Western Illinois at Illinois State FCS Football 2015 Playoffs 2nd Round Breakdown
Western Illinois at Illinois State, Saturday, 2:00
Western Illinois had to get some breaks to knock off Dayton to reach the second round of the playoffs. The Flyers committed multiple first half turnovers in the red zone to squander scoring opportunities and gave WIU a 24-7 win. Western Illinois quarterback Sean McGuire was not nearly as prolific as he was the previous two games while filling in for the injured Trenton Norvell. McGuire was just 12-of-26 for 183 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. It was Nikko Watson who was the workhorse, rushing for 152 yards on 34 carries. WIU will now advance to face MVFC rival Illinois State.
Illinois State has not been quite as dominant as they were a season ago, but running back Marshaun Coprich is still one of the best players in the country. He rushed for 1,720 yards and 20 touchdowns during the regular season and few defenses have had any luck stopping the beast of a running back. When a team focuses too much on Coprich, quarterback Tre Roberson will make them pay, whether it be with his arm or his legs.
Western Illinois made the trip to Normal, Illinois back on October 24th and lost 48-28. In that contest, Illinois State kept getting big play after big play. Coprich rushed for 208 yards and two scores, while Roberson added 89 yards and two more scores on the ground. Roberson also threw for two touchdowns and 211 yards. The Western Illinois defense knows what they will be facing on Saturday and that should help a little. However, Illinois State just has too much talent offensively and even if you want to stack the box to stop Coprich, it rarely works. And even if it does, Roberson will hurt you one way or another. Western Illinois can keep this game closer than they did during the regular season, but Illinois State will get the job done.
Projected Score: Illinois State, 31, Western Illinois 21
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