Southeast Missouri pulled away from Western Illinois with 18 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Western Illinois Saturday at Hauck Field in Cape Girardeau. (Photo by SEMORedhawks.com)
By Dan Verdun
Western Illinois entered Saturday ranked as the No. 3 FCS school in total defense. A fourth-quarter surge by Southeast Missouri changed those fortunes.
SEMO scored the last 18 points of the game to defeat the visiting Leathernecks, 40-30, Saturday in Cape Girardeau.
The loss dropped Western to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference. SEMO (4-3, 2-0) rolled up a season-high 432 yards of total offense. A pair of Redhawks – Khyair Spain and Tyrell Reed Jr. – each rushed for 111 yards. The duo combined for three touchdowns.
The game featured three ties and plenty of eye-catching plays, highlighted by a 54-yard field goal by SEMO’s Justin Keller, a 33-yard touchdown run by Western quarterback Kennedy McGill and a 29-yard touchdown run on a fake field goal by WIU holder Luke Droegemueller.
WIU produced 533 yards of total offense and 26 first downs.
“I thought our players played exceedingly hard. The game plan we called was very aggressive. We knew we were going to have to play that way to win on the road, and ultimately, we didn’t make enough plays in the fourth quarter,” WIU head coach Joe Davis said.
Game changers
6:21, 3rd quarter: WIU holder Luke Droegemueller raced 29 yards off the right side on a fake field goal. The TD run increased the Leatherneck lead to 30-22.
5:57, 4th quarter: SEMO’s Khyair Spain ran for a 2-yard touchdown run, giving the Redhawks a 37-30 lead.
4:06, 4th quarter: The SEMO defense stopped running back Josh Robinson on a 4th and 1 at the WIU 45-yard line. The Redhawks ran six plays before kicking a field goal to provide the final margin.
Nifty ‘Necks
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the the top three Western Illinois players in the game:
McGill, QB: The transfer accounted for 429 yards – 241 passing and 188 rushing. He also scored the 2-point conversion to tie the game.
Justin Buckner, LB: The sophomore from St. Rita led Western with 15 tackles, 10 solo.
Xavier Coleman, WR: The freshman from Providence Catholic led all receivers with seven catches for 95 yards.
What it means
Western suffered its first loss in OVC play. The Leathernecks are 0-3 on the road this season.
What’s next
The Leathernecks host UT-Marin at 3 p.m. Oct. 24 in an OVC tilt. The game also marks WIU’s Homecoming.
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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