SPRINGFIELD – Devon Moore powered his way into the end zone from a yard out on a fourth-and-goal call with just 43 seconds left in regulation to help No. 12 Western Illinois turn back Missouri State’s furious fourth-quarter rally and escape Robert W. Plaster Stadium with a 38-35 victory Saturday afternoon.
PICTURES: Western Illinois 38, Missouri St 35
Moore’s run completed a 75-yard drive that saw the Leathernecks (5-1, 2-1 MVFC) overcome a late scoring flurry by the Bears, who trailed 31-14 entering the third quarter. Sean McGuire hooked up with Joey Borsellino on a 36-yard completion on a third-and-17 attempt to keep the key drive alive, then carried the ball to the MSU 1 with a five-yard run on third down to set up Moore’s decisive rush.
The late rally allowed WIU to overcome a fourth-quarter comeback by the Bears that included 21 unanswered points, including a pair of touchdowns in a span of just 77 seconds early in the period that brought MSU to within 31-28. Brodie Lambert, who matched a Missouri State record with five passing touchdowns in the game, hit LeMarcus Stewart for a 49-yard scoring strike with 13:00 to play, then found Zac Hoover from three yards out after a Leatherneck fumble handed the ball back to the Bears deep in WIU territory.
Missouri State’s defense followed suit with a third-down stop at the MSU 47 on the ensuing drive, then thwarted a Leatherneck scoring chance with a Cameron Price interception at the goal line.
Lambert went 4-of-6 on the Bears’ go-ahead drive, including a critical 37-yard completion to Jalen Esters that moved the ball to the WIU 17. The MSU signal-caller then found Deion Holliman for the pair’s second scoring connection of the day from 11 yards out to give Missouri State a 35-31 advantage for its first lead of the day with 3:02 to play in the game.
WIU countered the Bears key score by moving the ball into MSU territory with a trio of McGuire pass completions. However, a missed connection on first down at the MSU 39, followed by an intentional grounding thanks to pressure by Cecil Bratton and Daryl Coburn set up a third-and-17 situation at the Bears’ 46.
But McGuire calmly found Borsellino in a seam in the defense for a big gain to the MSU 10, then picked up five key yards to set up the decisive play of the day. On his only carry of the game, Moore muscled his way into the end zone to hand the Leathernecks the lead for good.
Lambert’s last ditch attempt to once again rally the Bears was thwarted by Xavier Rowe, who recorded the Leathernecks’ third interception of the day with 26 seconds left on the clock.
Despite the gut-wrenching ending, Lambert recorded a career-best 290 yards on 24-of-43 passing, with his five touchdown tosses matching Jay Rodgers (Oct. 30, 1999) and A.J. Porter (two times in 2003) for the Bears’ single-game record. Zac Hoover was the primary recipient, finishing with a career-high six receptions for 35 yards, while Holliman caught a pair of TD’s on four receptions for a total of 59 yards.
The valiant comeback bid by the Bears (3-3, 1-2 MVFC) was powered by a second-half outburst from an offense that was limited to just 123 yards of total offense and only three first downs in the first 30 minutes of play. But, after trailing 17-7 at the half, the Bears took their opening drive of the third period 80 yards to cut their deficit to three points. Lambert’s dart to Holliman split a pair of WIU defenders for a 32-yard scoring pass to cap the seven-play drive, over which the senior quarterback was a perfect 4-of-4 for 69 yards.
But Western Illinois answered with a pair quick-strike scoring drives—highlighted by two long McGuire-to-Lance Lenoir completions—to seize its largest lead of the day. McGuire hit Lenoir over the middle for a 38-yard gain to set up the first of two Jamie Gilmore scoring runs in the quarter.
Following a pair of stops by its defense, WIU went back to work late in the quarter to ultimately stretch its lead to 17 points. McGuire would connect with Lenoir again–this time on a 34-yard pass play that took the Leathernecks to the MSU 3—before Gilmore carried it in from there with 48 seconds remaining in the period.
Gilmore accounted for half of the Leathernecks’ four rushing TD’s, complementing the work of Moore and the MVFC’s leading rusher, Steve McShane. The Bears defense limited McShane to 63 rushing yards—or roughly half of his average (117.4) entering the contest—and held WIU to just 39 second-half rushing yards.
Nevertheless, Western Illinois used a balanced offensive and a stout defensive effort to take command early in the game. The Leathernecks engineered a 10-play, 66-yard scoring march on its initial drive of the day, taking the early lead on McShane’s three-yard run at the 9:42 mark. McGuire completed all three of his pass attempts on the drive, including a preview of things to come with a key third-down conversion to Borsellino.
The Leathernecks capitalized on another extended drive to extend their lead to 10-0 on Nathan Knuffman’s 33-yard field goal with 2:28 to play in the first quarter.
MSU mounted its lone scoring drive of the half behind the running of Jason Randall, who totaled 71 yards on three successive rush attempts. On a third-and-two play from the MSU 31, Randall took a direct snap and broke through the WIU defense for a 63-yard burst to the Leathernecks 6. On the next snap, Lambert hit Erik Furmanek in the end zone to cut the deficit to 10-7 with 7:41 left on the clock.
But WIU regained the momentum in the closing minutes of the half, once again getting a pair of third-down conversions to fuel the drive. McGuire, who completed 5-of-6 passes during the possession, found a wide-open Lenoir for a 27-yard gain to the MSU 3 to set up an Isaiah Lesure scoring catch with just six seconds left in the half.
Bears senior linebacker Dylan Cole turned in another standout effort on the defensive side, logging a game-high 16 stops, while McNeece Egbim and Kurran Blamey each registered career-best days with 14 and 10 tackles, respectively.
Up next, the Bears will travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa next Saturday (Oct. 22) for a 1 p.m. MVFC match-up with Northern Iowa at the UNI-Dome.
Postgame Notes: Missouri State saw its five-game win streak in the series come to an end and dropped to 17-16-1 all-time vs. WIU … Saturday’s attendance of 12,639 represented a season-high for MSU … With his 16 tackles, Dylan Cole moved up to No. 8 on the Bears’ career chart with 381 total stops, passing both Cornelius Blow (368) and James Houston (378) … Erik Furmanek’s second-quarter TD reception marked the first of his MSU career … Jason Randall also registered a pair of career milestones, with his 63-yard run in the second quarter representing his longest rush as a Bear, while his 91 rushing yards for the day marked a new career high as well … Brodie Lambert’s five passing TD’s represented a career best for the senior, who connected with four different receivers on scoring completions … LeMarcus Stewart’s third-quarter touchdown reception was the senior’s first since Sept. 14, 2014 vs. North Dakota; Stewart, who entered the game with just five receptions on the season, caught four passes for a career-high 95 yards on the day … Colby Isbell added to his impressive 2016 sack total, teaming up with Daryl Coburn for a seven-yard, second-quarter sack.
