W. Illinois secures a share of crown

ASSOCIATED PRESS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Cornell Middlebrook swung the game's momentum by returning a fumble 90 yards for a touchdown and Russ Michna passed for 236 yards Saturday as Western Illinois beat Northern Iowa, 35-12.
Western Illinois (9-1, 6-1 Gateway Conference) pulled away in the second half to secure a tie for the league championship.
Western Kentucky, which did not play Saturday, is 5-1 in the conference and finishes league play at Southern Illinois next Saturday.
Northern Iowa (4-6, 1-5) won the league title last year but will end up with its first losing season since 1988. The Panthers finish against Southwest Missouri State next Saturday.
Indiana State 21, S. Illinois 14
CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) -- Julian Reese passed for a TD and ran for another as Indiana State did all of its scoring in the first quarter.
The Sycamores (5-6, 3-3 Gateway) took advantage of a gusty wind at their backs in the opening period.
Reese found Ryan King on a 16-yard TD early in the game and ran 2 yards for a score with five seconds to go in the quarter to put Indiana State up 21-0.
Southern Illinois (4-7, 2-4) moved 80 yards on 12 plays in the second quarter and scored a touchdown on a trick play as running back Brandon Robinson tossed an 11-yard pass to quarterback Joel Sambursky, cutting the lead to 21-7.