THE GAME: Illinois Wesleyan (5-2 overall, 4-2 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) continues its 125th football season with a conference game against the Elmhurst Bluejays (4-3 overall, 3-2 CCIW) … Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Tucci Stadium in Bloomington, Ill. … This is "Seniors' Day" at Illinois Wesleyan and the final regular season home game.
 
SENIORS' DAY: The 20 seniors on the Illinois Wesleyan football team are Quincy Butler, Dominic Comfort, Tyler Fahey, Joe Faso, Sean Garvey, Austin Harrell, Andrew Iwaszkiewicz, Jamal Jackson, Rey Labampa, Donavan Laible, Kyle Moody, Adam Muellers, Ryan Nelson, Luke Roth, John Shipman, Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore, Reese Sobol, Kyle Venhuizen, Austin Wagner and Tom Zale.
 
GAME #1,026 AHEAD: In its 125th season, IWU has an overall 1,025-game record of 574-409-42 (.579 winning percentage) … Of the 1,025 games, head coach Norm Eash has been involved in 327 of them (291 as a coach, 36 as a player from 1971-74) … Illinois Wesleyan's 35-27 win at Albion on Sept. 13, 2014 was the 1,000th game in Illinois Wesleyan football history.
 
HOME AND AWAY: Since Norm Eash became head coach in 1987, Illinois Wesleyan is 102-43 (.701) at home and 87-58-1 on the road (.599).
 
OCTOBER: The Titans are 84-49 (.632 winning mark) in the month during the Norm Eash coaching tenure, including a 3-1 record this year… IWU was 4-1 in October in 2015, 1-3 in October in 2014, 4-0 in October 2013, 2-2 in October 2012, 4-1 in October 2011, 3-2 in October in 2010, 4-1 in October 2009, 2-2 in October 2008 and 4-0 in October 2007.
 
ON THE AIR: The IWU/Elmhurst game will be broadcast live on the Internet at www.wjbc.com.
 
CCIW SCHEDULE THIS WEEK (Oct. 29): Elmhurst at Illinois Wesleyan, 1 p.m.; Augustana at North Park, 1 p.m.; Carthage at Millikin, 1 p.m.; Carroll at North Central, 2 p.m.; Wheaton bye week

NEXT WEEK: The Titans have a bye week next Saturday (Nov. 5), then closes out the regular season at Millikin (4-3 overall, 3-2 CCIW) on Nov. 12 … The Big Blue has won two in a row and three of their last four.

LAST WEEK: A 4-yard touchdown catch by senior TE Quincy Butler (Flossmoor, Homewood-Flossmoor HS) with 49 seconds remaining in the game salvaged a come-from-behind 19-14 Illinois Wesleyan win at Carthage on Oct. 22 … The 11-play, 86-yard final drive started with 5:34 remaining from the IWU 14 yard line.  A 34-yard pass completion to junior Brian Johnson (Villa Park, Willowbrook HS) from freshman QB Brandon Bauer (Frankfort, Lincoln-Way East HS) and a 14-yard run by senior Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore (Kankakee, Bishop McNamara HS) were key plays in the final possession along with a pass interference call against the Red Men … Illinois Wesleyan had the ball for 13:01 in the fourth quarter and, in the complete game, had possession time of 37:40 to 22:20 for Carthage. Illinois Wesleyan, limited to 10 yards in the first quarter, finished with 298 yards, 167 rushing and 131 passing, while Carthage amassed 332 total yards with 205 in the air and 127 on the ground. The Titans had a 20-15 edge in first downs. The Titans benefitted with 126 yards on 11 Carthage penalties. On four occasions, IWU drives were extended as a result of Red Men penalties … The Red Men had a 14-0 lead early in the game. With 1:03 to play in the first quarter, London Townsend broke for a 93-yard TD run, the longest scoring rush in Carthage history. With 14:03 to go in the half, Jamahl Wright caught a 25 yard TD pass from Ethan Olles … Shoemaker-Gilmore broke out of a pack for a 56-yard touchdown gallop with 1:12 to play before halftime to get IWU on the board.  The only scoring in the third quarter came on a 4-yard TD run by Shoemaker-Gilmore … Shoemaker-Gilmore finished with 161 rushing yards and the two TDs on 33 carries, tied for eighth most in an IWU single game … Bauer completed 16 of 27 passes for 131 yards and the TD pass to Butler … Defensively, Illinois Wesleyan was led by junior lineman Justin Krzeczkowski (Lockport HS) with six total tackles while senior LB Sean Garvey (Glenview, Glenbrook South HS) and Tyler Fahey (Park Ridge, Maine South HS) each had five tackles. Fahey had a -11 yard quarterback sack and freshman Matt Szyska (Chicago, Notre Dame HS) had a -6 yard sack while sophomore Trevor Staley (Lake Zurich HS) made the game's only interception.

