BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University football team puts its four-game win streak on the line when it hosts College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe Washington University in St. Louis at Tucci Stadium Saturday afternoon, Oct. 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Titans won their fourth consecutive game in convincing fashion, blanking Elmhurst 43-0, Oct. 19, to improve to 4-2 overall and 4-1 in the CCIW. WashU is looking to regroup following a 53-14 loss to No. 5 Wheaton, Oct. 19. The Bears fell to 3-2 in league play and 4-2 overall with the setback.
Links on how to follow along with Saturday's game can be found on the football schedule page of IWUsports.com.
WRONG SIDELINE: WashU Defensive Coordinator Jeff Fisher, a 1993 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, will return to his alma mater when the Bears travel to Tucci Stadium Saturday. Fisher was the Titans starting linebacker on IWU's national quarterfinal team. He got his coaching career started as a defensive assistant under the tutelage of current Illinois Wesleyan Head Coach Norm Eash.
TWICE IS NICE: Senior defensive back Nico Gubenko picked off the Elmhurst quarterback twice in IWU's 43-0 shutout, Oct. 19, to take the team lead in INTs. Moreover, he became the first Titan to snag multiple picks since Quintin Walters did so against Augustana, Sept. 22, 2018.
GOT 'EM: Senior utility man Dean Zigulich and the Titans reached into their bag of tricks on fourth and long against Elmhurst, Oct. 19. Despite looking as though Zigulich was rolling out to boot a rugby punt, he instead used his legs to pick up 34-yards and convert on fourth down via a fake.
NO FLY ZONE: Illinois Wesleyan's masterful defensive performance against the Bluejays saw the Titans accomplish something they had not done since 2017 - shutout an opponent. IWU blanked EC 43-0 for its first shutout since a 30-0 Homecoming victory over Carroll, Oct. 14, 2017.
For the season, the Titans hold the 38th-best scoring defense in the country, giving up just 15.8 points per game.
50-50 SPLIT: Saturday's game between Illinois Wesleyan and WashU will mark the 19th all-time meeting in a series that dates back to 1899. The all-time tally is even at 9-9, but the Titans have won eight of the last 10 meetings, including the three most recent. Last season, IWU held off WashU 27-21 in St. Louis.
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 28.6 percent of the time on third down (31st nationally), and 20 percent of the time on fourth (15th nationally).
TITANS IN OCTOBER: The Titans have compiled a 96-49 (.662) record in the month of October under Norm Eash.
Illinois Wesleyan is currently on a 15-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.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES: WashU is 4-2 on the season following wins over Chicago (43-7), Carthage (21-10), North Park (35-10), and Elmhurst (47-7). The Bears' losses have come to nationally ranked North Central (46-13) and Wheaton (52-13).
WashU relies heavily on its passing game offensively, where the Bears put up 301 yards per game. Davidson captains the offense, completing 146-of-230 passes for 1,511 yards and 12 touchdowns, to go along with four rushing scores. Mitchel Groen is his favorite target with 37 catches for 372 yards, while 12 different players have hauled in TDs. On the ground, John Fisher leads a crowded backfield that has seen 11 players record a carry. Fisher has rushed for 285 yards on 58 carries with two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Bears allow 22 points per game on 372.5 yards of offense a contest. As a unit, WashU has recorded five interceptions, 19 sacks, and 57 TFLs. Jeff Marek leads the way for the Bears with 39 tackles, five for loss, and an interception.
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 212 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 1,054-game record of 597-415-42 (.586) winning percentage). Of the 1,054 games, head coach Norm Eash has been involved in 356 of them (320 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 COOKING: The Titans are 114-46 (.713) at home since Norm Eash became head coach in 1987. IWU has won 13 of its past 15 home games dating back to the 2016 season.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan remains at Tucci Stadium next against CCIW rival Millikin. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2.
