TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Indiana State could not overcome a potent Western Illinois offensive attack in the final home game of the year as the Leathernecks raced to a 45-0 victory inside chilly Memorial Stadium.
The Sycamores fell to 0-10, 0-7 MVFC while the Leathernecks improved to 7-3, 4-3 MVFC on a day in which Indiana State honored their season class in pregame ceremonies.
Western Illinois used a 409-to-103 advantage in offensive yardage to clinch victory.
Bob Pugh caught a pair of passes in the game for 51 yards, including an early 44-yarder to move into WIU territory.
LeMonte Booker paced the Sycamore ground game as he amassed 63 yards rushing.
Jonas Griffith was a bright spot for the Indiana State defense as he posted 13 tackles in the game. He added a pair of tackles for a loss of 11 yards. Griffith was joined by Katrell Moss and
Rex Mosley with quarterback sacks in the game.
Indiana State did move into Western Illinois territory on their opening drive as
Cade Sparks hit
Bob Pugh for a 44-yard gain on the game's second play, but the drive ended on a
Thomas Bouldin punt. The Sycamore defense forced the Leathernecks backwards on their opening drive including a quarterback sack for
Katrell Moss -- which marked the second consecutive week in which he took down the opposing QB on a pass attempt.
Western Illinois got on the scoreboard first with a 44-yard field goal from Sam Crosa at the 4:27 mark of the opening stanza to cap a 12-play, 54-yard drive which covered over four minutes of game time.
Steve McShane fumbled for WIU in the waning moments of the opening stanza as he attempted to dodge
Kenyota Rollins to avoid a six-yard loss but a pile of Sycamores pounced on the ball where
Adrian Butler fell on it to set up the Sycamores in Leatherneck territory. A personal foul penalty moved the ball to the WIU 12-yard line but the Sycamores had a touchdown called back for holding as the drive proved empty after
Jerry Nunezmissed a 38-yard field goal attempt with four seconds left in the first quarter with Western Illinois leading 3-0.
Early in the second quarter, Sean McGuire completed a 35-yard pass to Jarid Brown to move into Sycamore territory and then he found Adam Conrady on a 21-yard scoring strike at the 12:39 mark to extend the Leatherneck advantage out to 10-0. McGuire would go on to find Jaelon Acklin for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 8:39 remaining before halftime to stretch their cushion to a 17-0 margin. A Sparks interception set up the Leathernecks in ISU territory late in the first half and after
Jonas Griffith posted a sack, McGuire completed a shovel pass to McShane which went 46 yards to the end zone for the 24-0 WIU lead. McShane then took a Bouldin punt 81 yards for a touchdown with 2:15 on the clock and the Sycamores trailed 31-0.
Western Illinois appeared to be moving in for a score to start the second half when McGuire completed an eight yard pass to Brandon Gaston which went all the way to the one yard line until he met up with
KeAaris Ardley and jarred the ball loose. A scrum ensured and Indiana State's
Rondell Green fell on the ball to flip possession towards the Sycamores deep in their own territory. The Sycamores could not move the ball and WIU drove 56 yards on 10 plays as they took a 38-0 lead at the 3:08 mark of the third quarter on McGuires fourth touchdown pass of the day -- this one a three-yarder to Tyler Slamans. Connor Sampson came on in fourth quarter relief and found Darron Wheeler on a five-yard touchdown pass with 8:40 remaining as the lead grew to 45-0.
Forced into defending a short field late in the fourth quarter, the Sycamore defense made an impressive goal line stand when Green and Moss combined to stop WIU's Sanders at the two-yard line on fourth-and-goal to hold the Leathernecks at bay.
Sean McGuire led the way for the Leathernecks with a 17-for-25 passing effort for 253 yards and four touchdowns.
Indiana State concludes the regular season when they travel to Northern Iowa on Saturday, November 18 at 5 pm (ET) in a game that will be televised world-wide on WatchESPN.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Football team, make sure to check out
GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including
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