CCIW HONORS: For the second time this season, Illinois Wesleyan senior running back Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore (Kankakee, Bishop McNamara HS) was named the CCIW "Offensive Football Player of the Week" on Oct. 24 for his play in 19-14 win over Carthage. He ran for 161 yards on 33 carries and had touchdown runs of 56 and four yards. The 33 carries is tied for eighth most in an IWU single game. He is the CCIW rushing leader with 130.8 yards per game in six league outings and also leads the conference in all purpose yards (201.2 per game), kickoff return yards (26.2 per return) and scoring (11.0 points per game).
 
SIZING UP THE SHOE: Senior running back Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore (Kankakee, Ill., Bishop McNamara HS) currently is No. 11 all-time in rushing yards at Illinois Wesleyan with 1,773 and No. 8 in a single season at 905 rushing yards (156 carries) … He is 174 yards short of the record of 1,079 set in 1977 by Kurt Swearingen (223 carries) … He is tied at No. 9 all-time with 17 rushing touchdowns … He is No. 9 all-time with 661 kickoff return yards and No. 15 with 2,675 all-purpose yards … He had 212 rushing yards against Augustana, a total tied at No. 10 in an IWU game (Maury Parker also had 212 vs. Elmhurst on Nov. 2, 1991) … His 129.3 rushing yards per game is No. 2 in a season.
 
IWU PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Chosen by Titan coaches to honor top players in the week's game and practices. The "Titan Award" honors a player for work ethic, loyalty and spirit.
Offense – Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore, senior, running back, Kankakee, Ill., Bishop McNamara HS; Quincy Butler, senior, tight end, Flossmoor, Ill., Homewood-Flossmoor HS
Defense – Tyler Fahey, senior, linebacker, Park Ridge, Ill., Maine South HS; Justin Krzeczkowski, junior, line, Lockport, Ill., Lockport HS
Special Teams – Jordan Hassan, junior, linebacker, Wheaton, Ill., Glenbard West HS
Scout Offense – Ryan Paslay, freshman, running back, Brighton, Ill., Southwestern HS; Javon Boyd, freshman, wide receiver, Blue Island, Ill., Eisenhower HS
Scout Defense – Ryan Swift, freshman, linebacker, Brookfield, Ill., Riverside-Brookfield HS; Derrick Frye, freshman, defensive line, Posen, Ill., Chicago Brother Rice HS
Titan Award – Morgan Alexander, sophomore, running back, Elmhurst, Ill., York HS
 
COACH NORM EASH: The "dean" of league coaches and winningest coach in school history, Norm Eash (Illinois Wesleyan, 1975) is in his 30th season at IWU … He has a career overall record of 189-101-1 (.659) and a career CCIW mark of 133-80-1 (.618) … Eash became the school's all-time football coaching win leader with a 52-21 victory over North Park on Oct. 12, 2013 … He surpassed the record held by his own college coach, Don "Swede" Larson (168-121-6 from 1954-86) … Eash is in second place all-time in CCIW victories, behind only Larson with 142 CCIW wins…Eash passed Augustana's Bob Reade for second place in conference coaching victories. Reade had 112 wins from 1979 to 1994 … Eash has been CCIW "Coach of the Year" five times (2009, 2007, 2001, 1996, 1992) … The win at Augustana on Oct. 17, 2009, was Eash's 100th CCIW win.
 
NCAA DIVISION III ACTIVE COACHING WINS LIST (as of Oct. 25, 2016)
1. Rick Giancola - Montclair St. 234
2. Mike Drass - Wesley 214
3. Steve Johnson - Bethel 200
3. Rich Lackner - Carnegie Mellon 200
3. Larry Kindbom - WashU 200
6. Jim Margraff - Johns Hopkins 196
7. Barry Streeter - Gettysburg 192
8. Norm Eash - Illinois Wesleyan – 189
9. Pete Fredenburg – Mary Hardin-Baylor – 188
9. Joe Fincham – Wittenberg - 187

