YSU NOTEBOOK

YSU NOTEBOOK

Hometown connection: Jim Powers, the Hubbard native who was radio broadcaster and basketball coach, was on hand. Powers is part of the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s radio and television production team and was in Macomb to help the network produce Saturday’s game as the MVFC Game of the Week. Powers also does a weekly radio broadcast that is made available to all of the conference member affiliates.

Crowd missing: One could actually count the crowd never get to 500 even if one counted the Western Illinois band and both teams.

Lonesome campus: Western Illinois students began their Thanksgiving break on Friday and the campus was deserted when the Penguins arrived. It probably had a lot to do with the sparse attendance. The biggest group in attendance was the Leathernecks’ marching band. The temperature at gametime was hovering around 30 degrees with a 15-mile-an-hour wind. Sunshine helped some, but not enough to make sitting outside comfortable. The Leathernecks held their Senior Day last week.

Record day: Herb Donaldson of the Leathernecks became the all-time career rushing leader in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. He surpassed 100 yards early in the second half, the 23rd time in his career that he’s done it (also a conference record). His seventh 200 yard rushing game wasn’t a conference record but was a Western Illinois record.

Ties mark: YSU quarterback Brandon Summers tied the school record for touchdown passes in a regular season when he tossed two on Saturday to improve to 18.

Defensively: Sophomore defensive back Brandian Ross led the Penguins with 13 total tackles and finished the season at the team’s leading tackler with 98. Senior defensive back De’Angelo Wilson’s game saving interception in the final seconds was his fifth of the season.

Pete Mollica