Western Illinois Beats Charleston Southern 42-35 on Late 99-Yard Drive as Kennedy McGill Runs for 295

Kennedy McGill had already done enough to win this game three times over. Then Charleston Southern's defense scored twice in less than two minutes, and Western Illinois had to win it all over again.

It did, barely. Starting from its own 1-yard line with 3:45 left in a tie game, Western Illinois drove 99 yards in 10 plays, and Ihson Jackson-Anderson ran the final 14 yards for a touchdown with 15 seconds left. The Leathernecks beat Charleston Southern 42-35 on Saturday in North Charleston, South Carolina.

McGill ran for 295 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries and completed 14 of 20 passes for 180 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown to Israel Hiraldo. Charleston Southern answered with three defensive touchdowns, two of them from Jayden Hancock in the fourth quarter. Western Illinois improves to 5-4 and 3-1 in the OVC-Big South. Charleston Southern falls to 4-5 and 1-3.

The first punch

It took Western Illinois four plays to find out how this afternoon was going to go. On the opening possession, McGill broke a 50-yard touchdown run with 10:52 left in the first quarter, finishing a 63-yard drive in barely two minutes. Ronan Culkin added the extra point, and the Leathernecks led 7-0.

Charleston Southern did not flinch. After stopping Western Illinois on a fourth-and-1 at the Charleston Southern 38, the Bucs went 60 yards in five plays, and Harry Smalls powered in from a yard out with 1:10 left in the quarter. Matt Rolader's kick tied it at 7.

Charleston Southern's best early stretch

Hakeem Watters, who carried the Bucs' ground game all afternoon, took a handoff 50 yards for a touchdown with 4:46 left in the second quarter. It was a two-play, 50-yard drive that took 58 seconds, and Charleston Southern led 14-7.

Western Illinois answered right away. The Leathernecks went 80 yards in six plays and 1:32, and McGill scored from 5 yards out with 11 seconds left in the half. It was 14-14 at the break.

McGill takes over the third quarter

Western Illinois took the second-half kickoff and marched 87 yards in nine plays. McGill finished it with a 4-yard run at 10:33, and it was 21-14. On the next possession, the Leathernecks needed four plays and 2:04 to go 57 yards, and McGill threw the 44-yard touchdown pass to Hiraldo. It was 28-14 with 8:14 left in the third.

Then the Bucs struck back without their offense. With 2:36 left in the quarter, Tristan Lennon stepped in front of a McGill throw and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown. A week after a 32-yard pick-six against Tennessee State, Lennon had another one, and it was 28-21.

It stayed that way for one snap. On the first play after the kickoff, McGill kept the ball and ran 84 yards for a touchdown. The lead was 35-21 with 2:19 left in the third quarter, and McGill already had 259 rushing yards with a full quarter to play.

The turning point: Hancock's two touchdowns

The fourth quarter started badly for Western Illinois and kept getting worse. Culkin missed a 43-yard field goal with 13:24 left after a drive that went backward. On the next Western Illinois possession, with 7:37 to play, Hancock picked off McGill and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. Rolader's kick made it 35-28.

The Leathernecks took the kickoff and went nowhere. On third-and-7, McGill was dropped for a 9-yard loss and lost the ball, and Hancock scooped it up at the Western Illinois 19 and ran it in. In less than two minutes, a Charleston Southern defense that had been run over for three quarters had scored twice, and the game was tied 35-35 with 5:55 to play.

It nearly got worse again. On the next possession, McGill broke a 22-yard run into Charleston Southern territory, but Steve Zayachkowsky knocked the ball loose and Avery Dixon recovered at the Bucs' 40. Western Illinois had turned the ball over four times, and all four had come with the ball in McGill's hands.

A 99-yard answer

Charleston Southern could not cash in. An illegal shift wiped out a 20-yard completion from Caden Clay to Mekhi Campfield, two more passes fell incomplete, and Baxter Pearce came on to punt. It was a terrific punt, 59 yards, and Western Illinois took over at its own 1-yard line with 3:45 left.

What followed was the drive of the day. McGill ran for 7 yards to get breathing room. Hiraldo picked up 5 for a first down. McGill went 15 yards up the right side, Jackson-Anderson added 7, and McGill hit David Hargro for 10 more to cross the 45. After a timeout with 1:18 left, McGill found Xavier Coleman for 8 yards to the Charleston Southern 46, setting up fourth-and-1.

Western Illinois did not run it. McGill threw deep down the right side to Tysean Griffin, who made the catch for 32 yards to the Charleston Southern 14. On the next play, Jackson-Anderson ran up the middle for the touchdown with 15 seconds left, and Culkin's kick made it 42-35. The drive took 3:30.

Charleston Southern had one more chance. Clay ran for 5 yards and hit Brandon Musch for 15 to cross midfield, but time ran out with the Bucs at the Western Illinois 48.

The numbers that matter

Western Illinois outgained Charleston Southern 567 to 224 and ran for 358 yards on 51 carries. It held the ball for 36:14. Neither team converted a single third down all afternoon; Western Illinois went 0 for 9 and Charleston Southern 0 for 10. The Leathernecks did not need third downs. They had touchdown runs of 50 and 84 yards, a 44-yard touchdown pass and a fourth-down conversion when it mattered.

The other side of the ledger is why this was close. Western Illinois turned the ball over four times, two interceptions and two lost fumbles, and three of them were returned for Charleston Southern touchdowns. Charleston Southern's offense produced only two touchdowns, 84 passing yards and 12 first downs.

Coleman led Western Illinois with 111 receiving yards on four catches, including a 64-yarder. Griffin caught three passes for 40 yards and also completed a 29-yard pass. Hiraldo had two catches for 45 yards and the touchdown, and Jackson-Anderson finished with 43 rushing yards on six carries. Nick Reinicke led the Western Illinois defense with 10 tackles, and Aa'zoriyon Bonner intercepted Clay.

For Charleston Southern, Watters ran 17 times for 124 yards and a touchdown. Clay completed 10 of 19 passes for 84 yards with an interception. Zayachkowsky made 17 tackles and forced the late fumble.

What it means

Western Illinois moves to 5-4 and 3-1 in league play, and the top of the OVC-Big South is crowded. Southeast Missouri, Western Illinois and Lindenwood are all 3-1 in conference play, and the Leathernecks still have a trip to Lindenwood left on the schedule.

The bigger story for Western Illinois is McGill. A week after a career-high 210 rushing yards against UT Martin, McGill ran for 295 on the road. It also came with four turnovers, and that is the part Western Illinois will spend the week cleaning up.

Charleston Southern falls to 4-5 and 1-3. The Bucs' defense produced three touchdowns of its own, and Lennon has now returned interceptions for scores in back-to-back weeks. Last week's 20-7 win over Tennessee State was built the same way, with the defense taking the ball away. This time the formula came 15 seconds short.

Up next

Western Illinois plays at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 7, hosts Gardner-Webb on Nov. 14 and plays at Lindenwood on Nov. 21. Charleston Southern hosts UT Martin on Nov. 7 and Southeast Missouri on Nov. 14, then closes at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 21.

The takeaway

Western Illinois gave Charleston Southern every chance to steal this game, and the Bucs nearly did. What separated the teams in the end was one drive from the 1-yard line, by an offense that kept handing the ball to the same people who had just lost the lead. McGill will get the headlines for 295 rushing yards. The 99 yards at the end are what Western Illinois should remember.

Sources: ESPN box score and play-by-play; Western Illinois Athletics; earlier Undrafted coverage. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Western Illinois Athletics (file photo).