MACOMB — Playoff games against evenly matched teams are often full of surprises, but fourth-year Western head coach Don Patterson found none.

Eastern’s weaknesses fell right into his team’s game plan.

“We wanted to punish their wide receivers and I think we did that,” Patterson said. “We also wanted to put a lot of heat on (senior quarterback Tony) Romo, because we saw that a lot of the teams (Eastern) had played didn’t do that.”

The plan worked and the Panther offense sputtered to 220 passing yards and only 56 rushing.

The Leathernecks worked a balanced attack against the Eastern offense with 172 passing yards and 193 on the ground.

“We pride ourselves on keeping other teams honest,” Patterson said. “We accomplished everything we set out to.”

Drawing motivation from history: Western lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2000 after a 37-7 loss to No. 10 Lehigh.

The loss was still fresh in many players’ minds.

“We were just sick to our stomach after that loss,” punter Mike Scifres said. “It was definitely motivational for us.”

Patterson had another tool to get his players pumped up.

“I had watched the movie Braveheart and I’m a really big fan of Mel Gibson and we used a line from that movie to get them motivated,” Patterson said. “He said ‘every man dies, but only a few really live.’ I told our guys to go out there and really live.”

u Defensive backs back up: Western was without starting defensive backs and twin brothers Vinceson and Victor Campbell. The Macomb Journal reported Friday that they were arrested on a burglary charge to an apartment in Macomb

Victor was arrested on additional charges of criminal trespass to residence, criminal damage to a property over $300 and resisting or obstructing a peace officer.

Patterson said one of the twins, but would not name which, was claiming his innocence, but both were suspended for the game.The brothers have not appeared in court to be formally charged by a states attorney.

“I think we were just fine,” Patterson said. “We always had four really good defensive backs in there. We certainly didn’t have any problems.”

Travis Washington, a junior defensive back finished third on the team with tackles with seven.

u Wind was with Western: The Leathernecks won the opening coin toss, but deferred to Eastern, which chose to receive the kickoff. Western chose to defend the south goal giving the Leathernecks a wind advantage in the first and third quarter. The wind howled through Hanson stadium gusting up to 46 mph and was consistently in the 20s.

“That was never a consideration for us,” Panther head coach Bob Spoo said about taking the wind. “We want to get the ball in No. 17’s (Romo’s) hands right away.”

Patterson knew it would be a gamble.

“It was a calculated risk,” Patterson said.