MACOMB, Ill. – Trenton Norvell capped an 80-yard first-quarter drive with a short pass to Joey Borsellino and Western Illinois grabbed a lead it would never relinquish, defeating Indiana State 34-20 Saturday.
Norvell finished with 215 yards passing, completing 17 of 25, and touchdown tosses of 6 yards to Borsellino and 35 yards to Lance Lenoir. The latter came in the final minutes before halftime and gave the Leathernecks (5-7, 3-5 Missouri Valley) a 14-3 lead.
Indiana State (7-5, 4-4), ranked 18th in the FCS, rallied in the third quarter with an Eric Heidorn 43-yard field goal and a 1-yard run by Buck Logan, pulling to 17-12.
Mike Perish was picked off four times while passing for 355 yards and sacked twice, blunting Indiana State scoring chances.
Western Illinois, playing a fifth-straight game against a ranked opponent, boosted the lead to 34-12, and was 5 for 5 in red zone scoring chances.
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