Saturday, November 28, 2015
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

DAYTON, Ohio – Dayton ventured into the red zone four times in the opening half but only scored once as Western Illinois' defense forced three turnovers to escape with a 24-7 victory, Saturday, in the opening round of the Division I Football Championship at Welcome Stadium.

Dayton (10-2) drove inside the Western Illinois 20-yard line on four consecutive drives in the first half but struck paydirt just once. Quarterback Alex Jeske capped a four-play, 39-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead just before the end of the first quarter. However, it came after an end zone interception on the previous drive and was followed by drives ending with a fumble and interception.

Western Illinois (7-5) tied the game with six minutes left when running back Nikko Watson ran in from seven yards out. The Leathernecks took the lead on their next drive on Nathan Knufman's 27-yard field goal with 11 seconds left in the half. WIU would tack on a pair of second half touchdowns to secure the win.

Jeske completed 13-of-27 passes for 124 yards but threw three interceptions.

Western Illinois quarterback Sean McGuire threw two second half touchdowns as part of a 12-for-26, 183-yard performance. Watson ran for 152 yards on 34 carries.