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Valparaiso University

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Caron Tyler WIU
30
Valparaiso VAL 1-2 , 0-0
51
Winner Western Ill. WIU 1-2 , 0-0
Valparaiso VAL
1-2 , 0-0
30
Final
51
Western Ill. WIU
1-2 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
VAL Valparaiso 0 3 7 20 30
WIU Western Ill. 7 21 16 7 51

Game Recap: Football |

Valpo Battles Late, Puts Up 30 Points vs. FCS Scholarship Foe

The Valparaiso University football team followed head coach Andy Waddle's F.I.G.H.T. mantra by battling all the way until the final whistle, cutting what had been a 38-3 deficit to 51-30 by the time the game's final snap took place on Saturday night in a road matchup with scholarship, FCS opponent Western Illinois in Macomb, Ill. Redshirt freshman Ryan Ricketti (Rocky River, Ohio / Rocky River) completed a successful 100-yard dash, taking a kickoff return from one endzone to the other for a touchdown.
 
How It Happened
  • The Beacons moved the chains once on their opening drive, but stalled out and were forced to punt. Western Illinois went 84 yards in nine plays to take a 7-0 lead on a Markell Holman 3-yard touchdown run with 7:45 left in the first quarter.
  • Ricketti, who contributed on offense as well as special teams, had a 35-yard grab to the Western Illinois 27 on Valpo's next drive, but the Beacons were hurt by a negative-yardage play and a penalty and were forced to punt.
  • The score was 7-0 through one quarter, and the Leathernecks found paydirt early in the second on a 29-yard pitch-and-catch between QB Chris Irvin and top receiver Demari Davis. The lead grew to 14-0 with 14:18 left in the second quarter.
  • Valpo went three-and-out and had a punt blocked, then WIU took advantage of the short field with a 1-yard TD plunge to make it 21-0. It remained that way until another score for the hosts made it 27-0 at the 4:40 mark of the second quarter.
  • Quarterback Caron Tyler (Temecula, Calif. / Chaparral) had a few key rushes on the next drive, including a conversion on third-and-5 and a play that went for 21 yards. Redshirt freshman kicker Luke Scoma (Bellevue, Wash. / Bellevue) sent one through the uprights from 38 yards out to get the Beacons on the board. Valpo then forced a quick punt and took it to halftime chasing 28-3.
  • The Valpo defense picked up its first takeaway of the night on the opening possession of the second half, when O.C. Nurse (Dumfries, Va. / Forest Park [Marietta]) celebrated his birthday by making an interception to snuff out a WIU drive at the Valpo 4.
  • The Leathernecks scored on a 17-yard pass with 8:42 left in the third to make it 35-3, then added a field goal by Antonio Chadha from 48 yards out with 4:52 on the third-quarter clock.
  • The Beacon offense reached the endzone for the first time in the game when Tyler completed a 48-yard pass to Chris Gundy (Smithfield, Va. / Smithfield) to make it 38-10 with 2:30 left in the third.
  • The Leathernecks responded with a 21-yard touchdown run to boost it back to 34 at 44-10 through three quarters.
  • Tyler found Colin Hayes (Bloomington, Ill. / Bloomington Central Catholic) for 17 yards and Gundy for 27 as part of a 14-play, 75-yard drive that finished with Michael Mansaray (Columbus, Ohio / Westerville South [South Dakota]) plunging it in from a yard out. The PAT was missed, so the score was 44-16 with 8:35 to go.
  • Western Illinois scored on a trick play to make it 51-16 with 4:47 left.
  • Ricketti responded to that with the aforementioned 100-yard kickoff return touchdown to get Valpo within 51-23.
  • An interception by Jason Salman (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Thomas Jefferson [Marietta]) plus a 23-yard return helped Valpo take over at the Western Illinois 20. On the second play of that drive, Dawaiian McNeely (Ceres, Calif. / Central Catholic [Wyoming]) took it 20 yards to the house and made it a three-score game, which stood as the final.
Inside the Game
  • Ricketti became the first FCS player with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown this season and the third Division-I player (FCS and FBS), joining Virginia's Cam Ross and Kent State's De'Realyst Clark.
  • Ricketti became the first Valpo player with a kickoff return touchdown since Ollie Reese on Oct. 12, 2019 vs. Dayton (95 yards). The redshirt freshman notched Valpo's longest kickoff return in over two decades. Under modern NCAA rules, 100 yards is the longest possible credited kickoff return. The Valpo record is 103 by Don Koehm in 1947.
  • Ricketti, who currently leads the nation with a kickoff return average of 49.2, had 149 total kickoff return yards on three attempts in Saturday's game.
  • Valpo's 30 points marked the program's highest total against an FCS, scholarship opponent since a 45-40 loss to Duquesne on Sept. 9, 2017.
  • The game was far more competitive than Valpo's previous two visits to Western Illinois, 45-0 and 45-6 losses.
  • Nurse had his first interception in a Valpo uniform and the fourth of his collegiate career, celebrating his birthday in style. Salman's pick was his first at Valpo and the second of his collegiate career.
  • Scoma's field goal improved him to 3-for-3 this season.
  • Gundy's touchdown catch was the third of his career and first this season.
  • Mansaray's touchdown run was his 12th at Valpo and the 16th of his collegiate career. McNeely's was his third at Valpo and the fifth of his collegiate career.
  • Valpo posted 315 yards of total offense, 191 through the air and 124 on the ground.
  • Tyler went 10-of-16 passing for 137 yards while rushing for a team-high 79 yards.
  • Gundy had five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown, while Ricketti had four grabs for 50 yards.
  • Redshirt freshman Anthony Feltrinelli (Westfield, Ind. / Westfield) secured a team-high eight tackles, while freshman Micah Markley (West Chester, Ohio / Lakota West) tallied seven. Max Samuel (Edina, Minn. / Edina) had another big game, recording six stops including a sack.
Thoughts from Head Coach Andy Waddle
On the team's late fight: "Personally, I'm never going to bow out or stop fighting, and I expect these men to behave the same way. We thought we had some things going in the first half, but for one reason or another, it didn't go our way. We fell short today, but there were a lot of our football players who left it all out on the field. It was good to see us have some spark."
 
On Micah Markley: "There are some good freshmen in this year's class. Micah has an advantage because he graduated early and got to go through all of spring practice and get that jump start. There are some other guys in that class who are going to rise up and match what Micah is doing, but Micah as a true freshman is doing a really good job and we're excited for his future and the future of what we're going to be in the next few years."
 
On Nurse and Salman Interceptions: "I've known O.C. since he was 17 years old, and I used to be his position coach along with being the head coach. He's a good football player, and he showed up and made some good plays. Jason made a big play at the end. There were other guys to make plays too, I'm proud of them all."
 
Up Next
Valpo (1-2) will face another road challenge this coming week, visiting North Dakota for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.
 
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