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  Saturday, Nov. 6 2:00pm ET
Illinois St 38, Western Ill 30
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

NORMAL, Ill. (AP) _ Dusty Burk hit Ricky Garrett with a 15-yard touchdown pass for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter as playoff-bound Illiinois State beat Western Illinois 38-30 Saturday to finish 6-0 in the Gateway Conference.

The Redbirds (8-2), ranked 11th in Division I-AA, finished unbeaten season in league play for the first time.

Burk hit Garrett on the first play of the fourth quarter and Jake Strader's PAT made it 31-24.

Western Illinois (5-4, 1-4), the defending league chammpion, came back on Charles Tharp's 10-yard run with 10:10 to play, but Joe Lopez, who kicked three field goals, missed the extra point.

Leading 31-30, the Redbirds wrapped up the win on Alfred Corbin's 45-yard interception return with 6:27 to go.

Aveion Cason returned the opening kickoff 100 yards to give the Redbirds an early lead. Illinois State took a 17-16 halftime lead on Strader's 39-yard field goal on the final play. A pass interference call against Western as time ran out in the half gave State an extra play on the 22-yard line, and Strader converted.

Tharp carried 31 times for 137 yards for the Leathernecks.

The crowd of 14,108 was the largest at Hancock Stadium in more than 20 years.

 


ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard

Western Illinois Clubhouse

Illinois State Clubhouse