Western Illinois celebrates its comeback 28-21 win against Tennessee State Saturday at Hanson Field in Macomb. (Photo by GoLeathernecks. com)
By Dan Verdun
With just under nine minutes left in the third quarter, Western Illinois appeared to be in trouble.
In the end, the Leathernecks turned the tables on visiting Tennessee State with a 17-point rally to stun the Tigers, 28-21.
WIU (3-3 overall, 1-0 Ohio Valley) scored two touchdowns – one on defense and one on offense – along with a field goal to knock off Tennessee State (1-4, 0-1).
The Tigers took a 14-10 lead into halftime on a touchdown pass and a TD run by quarterback Daylin Lee.
Western scored its points on a 24-yard field goal by Ronan Culkin and a 33-yard pass from quarterback Kennedy McGill to Ishon E. Jackson-Anderson.
TSU built a 21-10 lead when Lee tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass with 8 minutes, 56 seconds left in the third quarter.
The game, however, changed primarily on one play. Junior defensive back Jake Kruger jumped a sideline pass route, intercepted Lee and raced 46 yards for a WIU touchdown.
McGill followed with a 2-point conversion run to tie the game, 21-21.
The Leatherneck defense – sparked by a fumble recovery by Jouvenson Romulus – gave the offense the opportunity to take the lead.
With less than five minutes remaining, McGill completed passes to Xavier Coleman and Christian Anaya to get things in gear.
McGill then broke off a 22-yard run to the TSU 21-yard line. After Jackson-Anderson ran for five yards, McGill motored his way into the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown with 52 seconds remaining.
Don Paul Keith preserved the Leathernecks’ win with an interception.
Game changers
11:08, 4th quarter: Kruger’s Pick 6 shifts momentum to the Western sideline.
0:52, 4th quarter: McGill capped the WIU comeback with a 16-yard touchdown run providing a 28-21 lead.
0:22, 4th quarter: Defensive back Don Paul Keith grabbed an interception, sealing the Leatherneck win.
Nifty ‘Necks
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the the top three Western Illinois players in the game:
McGill, QB: The Division II transfer accounted for 429 yards – 241 passing and 188 rushing. He also scored the 2-point conversion to tie the game.
Kruger, DB: The junior’s interception return for a touchdown sparked Western at a key moment of the game.
Jackson-Anderson, RB: The Wofford transfer amassed 110 yards (80 receiving and 30 rushing).
What it means
Western is off to a 1-0 start in the Ohio Valley Conference.
What’s next
Western Illinois enters its bye week. The Leathernecks return to the field for an Oct. 17 OVC game at Southeast Missouri. Kickoff is 2 p.m.
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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