Box Score Illinois Wesleyan 28, Aurora 0 - Box Score

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Senior wide receiver Joey Driver caught three touchdown passes as the Illinois Wesleyan football team improved to 3-0 with its second shutout of the season in a 28-0 win over Aurora at Tucci Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 17.

After a scoreless first quarter, sophomore Sean Conley got the Titans on the board with 6:53 to play in the galf with a 12-yard TD run. Freshman Tony Angelos added the extra point kick, the first of four, to put IWU ahead 7-0.

IWU scored again with 1:19 left befor intermission when Driver caught an 11 yard pass from sophomore Rob Gallik for a score, ending a 10-play, 85-yard drive, and Angelos added the kick to make it 14-0.

In the third quarter with 4:05 left, Gallik connected with Driver on a 5-yard touchdown pass and with 5:25 to play in the game, Driver caught his third TD score from Gallik on a 25-yard play to end a five play, 53 yard drive.

In the game, IWU (3-0) amassed 375 total yards compared to 170 for the 1-2 Spartans. Gallik completed 24 of 35 passes for the three scores and 289 yards while junior Cameron Blossom was the Titans' leading rusher with 54 yards on 17 carries.

“Aurora came out in a different defense than we expected all week,” IWU head coach Norm Eash told Jim Benson of The Pantagraph. “The adjustments are a little bit harder with young kids. They haven't been through the battles and wars. I thought we settled down in the second, third and fourth quarters.”

Titan sophomore T.J. Stinde, the team's leading rusher this season, had five carries and suffered a knee injury in the first quarter. The extent of the injury was not known immediately after the game but Stinde was walking the sidelines in the second half.

Aurora got 121 passing yards from Noah Martin, who was 10- for-21 as a replacement starter for the injured senior Jimmy Bevell. Evan Hackbarth caught three balls for 59 yards with a long play of 47 yards. Martin was the Spartans' top rusher, gaining 29 yards on nine carries.

IWU senior linebacker Ben Houk had eight tackles, including six solo, to pace the team while senior linebacker Ryan Gresko had seven total stops with a -7 yard quarterback sack. Senior safety P.J. Cummings, senior lineman Chris Rice and senior linebacker Michael Whittington each had five tackles.

“Our players wanted that shutout,” said Eash. “What people are going to realize about our defense is they're tough to score against. They had a couple big plays, but other than that we shut them down completely.”

Aurora was led on defense by Billy Lashonse with eight tackles and made an interception of a Gallik pass in the end zone for a touchback. Jerome Christmas, Derek DeNino, Dan Maxwell and Cory Young each added seven total tackles.

After a bye week next weekend, Illinois Wesleyan will host Wheaton at 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 1, to begin College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play.