GARVEY ON TACKLE LIST: With 251 total tackles. senior linebacker Sean Garvey (Glenview, Glenbrook South HS) is No. 12 all-time at Illinois Wesleyan … He is tied for No. 2 all-time with 157 solo tackles. The career leader is Keith Cornwell with 169 from 1976-79.
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES: Elmhurst (4-3, 3-2 CCIW) was idle last week … A week before, their quest for a third consecutive CCIW victory came up short in a 38-27 loss to Carthage College. The Red Men outgained Elmhurst 449-297 for the contest. Carthage rushed for 194 yards while passing for 255. Elmhurst struggled to get its ground game moving, finishing with just 36 yards … Orlando Hernandez, who has been CCIW "Offensive Player of the Week" twice this season, was 17-of-35 for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Brachmann was Hernandez's top target, catching four passes for 48 yards … Elmhurst struggled to move the ball in the second half, finishing with just 51 yards off offense compared to 249 for Carthage … Four Bluejays reached double digits in tackles in the loss. Perode Charles, Sean Wetherell and Alec Datoli totaled 11 tackles apiece while Andy Warsen recorded 10 … Ron Planz (Carthage 2001) has a 13-14 record (8-11 CCIW) in his third year at Elmhurst. Planz spent five seasons as defensive line coach and special teams coordinator at Division II Minnesota St.-Mankato. While there, the Mavericks won four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) South Division titles, three NSIC conference championships, qualified for the NCAA playoffs three times, including a national semifinal appearance in 2012. Prior to joining Mavericks' coaching staff in 2009, Planz served as the defensive coordinator at Manchester College for five seasons and spent three years as an assistant at Wis.-Eau Claire. He was the defensive coordinator for the Danube Dragons in Klosterneuburg, Austria, in 2002.

THE SERIES VS. ELMHURST (51-12-1)      Home: 35-3, Away: 16-9
In a series that dates back to 1930, Illinois Wesleyan holds a 51-12-1 lead in games vs. Elmhurst (35-3 at home, 16-9-1 on the road) … IWU has won seven of the last nine and 26 of the last 33 games between the two schools … The Bluejays won at home in both 2006 (25-13) and in 2005 (20-15)...When Elmhurst beat IWU, 40-20, in 2003, it ended a 17-game winning streak against the Bluejays. Go here for a listing of all games in the series.
 
BAUER NOTES: Freshman QB Brandon Bauer (Frankfort, Lincoln-Way East HS) was 16 of 19 passing for 210 yards and four TDs against Carroll (Oct. 15) … The 84.2 percentage is third best in an IWU game (min. 10 attempts), behind the school-record of 87.1 percent by Lon Erickson (27-of-31 vs. Millikin; Oct 12, 1996) and the 84.6 percent by Jack Warner (22-of-26 vs. Millikin; Oct 10, 2015) … VS. WHEATON: Against Wheaton on Oct. 1, in his second college start, Bauer threw for the fourth most yards in an IWU single game. He was 22 of 33 for 399 yards, which puts him behind only John Rooney (426 yards, Elmhurst, 10/8/83), Chad Beaty (409, North Central, 10/18/97) and Kraig Ladd (404, Carthage 10/6/07) … Bauer had 391 yards of total offense (399 pass, -8 rush), eighth best in an IWU single game, and his 77-yard TD pass to Adam Muellers (Wood Dale, Immaculate Conception HS) is the 19th longest in an IWU game.
 
PREVIOUS CCIW HONORS: Senior defensive end Josh Akin (Blue Island, Ill., Eisenhower HS) was named the CCIW "Defensive Player of the Week" on Oct. 17. Akin was part of a Titan defense that held Carroll to 168 yards of offense in a 62-10 road win over the Pioneers on Saturday. Akin led Illinois Wesleyan with 10 total tackles (four solo) and added 1.5 sacks for minus 12 yards, along with 2.5 tackles-for-loss for minus 14 yards. Carroll was held to 20 rushing yards on the day … Senior running back Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore (Kankakee, Ill., Bishop McNamara HS) was named the CCIW "Offensive Player of the Week" on Sept. 26. Shoemaker-Gilmore scored three touchdowns and threw for another during a 45-10 win at North Park on Saturday. He rushed for 150 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns, ran a kickoff back 88 yards for a touchdown and threw a 32-yard score in the third quarter. The 88-yard return was the sixth-longest kickoff return in Titan history and the 288 all-purpose yards is the sixth most in an IWU game.
 
60+ POINTS: Prior to scoring 62 against Carroll (62-10 win on Oct. 15), the Titans last scored more than 60 points in a 64-35 win at Wheaton on Oct. 26, 1996 … The 62 points vs. Carroll is tied for seventh most in an IWU single game (IWU also scored 62 in shutout vs. Millikin in 1965).
 
SEPTEMBER: The Titans are 64-21-1 (.750) in the Norm Eash coaching era in the month, including a 2-1 mark in 2016 ... The Titans had a 22-game September winning streak ended with the loss at Simpson in 2014 … The last loss before that was on Sept. 15, 2007 to Mt. St. Joseph… IWU teams won 11 straight September games (all non-league) from 1995 (loss at Simpson) until 2001 (loss to Washington U.).
 
SEASON OPENERS: IWU is 19-11 (.633) in opening-day games under Norm Eash, including the 17-13 win at Nebraska Wesleyan on Sept. 10, 2016. The Titans have now won nine straight season opening games after losing five in a row from 2003 to 2007 … The game against Monterrey Tech-Mexico is not recognized as a "countable opponent" by the NCAA and is viewed as an exhibition.