One thousand seventy (1,070) combined yards of total offense, 188 total plays, and a Leatherneck win. The Western Illinois football team played host to South Dakota Saturday (Nov. 2), where it trailed by as many as 13 points, before capturing its first win of the season by a score of 38-34.
“I don’t think anything changed, even when down 20-7,” said head coach Jared Elliott. “I keep saying it over and over, our guys just keep playing. This team has been in this situation a handful of times this year, and it hasn’t gone our way. I was very encouraged to see how they respond. They understood how many opportunities were left in that game. Our guys have a lot of hope. They kept belief and have faith in one another.”
The game required a total team effort, and the captains displayed leadership in its sincerest form – leadership by example.
Connor Sampson threw for a career-high 368 passing yards. Clint Ratkovich recorded two touchdowns, including the go-ahead with 45 seconds remaining, and Eric Carrera picked the ball off at the one-yard line to secure the victory.
“These guys, I’m so proud of them,” added Carrera. “Not a single fraction has happened. They keep such a high spirit. It’s really a credit to everyone on the team. We keep each other focused.”
It only took five plays for the Leathernecks to strike, and the drive resulted in a 20-yard rushing touchdown for DeShon Gavin. Sampson set up the first score of the game by airing out a 37-yard pass to Tony Tate, and it marked the longest until a 51-yard hookup between Sampson and George Wahee. The Leathernecks were trailing, 27-24, at that point of the afternoon, eying fourth down with five to go.
The Wahee touchdown marked the first of three in the final five minutes as the Coyotes answered with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, leaving just 1:24 on the clock.
“It was a great battle in every phase,” Elliott continued. “I think we made game-winning plays in every phase of the game. You always expect games like this in this conference. You just play to the final second ticks off.”
The penalty flag was dropped several times, and it was an unsportsmanlike call on the Coyotes that helped Western to a drive start at its 41-yard line. The sequence was littered with Ratkovich’s name. He recorded 34 of the 59 yards, pushing Western ahead by the final mark on a nine-yard rush.
At the half, both teams were 1-2 in red-zone opportunities, and USD held a 17-7 lead. The Leathernecks found themselves trailing by 13 in the third quarter, but never wavered, to charge back with 17 unanswered points of their own. The stretch included a 37-yard field goal by Nathan Erickson and touchdowns by Ratkovich and Tony Tate.
“As soon as one of us puts our head down, we got a hundred guys saying keep your head up and let’s go,” said Carrera.
The Leathernecks have a meeting with the two-time reigning FCS champions, North Dakota State, next Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
- Sampson’s passing yardage ranks 14th all-time on Western’s single-game records list; he also completed 31 passes which ties for second all-time
- USD finished the afternoon 1-4 in fourth-down conversions; the Coyotes’ final attempt occurred with 5:22 left in the fourth quarter where they were tackled behind the line by Jalen Powe. The turnover led to Wahee’s score.
- Zach Glisan finished with a career-high 16 tackles (eight assisted, eight solo). Four others finished with 10-plus in Demetri Royer (13), Justin Nutof (13), Mike Viti (12) and Carrera (11)
***Report Courtesy of Western Illinois University***
