Box Score Box Score

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan football team scored 22 third quarter points to put the game out of reach and cruised to a 53-7 nonconference win over Alma on Saturday (Sept. 8) at Tucci Stadium.

The Titans improved to 2-0 and the Scots are now 0-2.

IWU got on the board to take a 3-0 lead with 10:06 to go in the first quarter on a 33-yard field goal by freshman Michael Kelley, who also added five extra point kicks.

Wesleyan extended its lead to 10- when Alex Garvey caught a pass from junior Rob Gallik and took it 78 yards for a TD with 12:22 to play in the second quarter. Alma made it 10-7 on a 1-yard run by quarterback Jarrett Leister and an extra point kick by Jack Pryde with 3:48 left before halttime.

The rest of the scoring belonged to IWU.
With 9:37 to play in the third, Stephen McGinnis intercepted a pass from Leister and returned it 18 yards to Alma's 41. Four plays later, Gallik connected with senior Tate Musselman on a 7 yard TD pass and the Titans got a two-point conversion when senior wide receiver Joe Musso completed a pass to Taylor Dee.

The Titans would add another score 14 seconds later. On the ensuing kickoff, Ryan Penders forced an Alma fumble that was recovered by the Titans' Taylor Lierman at Alma's 25. On a double-reverse handoff, Musso found Garvey for his second TD catch of the day with 9:23 left in the third and Musselman and Gallik connected on a 56 yard touchdown pass with 6:01 remaining in the third quarter to make the score 32-7.

Musselman got his third TD catch with 14:51 to go in the game from Gallik for 16 yards, capping a six play, 67 yard drive.

The Titans scored twice in the fourth quarter - with 12:10 to play when backup quarterback Tyrell Bolden got Kevin Miller on a 14 yard pass and then with 4:02 left, Cameron Blossom carried the ball in from 5 yards out to end the scoring at 53-7.

Gallik finished with 12 completions in 19 attempts for 231 yards and the four TDs. Junior T.J. Stinde had 10 rushes for 46 yards. Garvey's four catches amounted for 129 yards and Musselman had three total grabs for 79 yards.

Senior Mike Kraft led IWU with seven total tackles while Stephen McGinnis, junior Joe Krob and senior Bert Blodgett each had six. McGinnis had an interception return for 18 yards and two tackles for losses totaling -7 yards.

Illinois Wesleyan had 415 total yards to 223 for the Scots. Alma's Leister was 13 of 28 for 114 yards but was intercepted four times. Bolden, Paul Panno and Penders had interceptions for the Titans, who also got a blocked punt from Chris Simms.

The Titans have a bye week next weekend and will play their first road game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 22 at Hope College in Holland, Mich.