penalties as points for Western Illinois.
That fact was just one of the numerous missteps the Leathernecks endured in a 41-10 home loss to No. 4 Illinois State.
“Certainly a lot of frustration, disappointment overall at how we played,” WIU head coach Joe Davis said. “As I told the team, when you play a football game like we did tonight, you’re not going to beat anybody.”
Western (1-1) committed 10 penalties for 76 yards, converted on only 26% of its third downs and allowed the Redbirds to pile up nearly 500 yards of total offense. The offensive differences showed up especially in the run game as ISU outgained Western 239-52.
“For us to have 10 penalties and to be outrushed by almost 200 yads, you’re not going to beat anybody,” Davis said.
Illinois State roared to a 17-0 first quarter lead before the Leathernecks answered with Ronan Culkin’s 22-yard field goal in the second quarter.
The Redbirds followed with 24 unanswered points to forge a 41-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. WIU sophomore quarterback Cason Carswell (9-for-18 passing, 140 yards) scored the team’s lone TD on a 3-yard scramble midway through the fourth quarter.
Transfer QB Kennedy McGill came off the bench for the second week in a row. In the season opener, he rushed for three touchdowns and 98 yards while passing for two more scores and 194 yards on 15-for-17 passing.
Against Illinois State, he was limited to 18 rushing yards on 12 carries and 123 passing yards on 14 of 22 through the air.
“They did an excellent job,” McGill said of Illinois State. “They played hard. They played fast, and they did their job better than we did.”
The Redbirds converted 69% (11 of 16) of third-down attempts and scored six times on seven red zone trips.
“Giving up those third-down conversions at the rate we did is frustrating,” Western linebacker Nick Reinicke said. “What they do is simple, but they’re really good at it. We knew what they were going to run. It’s just a matter of stopping it.”
Davis said he encouraged his team to look ahead at the 10 remaining games.
“We have a lot of football left this season, and that’ll be our focus here moving forward,” he said.
Game changers
0:13, 1st quarter: Illinois State’s Seth Glatz scored on a 2-yard run to give the Redbirds a 17-0 lead.
9:42, 2nd quarter: Culkin’s 22-yard field goal broke the WIU scoring drought.
13:38, 4th quarter: Dawson’s 6-yard scoring run capped off a string of 24 unanswered ISU points and provided a 41-3 lead
What it means
Illinois State took the overall lead in the series, 53-52-3, between the two teams, who have played against each other since 1904.
Nifty ‘Necks
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Western Illinois players in the game:
Reinicke, LB: The transfer linebacker from Iowa State had a sack, nine total tackles and two quarterback hurries.
Christian Anaya, WR: He tied for the team lead in receptions (4) and had a game-high 87 receiving yards. His longest catch was a 47-yard reception.
Jouvenson Romulus, DB: Along with an interception, the senior DB compiled six tackles in the game.
What’s next?
Western hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Madison, Wis., to face the Big Ten’s Wisconsin Badgers at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12. WIU will receive a $575,000 guarantee, according to FBSchedules.com.
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.
Find us on social media!
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/PSPigskin
Facebook: Prairie State Pigskin
Instagram: Prairiestatepigskin
Blue Sky: PSPigskin
Prairie State Pigskin 
Leave a comment