Local News

Illinois State, Western Illinois Meet in FCS Playoffs

 width=No. 2 seed Illinois State (9-2, 7-1 MVFC) will face off against a familiar foe in the second round of the FCS playoffs, when they host MVFC and in-state rival Western Illinois for the second time this season at Hancock Stadium.

WIU capped off the regular season with a thrilling 30-24 win over No. 5 South Dakota State to finish the season 6-5. That was good enough to get the Leathernecks into the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

The Leathernecks had to go on the road in the first round to face Pioneer League champion Dayton and came away with a 24-7 win to advance to the second round to face Illinois State. Nikko Watson rushed for a game-high 152 yards on 34 attempts, while redshirt freshman Pete Swenson recorded four sacks, as Western limited Dayton to just 25 yards in the second half.

 width=ISU was able to out-battle WIU by taking advantage of a 65-yard touchdown from Tre Roberson to Anthony Warrum in the third quarter. The long pass knotted the score up at 28-28, just a few plays after Western Illinois took its first lead of the game. Warrum's six points were the first of 27 unanswered points for the 'Birds in the second half as they pulled away for a 48-28 win over their in-state rivals.

Saturday's game is a 1 pm kickoff and can be seen on ESPN 3.

Townhall Top of the Hour News

Local Weather - Sponsored By:

CLINTON WEATHER

Local News

DeWittDN on Facebook