Western Illinois beats Dayton 24-7 in FCS playoffs

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) Nikko Watson ran for 152 yards and a touchdown and Western Illinois beat Dayton 24-7 on Saturday in the first round of the FCS playoffs.

Western Illinois (7-5), one of five Missouri Valley Conference playoff teams, next takes on fellow conference member Illinois State. Dayton (10-2) made its first playoff appearance since moving to Division I in 1993.

Dayton scored on Alex Jeske's 5-yard run in the first quarter but the Flyers turned the ball over three times in the red zone in the first half after having just one red-zone turnover all season.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Watson tied the game on a 7-yard run seven plays after the first of three Jeske interceptions.

Nathan Knuffman kicked a 27-yard field goal 11 seconds before halftime.

Sean McGuire threw touchdown passes of 22 and 9 yards to Lance Lenoir and Stacey Smith, respectively, in the second half. McGuire threw for 183 yards and was intercepted twice.

Add us as a preferred source on Google