Western Illinois defeats Northern Iowa 30-14

Western Illinois defeats Northern Iowa 30-14

MACOMB, — Matt Barr threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns and Caulton Ray ran for 140 yards and a score to lead Western Illinois to a 30-14 victory over Northern Iowa on Saturday.

Bryce Flowers caught an 87-yard touchdown pass and Pat Smith added three field goals for the Leathernecks (7-4, 5-3), who clinched second place in the Missouri Valley by beating the conference champion.

Jarred Herring caught six passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns for the Panthers (7-4, 6-2), who had their five-game winning streak snapped but are headed to the FCS playoffs.

Western Illinois outgained Northern Iowa 527-265 in total yards and led 20-0 at halftime and 30-0 midway through the third quarter.

The Leathernecks completed the regular season 6-0 at home after going winless in Macomb last year.