BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University football team aims for its fourth straight win Saturday, Oct. 19, when the Titans travel to Langhorst Field to take on Elmhurst College. Kickoff between the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foes is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Elmhurst, Ill.
IWU won its third straight game to move to 3-2 overall and 3-1 in the CCIW. The Titans spoiled Carthage's Homecoming with a convincing 31-7 victory, Oct. 12. Elmhurst is 1-4 on the season and 1-3 in conference play following a 47-7 setback at WashU, Oct. 12. Links on how to follow along with Saturday's game can be found on the football schedule page of IWUsports.com.
NEXT MAN UP: Johnny Dicanio stepped up in the first start of his career, leading IWU to 412 yards of total offense at Carthage, Oct. 12. Dicanio finished the game 22-of-30 through the air with 254 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a pair of rushing TDs.
STANGE'S BIG KICK: Freshman Andrew Stange nailed the first field goal of his career, a 46-yarder in the opening frame of Illinois Wesleyan's 31-7 win at Carthage, Oct. 12. Stange's kick is the third-longest in IWU history, as well as the longest field goal by a Titan since Mike Berry hit a 47-yard kick against Wheaton Oct. 23, 2004.
NO SOUP FOR YOU!: The Titan defense wreaked havoc behind the line of scrimmage in their win over the Red Men in Kenosha, Oct. 12. Illinois Wesleyan's defensive unit racked up 14 tackles for loss, its most since notching 14 against North Park Nov. 14, 2009.
Through five games, IWU has registered 45 TFLs, just 14 fewer than its total all of last season.
LUX GARNERS CCIW HONORS: Dave Lux became the fifth Titan to earn CCIW Player of the Week honors Oct. 14, as the linebacker was selected as the conference's defensive player of the week.
Lux led Illinois Wesleyan with eight tackles, all solo, in its 31-7 win at Carthage, Oct. 12. He added a career-high four TFLs and a sack.
AGAINST ELMHURST ALL-TIME: Saturday will be the 68th chapter in a history between Illinois Wesleyan and Elmhurst that dates back to 1930. IWU holds a commanding 54-12-1 tally in the all-time series, and has won three straight against EC. The Bluejays first win in the series came in 1972, the 21st meeting between the two squads, snapping a 20-0-1 run by the Titans.
Most recently, Illinois Wesleyan toppled Elmhurst 44-28 at Tucci Stadium Oct. 13, 2018. Morgan Alexander rushed for 218 yards and two scores and Zach Walsh grabbed three TDs as IWU posted its fifth straight CCIW victory.
GETTING STOPS: Illinois Wesleyan's defense has been especially good on third and fourth downs this season. IWU is slotted third in the conference in both third and fourth down conversion defense. The Titans' opponents are converting just 31.9 percent of the time on third down (60th nationally), and 18.2 percent of the time on fourth (17th nationally).
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Titans hold a 97-61-1 record away from Tucci Stadium under veteran head coach Norm Eash. Illinois Wesleyan is 0-2 on the road this year, with both losses coming to top-25 teams. IWU, which is 0-2 on the road this season, is in search of its first road win since a 40-13 season finale win at North Park, Nov. 10, 2018.
TITANS IN OCTOBER: The Titans have compiled a 95-49 (.660) record in the month of October under Norm Eash.
Illinois Wesleyan is currently on a 14-game win streak in the month of October, which dates back to a 42-6 win over Augustana, Oct. 8, 2017. IWU's last loss in the month came on its 2016 Homecoming at the hands of Wheaton, 28-24, Oct. 1.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE: Illinois Wesleyan has been one of the more disciplined teams in the country so far this season, ranking 16th in the nation and first in the conference with 20 penalties. IWU averages just 4.0 flags per game, the 14th-fewest in the nation.
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: Johnny Dicanio, Jack Healy
Defense: Dave Lux
Special Teams: Andrew Stange
Scout Offense: Nate Dammann / Robbie Pulliam
Scout Defense: Terasence Mitten / Skyler Metzger
Titan Award: Brandon Bauer
BEHIND ENEMY LINES: Elmhurst welcomes Illinois Wesleyan to Langhorst Field with a 1-4 overall record (1-3 CCIW), with its lone win coming in a 32-30 thriller at Carroll, Sept. 28. The Bluejays have lost their last two outings, a 38-14 home setback against Carthage and a 47-7 loss at WashU.
Elmhurst, who averages just shy of 18 points a contest, has been fairly balanced offensively. Treston Womack is the top back for the Bluejays, with a team-best 256 rushing yards and two scores, while Jake Tahaney has found the endzone a team-high four times. Five different players have attempted a pass this season, while Noah Henkel leading the way in both yards (350) and touchdowns (3).
Defensively, Elmhurst is giving up 43.6 points on average. Sean Jay leads the Bluejays with 40 tackles. Bryce Gable is second on the team in tackles (35), and has recorded a team-high five TFLs.
200-WIN CLUB: Thirty three-year veteran Norm Eash is one of just eight coaches nationally in NCAA Division III with 200-or-more career wins. Eash, who has won 211 games as the head man at his alma mater, ranks seventh in the country among active head coaches.
Redlands Head Coach and 1980 Illinois Wesleyan alumnus Mike Maynard joined Eash in the 200-win club with a 27-19 victory over Linfield, Sept. 21.
YEAR 128: In its 128th season, IWU has an overall 1,053-game record of 596-415-42 (.586 winning percentage). Of the 1,053 games, head coach Norm Eash has been involved in 355 of them (319 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.
SACK LUNCH: Junior defensive lineman Mike Murphy has been a force in the trenches for the Titans. Murphy has eight sacks on the year, and averages 1.5 QB takedowns a game, the fourth-most in the country. He is also slotted 47th nationally in tackles for loss at 1.7 per contest.
Against Augustana, Sept. 28, as the Orland Park, Ill. native matched a career-high with three sacks, tying for fourth-most in IWU single-game history. He followed it up with two sacks against Carroll, Oct. 5.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan returns home next weekend, Oct. 26, when the Titans host the Bears of WashU. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Tucci Stadium.
